Editing Rockwell B-1 Lancer (section)

===Strategic Air Command===
The second B-1B, "The Star of Abilene", was the first B-1B delivered to SAC in June 1985. Initial operational capability was reached on 1 October 1986 and the B-1B was placed on nuclear alert status.<ref>{{harvnb|Pace|1998|pp=62, 69.}}</ref><ref name=Jenkins_p83>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1999|p=83.}}</ref> The B-1 received the official name "Lancer" on 15 March 1990. However, the bomber has been commonly called the "Bone"; a nickname that appears to stem from an early newspaper article on the aircraft wherein its name was phonetically spelled out as "B-ONE" with the hyphen inadvertently omitted.<ref name= Jenkins_p67>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1999|p=67.}}</ref>

[[File:Decommissioned B-1 Bomber Travels Along I-5 (6327003326).jpg|thumb|left|A dismantled decommissioned B-1 being transported by flatbed truck]]
In late 1990, engine fires in two Lancers led to a grounding of the fleet. The cause was traced back to problems in the first-stage fan, and the aircraft were placed on "limited alert"; in other words, they were grounded unless a nuclear war broke out. Following inspections and repairs they were returned to duty beginning on 6 February 1991.<ref name=Jenkins_p116>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1999|p=116.}}</ref><ref>B-1 aircrew logbook entry.</ref> By 1991, the B-1 had a fledgling conventional capability, forty of them able to drop the {{convert|500|lb|adj=on}} Mk-82 General Purpose (GP) bomb, although mostly from low altitude. Despite being cleared for this role, the problems with the engines prevented their use in [[Operation Desert Storm]] during the [[Gulf War]].<ref name="dao 1"/><ref name="Withington p. 10"/> B-1s were primarily reserved for strategic nuclear strike missions at this time, providing the role of airborne nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union.<ref name="Withington p. 10">{{harvnb|Withington|2006|p=10.}}</ref> The B-52 was more suited to the role of conventional warfare and it was used by coalition forces instead.<ref name="Withington p. 10"/>

Originally designed strictly for nuclear war, the B-1's development as an effective conventional bomber was delayed. The collapse of the Soviet Union had brought the B-1's nuclear role into question, leading to President [[George H. W. Bush]] ordering a $3 billion conventional refit.<ref name="dao 4">Dao 2001, p. 4.</ref>

On 26 April 1991, ten B-1Bs narrowly avoided being hit by the [[1991 Andover tornado]] while located at [[McConnell AFB]], which took a direct hit. Two of the bombers were equipped with nuclear warheads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Timeline for supercell that produced the Wichita/Andover Tornado |url=https://www.weather.gov/ict/andovertimeline |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Top Ten KS Tornadoes |url=https://www.weather.gov/ict/toptenkstors |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McMillan |first=Laura |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Remembering the deadly 1991 Andover tornado |url=https://www.ksn.com/weather/weather-stories/monday-marks-30-years-since-deadly-andover-tornado/#:~:text=It%20destroyed%20102%20base%20housing,had%20nuclear%20warheads%20on%20them. |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=KSN}}</ref>

After the inactivation of SAC and the establishment of the [[Air Combat Command]] (ACC) in 1992, the B-1 developed a greater conventional weapons capability. Part of this development was the start-up of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School B-1 Division.<ref>Scott, Ed. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105211815/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-78360407.html "JDAM Course Ushers B-1 Students Into New Era".] ''Program Manager'', 1 November 1999. Retrieved 14 August 2010.</ref> In 1994, two additional B-1 bomb wings were also created in the [[Air National Guard]], with former fighter wings in the [[Kansas Air National Guard]] and the [[Georgia Air National Guard]] converting to the aircraft.<ref name="Withington p. 11">{{harvnb|Withington|2006|p=11.}}</ref> By the mid-1990s, the B-1 could employ GP weapons as well as various CBUs. By the end of the 1990s, with the advent of the "Block D" upgrade, the B-1 boasted a full array of guided and unguided munitions.

The B-1B no longer carries nuclear weapons;<ref name="lee p.13"/> its nuclear capability was disabled by 1995 with the removal of nuclear arming and fuzing hardware.<ref name=Jenkins_p141>{{harvnb|Jenkins|1999|p=141.}}</ref> Under provisions of the [[New START]] treaty with Russia, further conversions were performed. These included modification of aircraft hardpoints to prevent nuclear weapon pylons from being attached, removal of weapons bay wiring bundles for arming nuclear weapons, and destruction of nuclear weapon pylons. The conversion process was completed in 2011, and Russian officials inspect the aircraft every year to verify compliance.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pawlyk |first1=Oriana |title=START Lanced the B-1's Nukes, But the Bomber Will Still Get New Bombs |url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/07/12/start-lanced-the-b-1s-nukes-but-bomber-will-still-get-new-bombs.html |website=Military.com |publisher=Military Advantage |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=26 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926043006/http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/07/12/start-lanced-the-b-1s-nukes-but-bomber-will-still-get-new-bombs.html |url-status=live }}</ref>