The Supersonic BONE: A Development and Operational History of the B-1 Bomber

by Kenneth Katz

Overview

When the B-52 Stratofortress entered operational service with the US Air Force in 1955, work was already underway on defining its successor. The B-70 Valkyrie, a Mach 3 jet bomber, was one option. Although two XB-70A prototypes flew, the B-70 never went into production. Out of the subsequent Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft program came the B-1A bomber, which flew at high speed and low altitude to evade enemy air defenses. The B-1A was canceled in favor of fitting the B-52 with cruise missiles. The B-1, known as the BONE, was revived in 1981 as the improved B-1B to boost American military power and be a symbol of American strength at the peak of Cold War tensions. The B-1B entered service in 1986 with several deficiencies. The resolution of most of these issues coincided with the end of the Cold War.

After the Cold War, the B-1B lost its primary nuclear mission but remained relevant by transforming into a high-speed, long-range, high-payload delivery platform for conventional precision-guided munitions. The first combat use of the B-1B was in 1998 in Iraq. The BONE has proved a highly effective combat aircraft in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and the former Yugoslavia.

This superbly researched and illustrated book traces the BONE’s long development and operational history in fascinating detail.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399014717
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	03/18/2022
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	369,839
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Educated in aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan, KENNETH P. KATZ has over three decades of experience as an US Air Force officer, flight test engineer, and project manager. He is currently employed as a staff project engineer for a major aerospace contractor. Katz has a commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating, flight experience as an observer and crewmember in over 20 types of military aircraft and is a Senior Member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers. He is the author of three patents, several conference papers, and two previous books about the subject of modern military aircraft. Katz currently lives in Connecticut in the United States.

Table of Contents

Introduction vi

Acknowledgements viii

Abbreviations x

Chapter 1 The Rise of the American Strategic Bomber 1

Chapter 2 B-70 Valkyrie 4

Chapter 3 B-1A 14

Chapter 4 From A to B 61

Chapter 5 The Supersonic Cadillac 79

Chapter 6 Nuclear Weapons 131

Chapter 7 B-1B Development and Testing 141

Chapter 8 Building the B-1B 194

Chapter 9 SAC Service 206

Chapter 10 After the Cold War 231

Chapter 11 Combat Debut 273

Chapter 12 The Global War on Terror 281

Chapter 13 Maintaining and Modernizing the Bone 323

Chapter 14 The B-1B and Air Force Global Strike Command 333

Chapter 15 Global Presence 343

Chapter 16 Twilight of the Bone 350

Bibliography 357

Editorial Reviews

"This profusely illustrated and thoroughly researched book conveys a wealth of information and should be required reading for policymakers, contractors and crew."

Aviation History Magazine

"The author is to be commended for the logical and detailed format of the book. The extent of his research is quite evident and it is simply a book you cannot put down. It has the perfect mix of technical descriptions with personal accounts that combine to make it an enjoyable read."

Aviation Enthusiast Book Club

"A fascinating account of the extraordinary successor to the B-52 Stratofortress bomber, the B-1."

Books Monthly

"Every once in a while, we come across a must-read book. This is one of them. It is a great reference for historians, pilots, engineers, and even policy makers. Both the writing and photos are excellent."

Air & Space Power History

"This is a well-written, immaculately researched book. In hardback, it will grace military libraries for decades to come, and on Kindle, it will interest a wide range of aviation, capability development and US military enthusiasts."

Army Rumour Service

"The operational history of use in the Middle East and Afghanistan proved interesting."

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"This superbly researched and illustrated book traces the BONE’s long development and operational history in fascinating detail."

Scale Modeling Now

"...the high number of high quality images should allow the modeller to find good quality images of any specific detail being sought."

Aeroscale