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Today's B-1 is the product
of over 14 years of studies, design, development, fabrication,
and exhaustive testing. Air Force development contracts were
awarded in June 1970; North American Rockwell (now Rockwell
International Corp.) was selected to build the B-1 airframe and
and General Electric the F101 turbofan engines. Four aircraft
currently are included in the development program.
Construction of the first aircraft was completed in Rockwell's
final-assembly facility at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale,
California, and was roiled out there on October 26, 1974. First
flight of the B-1 was successfully completed on December 23,
1974, with a 1 hour and 18 minute test flight from Palmdale to
nearby Edwards AFB.
Work on the second B-1 aircraft is proceeding on schedule. The
plane was rolled out at Palmdale on May 11, 1976, and is
currently undergoing fuel and propulsion system checkouts in
preparation for its first flight this summer. It successfully
completed eight months of structural proof loads testing at
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's Palmdale facility in June 1975
and will be used for structural loads flight testing.
The third B-1 was rolled out at Palmdale on January 16 and
completed its first flight to Edwards AFB on April 1. This
aircraft is the first B-1 with a complete offensive avionics
subsystem and will be used to evaluate the capability of the B-l
to perform its intended mission. Flight testing will involve the
evaluation of offensive avionics subsystem functions, with
primary emphasis placed upon low altitude penetration using
automatic terrain following equipment, weapons delivery
capabilities, navigation, and communications.
Development of the fourth B-1 commenced on August 15, 1975, with
the award of an Air Force contract amendment to Rockwell
International. The aircraft will include cost reducing design
refinements to the forward fuselage (ejection seats instead of
the current crew escape capsule) and engine nacelles, and
redesign of the forward fuselage and aft avionics bay to
accommodate defensive avionics equipment. It will be used for
flight test of the B-l defensive avionics and is currently
expected to fly for the first time in early 1979.
General Electric's F101 turbofan engine successfully completed
its Preliminary Flight Rating Test (PFRT) on April 16, 1974. It
is currently undergoing Product Verification (PV) testing and is
expected to be tested sufficiently to verify readiness for
initial production and service by this fall.
Initial production contracts are expected to be awarded late
this year if a go-ahead is given by the Department of Defense
and Congress. The first of 240 production B-1s could be expected
to enter the Air Force inventory in mid-1979. Initial
operational capability with the Strategic Air Command would then
occur in early 1982. |
