Long-Distance Relationships: Bombers Shift Strategy to Counter Russia, China

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing launches from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota on April 28, 2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicolas Erwin

To keep Russia’s and China’s generals guessing, and to slip beyond the grasp of their missiles, U.S. heavy bombers are getting lighter on their feet.

Last week, two B-1 Lancers—the heavy-lifters of the U.S. bomber family—headed to the Black Sea from South Dakota on a nonstop 14,000-mile, 29-hour round trip.