First Upgraded BONES Deploy to the Pacific

Several B-1Bs and some 300 airmen from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas, recently deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam. It is the second time in more than a decade the B-1 deployed to Guam (the first was in August 2016) and it was the first deployment for the Block 16 B-1s. The Block 16 upgrade is one of the most comprehensive upgrades in the history of the B-1. It includes an upgraded Integrated Battle Station, as well as upgrades to the aircraft’s avionics and data links, and the addition of a self-diagnostic test system. “The Block 16 makes the B-1 an all-around more capable aircraft,” said one member of the 9th Bomb Squadron, who was not fully named in an Air Force release. “With the upgrades, we are able to have a say in the fight and increase the connectivity between aircraft on a built-in network, making the B-1 more lethal and more deadly.” The 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron took over the CBP mission from the 34th EBS out of Ellsworth AFB, S.D.