Boeing Begins B-1 Structural Fatigue Testing

Sept. 4, 2012

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Boeing has begun a five-year fatigue test on a B-1B bomber wing at the company’s facility in Tukwila, Wash., to help validate the aircraft’s predicated life expectancy, announced the company. The test will reveal potential areas of concern and help the Air Force and Boeing to develop maintenance and repair plans, states the company’s Aug. 30 release. “This comprehensive testing is a proactive way for Boeing to meet its mission of keeping the B-1 bomber fleet ready and viable,” said Rick Greenwell, the company’s B-1 program director. Fatigue testing on a B-1 fuselage will begin in Tukwila in November 2013, according to the release. Boeing projects that the B-1 will remain structurally viable out to 2050. (For more on the Air Force’s efforts to sustain and modernize the B-1 fleet, see Old Bombers, New Again from Air Force Magazine’s 2012 archive.)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Air Force Moves to Purchase T-7 Engines, Not Boeing

Reserve Wing at Whiteman Takes ‘First Step’ Toward Replacing A-10s with F-15Es

Experts See Urgent Need to Defend Bases from Drone Attack. Here’s What USAF Is Doing

Former NORAD Boss: Air Bases in US Vulnerable to Ukraine-Style Drone Attack

Related

Fly, Fix, Defend: Wilsbach Aims for a Readier Air Force 

July 31, 2026
When Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach became Chief of Staff of the Air Force in November 2025, he coined a simple motto: “Fly and Fix”—so you can fight if necessary. In the nine months since, Airmen have been flying, fixing, and fighting—a lot.

Air Force Cracks Down on Non-Compliant Computers and Software

July 31, 2026
The Department of the Air Force’s lead unit for cyberspace operations recently began the first phase of a network hardening effort and is slated to start the second phase using artificial intelligence-automated software, even as some of the updates are causing computer quarantines across the department.

GAO Warns B-52 Modernization Is Falling Behind

July 31, 2026
The Air Force’s plan to start production on a new engine for the B-52H Stratofortress before conducting critical flight tests runs the risk of cost overruns and more schedule delays, government auditors said in a new report released July 31.

Air Force Official: CCAs Will Be ‘Optionally Attritable’

July 30, 2026
The Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft may fly scores of missions over many years or only a few if commanders decide a mission is worth the risk of losing one, a top official said this week—a middle ground approach he called “optionally attritable.”