Too slow for stealth wars: B-1B Lancer faces final flight

After more than four decades of high-speed service, the US Air Force is preparing to retire the B-1B Lancer, a long-range, supersonic bomber that once symbolised American airpower.

According to the detailed analysis by the National Interest, the decision marks a major step in the Pentagon’s shift toward preparing for warfare in contested airspace against technologically advanced adversaries such as China and Russia.

Despite its reputation as a reliable deep-penetration strike aircraft, the B-1B has become increasingly costly and difficult to maintain. Of the original 100 aircraft built, fewer than 60 remain in service, and even among those, fewer than half are considered mission-ready at any given time. Years of intensive use, particularly during post-9/11 operations in the Middle East, have taken a significant toll. Structural fatigue from long-term deployment in desert environments, sustained high-speed, low-altitude combat missions, and the complexity of the aircraft’s swing-wing design have all contributed to its declining operational viability.

The B-1B was developed during the Cold War to outpace and outmanoeuvre Soviet air defences. Entering service in the 1980s, the bomber was intended to replace the ageing B-52 Stratofortress. Ironically, the B-52—thanks to multiple upgrades—will now serve into the 2050s, well beyond the B-1B’s lifespan.

Originally configured to deliver nuclear weapons, the B-1B’s mission changed dramatically after the end of the Cold War. Following arms control agreements with Russia in the 1990s, the aircraft was converted to a conventional-only role. In the decades that followed, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, the B-1B became a workhorse for US military operations, flying thousands of sorties. Its ability to carry heavy payloads and remain airborne for extended periods made it a critical asset in the post-9/11 era.

However, the strategic environment has shifted. Today’s planning focuses less on insurgencies in permissive environments and more on peer or near-peer conflicts, where advanced surface-to-air missile systems and integrated air defence networks can threaten non-stealth aircraft. In this emerging context, the B-1B is no longer a viable option.

The US Air Force plans to replace the B-1B with the B-21 Raider, a next-generation stealth bomber specifically designed for operations in highly contested environments. Unlike the B-1B, the B-21 is expected to evade sophisticated radar and missile systems, delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads with minimal detection.

The retirement of the B-1B is more than the end of a venerable aircraft — it represents a shift in US defence doctrine. "Speed and payload were once the decisive factors," one senior defence official noted. "Today, survivability in contested space is the priority—and that means stealth."

The Lancer served effectively during an unipolar era when US air dominance was largely unchallenged. As geopolitical tensions rise and adversaries modernise, however, the B-1B’s days are numbered. Its final chapter underscores a broader transformation in US military posture, toward future battlefields where speed alone is no longer enough.

By Tamilla Hasanova