Members of the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Dyess AFB, Tex., recently carried a JASSM-Extended Range missile for 100 hours to verify the weapon will still hit its target in a future test-shot, even after multiple missions riding in a B-1B’s bomb bay. “Although captive carriage testing was accomplished to well over 300 hours during initial operational testing and evaluation, it was spread over 21 missiles,” JASSM Test Director Kenneth Bandy said in a Jan. 15 release. Though JASSM is cleared for use on several aircraft, the extended range variant is unique to the B-1. An upcoming live-fire test “will prove that the missile’s system design is adequate to satisfy the operational carriage requirements,” added Bandy. “The stealth design of the missile allows it to survive through high-threat, well-defended enemy airspace,” upping Lancer’s stock as a strategic asset, he noted.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
