The Bone
“硬骨头”

Nicknamed “The Bone,” the B-1B Lancer is a long-range, multi-mission, supersonic conventional bomber, which has served the United States Air Force since 1985. The aircraft is on track to continue flying, at current demanding operations tempo, out to 2040 and beyond, and Boeing partners with the Air Force to keep the B-1 mission ready. Originally designed for nuclear capabilities, the B-1 switched to an exclusively conventional combat role in the mid-1990s. In 1999, during Operation Allied Force, six B-1s flew 2 percent of the strike missions, yet dropped 20 percent of the ordnance, and during Operation Enduring Freedom the B-1 flew on 2 percent of the sorties while dropping over 40 percent of the precision weapons. The B-1 has been nearly continuously deployed in combat operations over Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.

B-1B型“枪骑兵”轰炸机外号“硬骨头”，是长距离、多任务、超音速的常规轰炸机，从1985年起就在美国空军服役。该机型拟继续服役，在达到目前苛刻的行动速度条件下，一直飞到2040年以后。波音公司会与空军合作，继续维持B-1型轰炸机的任务。最初设计时，B-1轰炸机是能够搭载核能力的，是在上世纪90年代中期才转变为仅具备常规作战能力的机型。在1999年的“联军作战”行动中，六架B-1轰炸机在2%的打击任务中投下了占总量20%的弹药；在“自由长存”行动中，B-1轰炸机出动架次仅占总量2%，却投下了四成以上的精密武器。从2001年起，在阿富汗和伊拉克的行动中几乎在不停部署B-1轰炸机。