2007 Wheels and Wings Airshow - B-1B Lancer

You can't hear it coming when it's low and fast. By the time you hear it, the bombs have already been released and you're toast. The F-111 series was the same way. The Laotians called them "Whispering Death" during the conflict in Vietnam. Flying as low as 50 ft off the ground at over mach 1.5, and the jungle blocking the view, they didn't know what hit 'em! I've worked on both the B-1B (5.5 yrs) and the FB-111A (10 yrs) as a jet engine tech. I know them very well and have flown in both.

"Salute" Sir! FB-111 was an amazing aircraft. I barely remember seeing them as a kid when SAC was still around.

Yeah, the FB did it's job very well. During Desert Storm, they were credited with more enemy artillery/tank kills than the A-10. That's because they were the only aircraft in the theatre that could fly in zero visibility at low level and supersonic. Came in handy with all those oil field fires burning! Did you know that it's the only US aircraft that went it's entire career without an official name? It wasn't called the "Aardvark" until it's retirement ceremony.

I do believe I remember hearing something about that. Now, I know the F-111B deployed to ODS in '91, but I don't recall the FB-111 going over. I think I was in my first year of high school when it started, but I recall I had this plastic model of an F-111B that I was building, and I etched some motivating words of encouragement for the hopefully imminent death of Saddam Hussein on the MK-82s on MER racks I had under the wings. :)

The crazy thing about the B-1B is its size. It's almost as long as a B-52, has almost the same wingspan, but handles like a fighter. Roll control is actuated by the spoilers when the wings aren't swept back. You can see them raise up on the starboard wing when it banks left at :37-38.

actually, the spoilerons assist the elevons for roll control at all speeds. When the wings are swept back, only the outer 2 spoilerons deploy. They also double up as speed brakes. The outter 2 deploy for this purpose.

Hey I wuz there when this I was i Live in the town Over Vineland,NJ

but the B-2 has the radar absorbing paint and all the other classified parts used to jam radars that the B-1 doesnt but the b-1 is the most used bomber in the USAF

There's nothing stealth about the Bone dude, we say its low vis/ low detection but thats only if the radar is off its nose.

not really...the B-1B uses stealth when flying low altitude high speed to buzz the enemy...simulating a sound equal to a bomb blast to scare the enemy before they use deadly force...so somewhat they are equally matched