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Originally Posted by SUBMAN1
I was not aware of this aircraft, but the B-1 may get an extended lease on life it may seem.
Boeing page on the B-1R:
http://www.boeing.com/ids/allsystems...2/story01.html
A short video I pulled on how it would be deployed in combat in the air to air role (this is how I first heard of it in the first place):
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v9988640b476AWQQ
So has anyone else heard of this new role for the B-1 program? I must be living in the dark ages since I never even knew this idea existed.
-S
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B-1R
The B-1R is a proposed replacement for the B-1B fleet.[32] Boeing's director of global strike integration, Rich Parke, was first quoted about the "B-1R" bomber in Air Force Magazine.[33] Parke said the B-1R (R stands for "regional") would be a Lancer with advanced radars, air-to-air missiles, and Pratt & Whitney F119 engines (originally developed for the F-22 Raptor).[33] Its new top speed of Mach 2.2 would be purchased at the price of a 20% reduction of the B-1B's combat range. This proposal would involve modifying existing aircraft. The FB-22 and YF-23-based design are alternative proposals.
Boeing's proposal appears to modify the B-1B into a design able to serve these two purposes. For the bomb-truck role Boeing proposes the modification of existing external hardpoints to allow them to carry multiple conventional warheads, dramatically improving overall warload. For the air-to-air role, both defensive and offensive, they propose to add active electronically-scanned array radar and allow some of the hardpoints to carry anti-aircraft missiles. Even with its somewhat reduced range as compared to the original B-1B, its fuel capacity remains quite large. This would allow it to escape from unfavorable air-to-air encounters by simply running away; there are few enough aircraft capable of Mach 2+ performance in general, and those that are deployed can maintain these speeds for only very short periods of time.[32]
In general terms the B-1R most closely resembles the original F-111 concept, as opposed to a pure bomber role. However it would be able to carry out these missions at ranges even greater than the F-111.
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On Friday night History channel did a bit on future dog fights.
In it they indicated that the Raptor was the first 5th generation fighter.
They played out a scenario with a squadron of 4 Raptors taking on a mixed bag of 4 th generation fighters.
After the Raptors took out the first wave of enemy fighters a second wave of about 20 showed up. The Scenario then switched from the Raptor to the B-1R as a missile platform with the Raptors providing intel on the approaching enemy force and the B-1R firing long range volleys of AMRAMs at the enemy as directed by the invisible Raptors. The Raptors then closed and switched to short range missles.
It was an interesting show.
The HC indicated that the B-1R was not operational at the time they did the show and was still in proposal mode and that the AMRAM missiles in the scenario were not due to be operational till about 2010.
One of the things that caught my attention were the B-1Rs will use the new Pratt and Whitney Super cruise engines allowing them to do 1,500 mph without afterburners like the Raptor. ZOOM ZOOM.
