Two B-1B Lancers assigned to the 337th Test and
Evaluation Squadron at Dyess AFB, Texas, recently returned from a training
mission to Andersen AFB, Guam. The mission tested the Lancer’s Block-16 upgrade
and inertial navigation system replacement (INS-R) during a long-duration
sortie, according to a June 3
release. It was
the first time an upgraded BONE crossed the international dateline or the
equator. “The No. 1 benefit of these sorties was that we proved we can take off
from the continental United States, fly to a completely different theater, set
up our own datalink, mission planning cell, and maintenance contingent, and
execute missions from this deployed location in an extremely short period of
time, with a relatively small logistical footprint,” said a 337th B-1
instructor pilot, who was not named in the release. The sorties also are
important to demonstrate the global nature of the B-1, which
will
transition from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command on
Oct. 1. “Block 16 and its refinements will prove to be a game changer for the
B-1. Not only does it add capabilities and increase situational awareness
within the jet, but it adds invaluable situational awareness on where we are
and what we are doing,” said the 337th TES director of operations.