With a range of 5,900 miles (9,500km), a top speed of Mach 1.25, and the largest weapon payload capacity in the US Air Force inventory, the B-1B Lancer is the "backbone" of America's long-range bomber force.

The supersonic, variable sweep wing heavy bomber was designed to fly at extremely low altitudes with reduced radar visibility, according to the US Air Force.

Known as the "Bone," the B-1B holds almost 50 world records for speed, payload, range and time of climb in its class.

According to the Air Force, the Lancer can "rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time."

This capability, in addition to the many other land, sea and air assets of the US military, enables the United States to help its allies in times of need against common adversaries.

"We have the largest payload, we have the speed to get to where we need to get to, we have the loiter time to hang out once we're there," Lt. Col. Dominic "Beaver" Ross, director of operations for the 337th Test and Evaluations Squadron, told Military.com in 2017.

The B-1B is capable of carrying up to 75,000 pounds (34,000kg) of ordnance in three internal weapon bays that can be loaded with weapons including the Mark 80-series bomb, according to the Air Force Armament Museum.

Precision munitions

Mark series general purpose bombs, which are unguided and range from 250–1,000 pounds (113–454kg), were developed in the 1950s in response to a need for bombs producing less aerodynamic drag while also providing maximum blast, according to the Air Force Armament Museum.

The Mark 82 (Mk82), the 500-pound (226kg) variant, is one of the most commonly used and can be converted into different variants such as the Quickstrike naval mine, the Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-12 laser-guided bomb and the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).

JDAM is a guidance tailkit that converts unguided free-fall bombs like the Mark class into "accurate, adverse-weather 'smart' munitions," according to the Air Force.

The upgraded Laser JDAM (LJDAM) contains a global positioning system (GPS) guidance control unit, capable of precision guidance and attack of stationary and moving targets.

"Once released from the aircraft, the JDAM autonomously navigates to the designated target coordinates," the Air Force says.

With GPS data activated, the JDAM is capable of hitting a target with a margin of error of five meters or less.

The Lancer is also undergoing upgrades to the Bomb Release Unit (BRU)-56 ejector rack on its conventional rotary launcher to better carry its GBU-class weapons.

Weapon variety

Meanwhile, the Lancer's air-to-ground missile (AGM)-class weapons include joint stand-off weapons (JSOWs) -- a family of AGMs that use a GPS navigation system and thermal imaging infrared seeker.

In addition, the Lancer can be equipped with the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), designed to target and destroy enemy ships, along with long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs).

The Air Force is also examining re-fitting the Lancer to carry hypersonic weapons such as the AGM-class Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) missiles, "each of which flies at a blistering 15,345 miles (24,700km) an hour," reports Popular Mechanics.

"In a future conflict, B-1Bs could devastate the enemy, launching scores of unstoppable hypersonic missile strikes against key military targets," it said.