WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFLCMC) - In November 1974, the
B-1 Lancer was unveiled to the American public. At the time, the plane represented a new approach to strategic bombing, with the unique ability to fly supersonically at high altitudes and at extremely low levels to avoid detection.
On the 50th anniversary of the B-1’s debut,
AFLCMC Chief Historian Kevin Rusnak provides an overview of American bomber development in the latest “Out of the Hangar” video,
a series that connects acquisition professionals to that of their predecessors.
In the video below, Rusnak walks viewers through bomber development during World War I, which was largely focused on small tactical missions, to large-scale strategic bomber missions during World War II and why bombers later evolved to become part of the American nuclear triad.