Keeping The Bombers Flying Is Expensive

The U.S. Air Force has, for years, sought to retire aging aircraft to free up funding for the acquisition of new fighters and bombers. Now it is finding the old warbirds have some fight left in them. That was certainly the case with the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, which found a new lease on life after the war in Iran, after being written off as ill-suited to modern aerial combat.

After proving capable of striking Iran's vast fleet of small speedboats, the A-10 close air support aircraft's retirement has been delayed by at least a year. Yet, it won't get any funding for upgrades. By contrast, the Air Force is seeking to invest $342 million to further modernize its remaining B-1s between 2027 and 2031.

There are currently 45 active-duty B-1B Lancers stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, and Dyess AFB, Texas.

"This request provides the necessary funding to modernize the platform, ensuring its lethality and relevance through 2037," a newly released Air Force budget document explained.

An additional $1.35 billion will fund upgrading the remaining 19 B-2 Spirits, all of which operate from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, over the same period.

Getting The Job Done

The fastest operational U.S. bomber, the B-1B, also has the largest payload, carrying upwards of 75,000 pounds internally, including 84 500-pound Mk-82 or 24 2,000-pound general-purpose bombs. Following the end of the Cold War, the Lancer's nuclear capabilities were removed, shifting its role from a nuclear deterrent to a conventional bomber.

It lacks stealth, but that hasn't been an issue with the conflict in Iran, where it has struck Iranian missile infrastructure using a mix of precision-guided munitions, including stand-off weapons and heavy "bunker buster" bombs.

Seven B-2s were also used to great fanfare in last June's Operation Midnight Hammer, where those bombers targeted Iran's nuclear facility. The B-2 was used in the operation as it is the only U.S. Air Force aircraft certified to carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the so-called "bunker buster" bomb considered to be the only ordnance in any military arsenal capable of destroying Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

The B-21 was also designed to carry the MOP, but each B-2 Spirit can carry two, while the smaller Raider bomber can only carry one. Given that situation, it isn't surprising the Air Force will want to keep those 19 B-2s in service for as long as possible.

Not Enough Bombers

Operation Epic Fury certainly demonstrated the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force to cripple an adversary's air defenses quickly. It also made clear the Air Force could be stretched thin.

Current Pentagon plans call for the Air Force to acquire approximately 100 B-21s, but some Air Force officials have argued that the service will need at least 145, and possibly more than 200, aircraft to meet long-term strategic demands.

Instead of having a two-bomber fleet split between the Cold War-era B-52s, of which around 74 are now in service, and the B-21s, the Air Force will now ensure the Raider will be supported by the B-1s and B-2s, at least until the Pentagon is confident there are enough B-21s to get the job done.

"Given the skyrocketing demand [for bomber capacity], it makes perfect sense to buy back the B-1 and B-2," Col. Mark Gunzinger, USAF (retired), director of future concepts and capability assessments for AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air & Space Forces magazine.

"The B-2 is the only fully operational stealth bomber that we have, and frankly, long-range penetrating strike capability is one of the most significant shortfalls in our military," Gunzinger added. "So why divest the B-2 early? It was completely budget-driven and resource driven."

It now appears that the B-21s will operate from Ellsworth AFB beginning next year, possibly alongside the base's Lancer fleet. The B-21s will also be stationed at Whiteman AFB, the current home of the B-2 fleet.

"The operational demand for bombers continues to go in one direction: up," Gunzinger added. "That is both peacetime demand for bombers, to support bomber task force operations which help maintain deterrence globally, but also for operations like Midnight Hammer."

The B-21 Raider is now in low-rate initial production and continues to undergo flight testing. Northrop Grumman built the first six prototype aircraft using the same tools and processes that are now manufacturing the aircraft. That approach enabled the production engineers and technicians to capture lessons learned and apply them directly to follow-on aircraft, driving home a focus on repeatability, producibility, and quality.

However, it could still take a decade or longer for even 100 to enter service, and the demand for bombers will likely delay the retirement of the B-1Bs and B-2s.

Of course, there is the issue of retaining the pilots who can fly those aging bombers, but the Air Force may try to solve the problem by throwing money at it. Earlier this month, the service announced new aviation bonuses for fiscal year 2026, offering up to $600,000 to experienced pilots willing to remain in the cockpit for another dozen years.