The Rockwell B-1B Lancer is one of the most iconic aircraft in the United States Air Force. The only other supersonic variable sweep wing bombers in the world are the Soviet Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 (both in service with the Russian Air Force). At its peak, the US Air Force had around 100 B-1Bs in service, but this was reduced to 62, and that number was sustained for many years until 2021.

Since 2021, the United States Air Force has targeted keeping 45 B-1Bs in service, although this is increasingly challenging. Many B-1Bs have been shipped to the boneyard, where some are mothballed, while others have been cannibalized. Around 11 to 12 Lancers have been lost to mishaps over the years, with the aircraft known as the most maintenance-intensive aircraft in USAF inventory​​​​​​. Here is what to know about how many B-1s are left.

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer (nicknamed « Bone ») is the Air Force’s variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber. It was built to partially replace the B-52 Stratofortress and B-58 Hustler due to delays in the B-2 program. The US Air Force had previously built the supersonic North American Aviation’s B-70 Valkyrie to outrun enemy fighter jets, only to find that emerging surface-to-air missiles had already made it obsolete.

To overcome air defense, the B-1 was built as a low-flying supersonic bomber to rely on terrain, and the B-70 was built to fly at altitude. Whereas the B-70 was a ‘high and fast’ aircraft flying at Mach 3.0 at 70,000 feet, the B-1A was built as a ‘low and fast’ aircraft flying at Mach 2.2 at altitude and then at Mach 0.85 just 200 feet off the ground. This was again changed to the B-1B that traded speed for stealth. It came with a top speed of Mach 1.25, but with a massively reduced RCS of only 1 to 10 square meters (vs B-52’s 100 square meter RCS).

Like the B-1A, the B-1B was designed to hide in terrain, but with the added benefit of being stealthy. Today, the B-1 remains in US service, but the airframes are wearing out, and the aircraft is not stealthy enough to survive in the contested airspace of a high-end conflict. It is now the first of the in-service bombers on the chopping block as the B-21 comes into service.

Partial Retirement In 2021

In 2021, the United States Air Force announced the retirement of a significant portion of its B-1 Lancer fleet. Some 17 B-1B Lancers were divested and sent to the boneyard, reducing the B-1 fleet from 62 to 45 bombers. At the time, Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, stated, « Beginning to retire legacy bombers, to make way for the B-21 Raider, is something we have been working toward for some time.« 

No B-1 Lancers have been retired since, although some have been lost to mishaps. The decision to retire the Lancers was driven by a range of factors. As already stated, one reason is to make way for the incoming B-21 Raiders. As of the beginning of 2026, the Air Force has two flying B-21 Raiders in inventory for testing. Another factor is that these aircraft are wearing out and becoming expensive to operate.

The Air Force also stated, « Due to the wear and tear placed on the B-1 fleet over the past two decades, maintaining these bombers would cost tens of millions of dollars per aircraft to get back to status quo. And that’s just to fix the problems we know about. We’re just accelerating planned retirements. » The 17 B-1s were sent to the Davis-Monthan boneyard, and four were to be kept in a reclaimable Type 2000 condition.

B-1 Lancers « Rage » & « Lancelot » Pulled From Boneyard

Five years have passed since the Air Force announcement, and at least two of those four recoverable Lancers have been reclaimed. In July 2025, The War Zone reported that a B-1 called Rage (serial number 86-0115) was dragged out of the boneyard after three years, resurrected, and returned to service. Rage was one of the aircraft in Type 2000 storage (which is one step down from Type 1000 inviolate storage).

Rage was resurrected to replace the B-1 Lancer with the serial number ending -0126. That aircraft was undergoing heavy structural repair development at Boeing-Palmdale when it was determined it was faster, cheaper, and less risky to resurrect Rage. This isn’t the only B-1 Lancer pulled out of retirement. In April 2024, another B-1B called Lancelot was also taken from Type 2000 storage and returned to service. Lancelot replaced a Lancer that was lost to a catastrophic engine fire during routine maintenance in 2022.

Since 2021, another B-1 was lost following the crash of the B-1 (serial number 85-0085) at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in January 2024. That aircraft was a total loss. Six more B-1s have crashed over the years, but they were before the 2021 retirements. The aircraft’s variable geometry wings require massive fuel and hydraulic lines to flex constantly, and this increases mechanical fatigue and the risk of leaks. The aircraft’s mission of « terrain masking » also provides almost zero margin for error and even for bird strikes.

Number Of B-1 Lancers In Storage

Estimating how many Lancers remain in storage hinges to some degree on what storage means. The Davis-Monthan boneyard is both a place where aircraft go to be stored in a condition where they can be resurrected and returned to service. It is also the place where aircraft are ripped apart, and their parts salvaged for other aircraft, leaving the hulks behind.

The War Zone states, « Parts of B-1Bs have also been removed from the boneyard for various non-flying test purposes, too. » In 2020, the boneyard sent the hulk of a gutted B-1B bomber to the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University so that researchers could 3D scan the entire airframe and create a highly detailed « digital twin » model. This was to help identify areas of fatigue and maintain the remaining fleet.

A total of around 3,500 aircraft are at the boneyard. According to The AMARC Experience, this includes 94 B-52 bombers (83 B-52G and 11 B-52H) and 27 Rockwell B-1B Lancers. As stated, two of the four B-1Bs sent to the boneyard in Type 2000 storage have since been reactivated. It is unclear how many of these 25 or so other B-1Bs are « B-1Bs are left » in the sense that they could feasibly be returned to service. It is unclear how many of these are essentially complete aircraft or stripped-down hulks.

How Many B-1 Lancers Are Left?

Only 104 B-1 Lancers were built compared with 744 B-52 Stratofortresses and 21 B-2 Spirits. The Air Force’s authorized fleets of these bombers are now 45 B-1s, 76 B-52s, and 19 B-2s. Airframes in the boneyard mean that the Air Force has some ability to replace B-1 and B-52 losses, but not B-2 losses. Two B-2s have been lost to accidents and cannot be replaced.

Even so, the Air Force is struggling to keep its number of B-1B Lancers up, with some estimates putting the number at around 40 in service. This is not reflected by the most recent government documents with Congress.gov publishing on January 6, 2026: « As of April 2024, the Air Force reportedly had 45 B-1Bs, down from an original fleet of 100. »

It is reasonable to say the US Air Force has 45 B-1Bs in its inventory, although some will be in maintenance and regeneration to keep their tired old airframes flying for a few more years until the B-21 can take over. The B-21 may superficially look like a smaller B-2, but it is a generational leap over the older, bigger aircraft.

Last B-1B Lancers To Be Retired Around 2032

The fiscal 2025 President’s Budget Request shows the start of the retirement plan for the B-1 Lancer. That document shows Air Force Aircraft FYDP retirement quantities out to fiscal year 2029. While the 2026 President’s Budget Request is now published, that document has subsequent years’ planned divestments blanked out.

Using the older 2025 President’s Budget Request, the plan is not to retire B-1s anymore until fiscal year 2028. In fiscal 2028, nine B-1Bs are to be retired, followed by another 10 in 2029. This means that by the end of fiscal 2029, the Air Force will have retired 19 of its remaining 45 B-1 Lancers, giving it a remaining fleet of 26 bombers.

If the Air Force continues to retire the bombers at this rate, they will be gone in three more years, with the last leaving in fiscal 2032. B-1 retirements are dependent on the status of the B-21 Raiders and how many Raiders will be available to take over. The Air Force is channeling more money to speed up the ramping up of production of the B-21, aiming to reach a full-rate delivery rate of around 10 per year. It is planning to have over 100 Raiders in service by the late 2030s.