Boeing Begins B-1 Structural Fatigue Testing

Sept. 4, 2012

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Boeing has begun a five-year fatigue test on a B-1B bomber wing at the company’s facility in Tukwila, Wash., to help validate the aircraft’s predicated life expectancy, announced the company. The test will reveal potential areas of concern and help the Air Force and Boeing to develop maintenance and repair plans, states the company’s Aug. 30 release. “This comprehensive testing is a proactive way for Boeing to meet its mission of keeping the B-1 bomber fleet ready and viable,” said Rick Greenwell, the company’s B-1 program director. Fatigue testing on a B-1 fuselage will begin in Tukwila in November 2013, according to the release. Boeing projects that the B-1 will remain structurally viable out to 2050. (For more on the Air Force’s efforts to sustain and modernize the B-1 fleet, see Old Bombers, New Again from Air Force Magazine’s 2012 archive.)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

After Decades of Homeland Defense, Barnes ANG Base Bids Farewell to F-15s

Three Air Force MAJCOMs Get New Leaders

Hegseth: Pentagon ‘Fundamentally Reshaping’ Weapons Buying Process

Space Force Rebrands Operations Command as Combat Forces Command

Related

SBIR Contracts, On Hold During Shutdown, Face Long-Term Risk 

Nov. 8, 2025
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.

After Decades of Homeland Defense, Barnes ANG Base Bids Farewell to F-15s

Nov. 8, 2025
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.

Hegseth: Pentagon ‘Fundamentally Reshaping’ Weapons Buying Process

Nov. 7, 2025
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department defines requirements, manages acquisition, and tests new systems. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a one-hour speech at the National War…

Air Force’s New Fighter Goal: More Jets, But Who’s Paying?

Nov. 7, 2025
The Air Force’s new fighter plan calls for a 30 percent increase in fighter jets, but achieving that increase will be challenging, and the plan lacks a convincing force-sizing rationale, according to former service leaders and defense analysts.

Dick Cheney’s Legacy with the Air Force

Nov. 6, 2025
Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3 at 84, is best remembered by most Americans as among the most powerful Vice Presidents in history, a consummate Washington insider who had previously served in the Nixon administration, was Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, a Congressman for a decade, and Secretary…

Three Air Force MAJCOMs Get New Leaders

Nov. 6, 2025
With less pomp and public attention because of the government shutdown, three Air Force major commands have gained new leaders in the past week—continuing a major revamp of the service’s senior leadership.

Airmen Cleared to Start Training on New EA-37 Compass Call Simulator

Nov. 5, 2025
The Air Force has approved Airmen to start training with the EA-37B Compass Call Mission Crew Simulator, BAE Systems announced. The system will provide realistic training and mission rehearsal for EA-37B crews, who perform long-range electromagnetic warfare missions.