In a first, ‘The Bone’ to join exercise in India

New Delhi:  Nicknamed "The Bone," the supersonic bomber B-1B Lancer aircraft is all set to participate in the ongoing war-game 'Cope India 23', a joint air exercise between India and the U.S. It will be for the first time that the bomber will join any exercise in India.

The Bone will join the exercise in its second phase. Phase 2 of the exercise will be held at the Indian Air Force base at Kalaikunda, focusing on interoperability and honing air combat tactics for joint operations.

Besides two B1 bombers, the United States Air Force will also deploy four to six F-15Es, one C-17 and two C130s during the second phase of the 11-day bilateral Air Exercise.

On February 3 this year, the aircraft landed in India for the first time and conducted a fly-by on the inaugural day of Aero India 2021, escorted by an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter.

The B-1B aircraft is considered the world's ultimate supersonic bomber. It is a long-range, multi-mission aircraft, which has served the United States Air Force since 1985.

Originally designed for nuclear capabilities, the B-1 switched to an exclusively conventional combat role in the mid-1990s. In 1999, during Operation Allied Force, six B-1s flew 2 percent of the strike missions, yet dropped 20 percent of the ordnance.

During Operation Enduring Freedom the B-1 flew on 2 percent of the sorties while dropping over 40 percent of the precision weapons.

The B-1 were deployed in combat operations over Afghanistan and Iraq after 2001.

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