Tanker Boom Operator Photographs Rare And Glorious Formation Of Four B-1B Bombers

Published Mar 24, 2020 7:25 PM EDT

Master Sergeant Nathan Neidhardt of the Kansas Air National Guard’s 190th Air Refueling Wing got a special treat on March 23rd, 2020, when a quartet of B-1B bombers rendezvoused with his KC-135R Stratotanker to grab some gas. Thankfully, Neirdhardt snapped some shots of the rare mission and they are striking, to say the least. The four swing-wing bombers were on a training sortie from their home at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

Check out the set of shots below:

MSgt Nathan Neidhardt

A formation flight of four B-1Bs is a rare occurrence these days, especially when training in the United States. Neidhardt, a 19 year veteran of the Air Force, hadn’t seen anything similar since being deployed overseas. The same flight was publicized by the 28th Bomb Wing as a sign of enhanced B-1B readiness. Check out their images from the base side of the unique sortie:

Tech. Sgt. Jette Carr

The B-1B fleet has experienced abysmal readiness rates in recent years, at times down to single-digit percentages, after nearly two decades of perpetual combat operations and other commitments around the globe. Low-level penetration capability has been stripped from the aircraft’s repertoire due to the stress it puts on its tired airframe and the Air Force is seeking to reduce the fleet size by 17 aircraft. As it sits now, the bombers have to last through a portion of 2030 , after which the B-21 Raider is supposed to take their place.

With all that in mind, it’s good to see the Air Force flexing its B-1B muscles a bit after the aircraft had been pulled from continuous combat operations overseas so that some deep maintenance on the fleet and upgrades could be performed . It is hoped that with retiring the 17 most worn-out and unreliable Bones, money can be freed up to invest in the remaining 45 aircraft so that, along with some careful fleet planning and flight restrictions, they will hopefully get to their proposed retirement date in one piece.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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发布于美国东部时间2020年3月24日晚上7:25

2020年3月23日，堪萨斯州空中国民警卫队第190空中加油联队的军士长内森·内德哈特（Nathan Neidhardt）迎来了一次难得的体验：四架B-1B轰炸机与他的KC-135R空中加油机汇合，为其加油。幸运的是，内德哈特拍下了这难得一见的场景，照片效果令人叹为观止。这四架可变后掠翼轰炸机当时正从位于南达科他州埃尔斯沃思空军基地的基地执行训练飞行任务。

请查看以下照片：

军士长内森·内德哈特

如今，四架B-1B轰炸机编队飞行实属罕见，尤其是在美国本土训练时。拥有19年空军服役经验的内德哈特自海外部署以来就没见过类似的景象。第28轰炸机联队将此次飞行宣传为B-1B战备水平提升的标志。请查看他们从基地拍摄的此次独特飞行任务的照片：

技术军士杰特·卡尔

近年来，B-1B轰炸机的战备率极低，有时甚至低至个位数。这主要是由于近二十年来，该机一直处于持续作战状态，并承担着全球范围内的其他任务。由于低空突防对老旧机体造成过大压力，B-1B的作战能力已被取消。空军正计划裁减17架B-1B轰炸机。目前来看，这些轰炸机必须服役到2030年的部分时间，之后B-21“突袭者”轰炸机将取代它们。

考虑到以上种种因素，很高兴看到空军在B-1B轰炸机从海外持续作战行动中撤出，进行深度维护和升级后，开始重新启用该机型。希望随着17架老旧且可靠性最差的B-1B轰炸机退役，能够腾出资金用于投资剩余的45架飞机，并配合周密的机队规划和飞行限制，使它们能够顺利服役到预定的退役日期。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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