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The B-1 Lancer, known as "Bone," is the United States' largest payload strategic bomber and its only supersonic bomber. Initially built to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, it will be the first strategic bomber to retire as the B-21 Raider enters service. However, upgrades under the BEAST program aim to keep it operational until the 2040s.
The B-1 Embracing Agile Scheduling Team (BEAST) program facilitates these upgrades, taking an average of 22 days per aircraft. The Air Force emphasizes the importance of readiness, stating that BEAST helps ensure the aircraft is "ready to fight from here." This aligns with a new doctrine called Agile Combat Employment (ACE), described as "a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power."
Air and Space Magazine reported in October 2023 that over two years, 22 more B-1s at Dyess will undergo modernization one at a time. These modifications are performed out of cycle for faster implementation. According to Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), "BEAST is being completed out of cycle to improve the aircraft’s lethality sooner." The Air Force modifies Lancers during scheduled Programmed Depot Maintenance at Tinker Air Force Base and main operating locations at Dyess AFB and Ellsworth AFB.
