The B-1B Lancer's advanced capabilities represent the US military's technological superiority and enables it to ensure global peace and security for US partners.

The B-1B is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber that was once feared by the Soviets. First envisioned in the 1960s, the Lancer has evolved over to tackle the changing face of warfare.

The powerful, long-range bomber's initial model, the Cold War-era B-1A, was designed to fly at high speeds and high altitudes to breach Soviet missile defenses.

But the advent of new Soviet surface-to-air missile systems prompted a redesign of the B-1A into the stealthier B-1B, capable of flying at night and in low altitudes to skirt sophisticated air defense systems.

The Lancer has a range of 9,500km and a top speed of Mach 1.25. With its wings swept fully back, the B-1B can fly as low as 61 meters above the ground to penetrate radar-guided air defenses.

The B-1B bomber has low-observability features, including a radar cross section of 10 square meters, much smaller than the 100-square-meter radar cross section of its predecessor aircraft, the B-52.

The B-1B is designed to rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary anywhere in the world, according to the Air Force.

Equipped with the largest payload capacity in the US Air Force inventory, it can carry up to 34,000kg of various types of ordnance in three internal weapon bays.

The US Air Force maintains 45 B-1B bombers.

Bomber Task Force

The B-1B plays a critical role in the US Air Force's Bomber Task Force (BTF) missions, which are designed to demonstrate the credibility of US forces in maintaining security in all regions of the world.

The BTF deployment model has evolved as a means to deploy a tailor-built task force of bombers in a Geographic Combatant Command (GCC) -- such as US Central Command or US European Command -- to serve each commander's unique priorities.

Missions typically see US bombers deployed at various locations abroad for a period of time, and "are long-planned and deliberate by nature to best meet GCC commander requirements."

In the past, US bombers maintained a continual presence at forward bases. Since the start of the BTF model in 2018, US bombers have landed elsewhere for the first time in Norway, Poland and Indonesia, among other countries.

The BTF model helps develop the ability to operate from unfamiliar locations and integrate with allies and partner nations.

It also helps demonstrate that the United States is committed to strengthening deterrence and promoting peace and stability by providing safe, secure and lethal combat-ready forces for nuclear and conventional global strike, anytime and anywhere.