No life extension for ‘Bone’

THE US Air Force’s B-1B fleet is set to remain in service until 2040, without a major life extension. “As of right now, we don’t plan a fully fledged life extension,” Brig Gen Michael Schmidt, Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Bombers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, told industry publication Aviation Week on September 25. The Lancer is planned to more than double its original design life, completing 19,900 equivalent flight hours, aided by improved inspection and