B-1Bs Will Resume Training Flights
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. — B-1B bombers, grounded since Dec. 19 because of engine failures, will resume training missions, the commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command said.
Training flights were suspended after two planes experienced engine failure.
The grounding did not affect the planes’ primary mission, to provide deterrence against nuclear war, Gen. Lee Butler said. Aircraft on strategic alert were ready to fly if directed, he said.
In fact, Butler said, the B-1Bs are serving an increased nuclear role to cover the alert tasks normally assigned to the SAC’s B-52 bombers that are in the Persian Gulf War.
The engine failures originated in a fan-blade assembly. SAC worked with the Air Force Logistics Command and General Electric, the engines’ manufacturer, to try to resolve the problem.
A new fan blade retaining ring will be installed in the entire B-1B fleet and all spare engines as soon as possible, Butler said.
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