Combat aircraft

T

HE ROCKWELL B1B Lancer

has become a mainstay of

combat operations for the

past two decades, being

worked hard in the skies

over Afghanistan, Iraq,

Syria, and Libya as well as supporting

the Continuous Bomber Presence in

the Paci c. It has developed into a

very useful all-round conventional

precision striker.

Dyess AFB is one of two B-1 main

operating bases, with no fewer than 40

of the sleek machines to be found at

the western Texas station. Adjacent to

the two large complexes of the 9th and

28th Bomb Squadrons here, and slightly

further down the massive Dyess  ight

line, is a much smaller building. The

work undertaken inside has played an

instrumental part in making the B-1 the

combat-proven workhorse of the 21st

century that it has become.

The 77th Weapons Squadron (WPS,

pronounced ‘whips’) and 337th Test

and Evaluation Squadron (TES) share

this facility. Each unit uses half of the

building, with a large ops desk in the

center, dividing the structure into two

equal sides. At  rst glance it would seem

as though there is little ‘crossbreeding’

between the two. However, that

appearance is super cial. It is the close

working relationship between them that

makes the arrangement so e ective and

productive.

Lt Col Jaime Hernandez is the

337th Test and Evaluation Squadron

commander. ‘Our guys are experienced

instructor pilots or WSOs [weapons

systems operators]. They’ve come from

the operational squadrons and it’s the

guys in those squadrons that are going

to use what we’re testing. We  gure out

how to break this stu , which is a rough

term, but we put [the new equipment]

into an environment in which it is going

to be used. We want to  y it, use it,

and abuse it, just like an aircrew in the

combat bomb squadrons is going to

do — not just in a training environment,

but in a real-world operational combat

environment. Everything we do here is

operationally [representative] of what

the units that will be using it do, and

we can see if it meets the operational

requirements.

‘The other part of what we do is

develop TTP — tactics, techniques, and

procedures. We develop the academics

so that the operational crews know

how to use this new widget that we’re

Despite a plan to retire the B-1B Lancer earlier than anticipated,

the US Air Force is continuing with several initiatives to keep the

bomber relevant. Following on from our coverage of Lancer deep

maintenance last month, Combat Aircraft looks at the testers who

are keeping the B-1 at the top of its game.

REPORT AND PHOTOS Jake Melampy

30 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

30-35 B1 Weapons Test C.indd 30 19/04/2018 15:42