WASHINGTON – Late last month, the US Air Force Global Strike Command(AFGSC) and the Air Force’s 412th Test Wing joined defense industrypartners to showcase the B-1B Lancer bomber’s expanded capabilities, whichallow the aircraft to both carry hypersonic missiles and stay compliantwith the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).
On August 28, the US Air Force held a demonstration for industry partnersto reveal two potential expansions to the B-1B Lancer: external carriageand an extended weapons bay.
AFGSC Lt. Col. Dominic Ross, the B-1B program’s element monitor, explainedto The Drive that the B-1B, which was originally designed decades ago tocarry nuclear warheads, has a movable bulkhead that can be shifted by thecrew without making permanent changes to the aircraft.
“Currently we can carry 24 weapons internally, now it can be increased topotentially 40 based on what type of pylon we would create,” Ross said.“This gets the B-1 into the larger weapons, the 5,000 pounders. It gets itinto the hypersonics game as well.”
According to the AFGSC, the modification would only take a few work shiftsto equip the long-range bomber to carry hypersonic missiles.
“It would allow us to more efficiently plan for targeting and use feweraircraft with fewer aircrews in harm’s way to strike the same number oftargets,” Col. Richard Barksdale told The Drive. He also explained thatthis would reduce the amount of support aircraft needed.
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Ross asserted that the military would only use these developments andpotential modifications for conventional warfare, to remain compliant withNew START.
Back in Julylink,war hawk and former US National Security Adviser John Bolton openly claimedthe New START treaty would cease to exist following its expiration date.
“The New START nuclear agreement, which was ratified in 2010, was flawedfrom the beginning. It did not cover short-range tactical nuclear weaponsor new Russian delivery systems.
It is due to expire in February 2021, and while no decision has been made,it is unlikely to be extended. Why extend the flawed system just to say youhave a treaty?” Bolton said during a speech to attendees of the 41st annualNational Conservative Student Conference. -Sputnik
