The B1 is one of three U.S. Air Force bombers, alongside B-2s and B-52s
Of 140 bombers in the USAF, 45 of them are B1-Bs, according to Flight Global
On April 8 a large hole was seen in filter housing, forcing grounding of the fleet
The B1s, first flying under Ronald Reagan, are due to be phased out by 2030
The supersonic planes were used heavily in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq
There have been concerns in recent years about the exhausted fleet
In 2019 Congress was warned the USAF was beating the heck out of them
It was unclear when the B1s would be returned to fighting fitness
All B-1B Lancer bombers grounded for potential fuel filter leak
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The U.S. Air Force grounded its entire fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers this week to investigate a potential fuel filter problem. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force
April 23 (UPI) All 57 active U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers were indefinitely grounded this week after a fuel filter problem was discovered.
Gen. Tim Ray, Air Force Global Strike Command chief, ordered the stand down after one B-1 experienced an emergency relating to its augmenter fuel pump filter housing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., earlier in April.
B-1 Bomber Fleet Grounded Indefinitely Over Fuel System Problem military.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from military.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Entire B-1B bomber fleet grounded over fuel pump filter housing problem 1 hour ago A B-1B Lancer sits on the flightline while receiving a post-flight inspection Nov. 9. (Airman 1st Class Joshua Seybert/U.S. Air Force) The Air Force has again pulled its entire B-1B bomber fleet from the skies as it investigates problems with a part of the fuel system. Gen. Tim Ray, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, indefinitely grounded the service’s 57 active Lancers amid safety concerns April 20, a command spokesperson said Friday. The War Zone first reported the standdown. “During the inspection process following a B-1B ground emergency on April 8 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, a discrepancy with an augmenter fuel pump filter housing was discovered,” the command said. “As a precautionary measure, the commander directed one-time inspections on all B-1B aircraft to resolve this issue.”