First Upgraded BONES Deploy to the Pacific

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

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.

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