Broken B-1B flown from Afghanistan for repairs

[unhappycamper]

A B-1B Lancer takes off from an air base in Southwest Asia. B-1s from the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron increased operations in support of ground forces in Afghanistan using precision bombing and shows of force and presence


Broken B-1B flown from Afghanistan for repairs
Staff report
Posted : Saturday Oct 27, 2007 6:36:31 EDT


How many airmen does it take to get a broken B-1B Lancer bomber out of Afghanistan?

Hundreds, from veteran pilots who flew the crippled bomber to maintainers who pulled out the damaged engine.

On Aug. 26 a B-1B bomber made an emergency landing at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan after the jet’s No. 4 engine caught fire.

While investigators set about to discover what went wrong, teams from Air Force Materiel Command were summoned to figure how to get the $238 million bomber out of Afghanistan and to a friendlier location where the aircraft could be repaired.

~snip~

“We discussed potential hazards and mitigating conditions with Tinker engineers and aircrews from the 10th and 419th before approving the recommendation for a one-time flight movement for this B-1,” Dr. Dave Jerome, deputy director of the command’s Air, Space and Information Operations, said in an Air Force statement.

The plan to fly the B-1B on three engines out of Kandahar finally got a green light. The jet took off on Oct. 2 for a one-stop flight that eventually landed the bomber at RAF Fairford in England, where Air Force teams are working to make the plane fully airworthy.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/10/airforce_b1b_kandahar_071027w/



uhc comment: wikipedia sez they cost $283,100,000 in 1998 dollars --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-1_Lancer

[Islander Expat]

1. Thats just a fucking insane waste of good money

Using a weapon like this on starving 3rd worlders when kids can't afford to see a doctor back home.


Sick!

[Eagle_Eye]

2. The dollar value attached to a piece of hardware is small compared to the cost of the whole system

A full 70% of the cost of a weapon system like the B-1B goes into Operations and Sustainment. I would not be surprised to learn that recovery and repair cost to save this one aircraft exceed $100 million if everything from putting out the engine fire to cleaning the windscreen prior to its next operational take-off is added up.

Probably the biggest reason the Air Force is going to this length to save the aircraft is that they cannot get anymore. Replacement is not an option.