Combat aircraft

R

OCKWELL’S SWINGWING

B1B Lancer bomber hasn’t

had an easy life. The original

B-1 program was cancelled

by President Carter in 1977,

then reinstated in reduced

quantities by President Reagan four

years later as the B-1B, and it’s gained

a reputation for being a very complex

beast. But the type has proved to be

enduring and will have racked up some

50 years of service by the time it’s retired

around 2036.

The task of keeping the Lancer  eet

ready for battle falls to the Oklahoma

City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC)

at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. It provides

depot maintenance for the type and

has done so since 1988. Around a dozen

B-1Bs enter the facility every year for

programmed depot maintenance (PDM),

a process each aircraft undergoes every

 ve years.

‘There have been  ve major

modi cations to the B-1 bomber over its

life,’ explains William Baumann, director

of the 567th Aircraft Maintenance

Squadron (AMXS). From 1995 to 2000 the

bomber went through the conventional

mission upgrades, which transitioned

the B-1 from a purely nuclear mission

to the conventional role. Next was

Block B, adding software upgrades to

its o ensive and defensive systems.

Block C gave the B-1B the capability to

deliver CBU-87/89/97 cluster bombs.

Block D was a communications upgrade,

which also added GPS navigation, and

integrated the GBU-31 Joint Direct

Attack Munition.

Block E brought enhanced computers

for increased weapon  exibility and to

integrate the Wind Corrected Munition

Dispenser. Then, in 2005, the fully

integrated data link was added, followed

by the Sniper XR targeting pod in 2007.

The current integrated battle station (IBS)

sustainment block 16 upgrade, which

adds full-color displays in the front and

aft cockpits, moving maps, and a new

diagnostics system, plus a Link 16 data

communications system, began in 2014.

All 62 aircraft in the  eet are expected to

have been modi ed by 2019.

Established routine

‘The aircraft goes through a gated

process after it arrives at the depot,’

said Baumann. ‘The typical PDM

work package consists of 79 major

jobs with more than 4,797 individual

operations accomplished over 17,000

planned hours.’

The process starts in the pre-dock area,

where the B-1 is made ‘hangar-safe’.

Items that require replacement or repair

are removed, and the aircraft is opened

for inspection.

Next is the inspection gate, where it’s

thoroughly examined, assessed, and

a repair plan produced. At this point

the tail is opened up, the horizontal

Combat Aircraft visits Tinker AFB to see how the USAF maintains

its B-1B Lancer fl eet, a type that attracts one of its biggest

servicing bills.

REPORT AND PHOTOS Michael Keaveney

IN THE DEPOT

stabilizers are taken o and other major

components are removed from the aft

equipment bay for inspection.

The fuel tanks are opened and internally

inspected. All the landing gear parts are

taken o as a unit, then disassembled

and sent to a sister air logistics complex

at Hill AFB, Utah, for refurbishment.

After the checks on the aircraft have

been done, a repair plan speci c to each

machine is drawn up.

Next is the repair gate, where the main

servicing and overhaul work is carried

out. Any defects with pre-identi ed

technical order procedures are relatively

simple and addressed by the engineers,

but those that aren’t outlined in the tech

data are trickier. The standard procedure

is to identify the problems and send o

for engineering disposition instructions

before attempting the repair.

The next stage, carried out at the aircraft

build-up gate, is when the bomber is put

Above: B-1B serial

86-0102 on the

PDM line nearing

completion

and ready for

repainting.

36 May 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

36-39 B1 Depot maintenance C.indd 36 20/03/2018 10:54