US Air Force Extends B-1B Sensor Sustainment to Keep Aging Bomber Fleet Mission Ready Through 2031
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The U.S. Air Force awarded Thomas Instrument a $23.526 million contract to remanufacture B-1B Lancer flap asymmetry brake sensors through September 2031. The work is intended to preserve flight-control reliability and aircraft availability as the service continues operating the B-1B during the transition toward the B-21 Raider.
Thomas Instrument will remanufacture the B-1B’s flap asymmetry brake sensors in Brookshire, Texas, under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract valued at up to $23.526 million. The sensors support protection against asymmetric flap movement during critical phases of flight, and their continued availability helps reduce the risk of maintenance-related groundings across a bomber fleet that remains central to U.S. long-range conventional strike missions.
Related News: U.S. Keeps B-1B Lancer Combat Ready to Preserve Bomber Strength Before B-21 Enters Service
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer from Dyess Air Force Base flies over Tampa Bay AirFest in Florida on March 30, 2024. The bomber remains a key U.S. long-range conventional strike aircraft as the Air Force sustains its fleet ahead of the B-21 Raider transition. (Picture source: US DoD)
The operational objective is to preserve B-1B availability as the U.S. Air Force gradually prepares for the introduction of the B-21 Raider. The components involved are sensors linked to the flap asymmetry brake, not sensors associated with the variable-sweep wing system, an important distinction on an aircraft that combines high-lift devices with variable-geometry wings.
On September 25, 2026, the Pentagon announced the award to Thomas Instrument of an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum estimated value of $23,526,065 for the remanufacture of B-1 Asymmetry Brake Sensors, with work expected to continue until September 24, 2031. The U.S. Department of Defense states that the sensors operate in three modes: Operational, Flap Selection/Fail Operational, and Fail-Safe, while an official image from Dyess Air Force Base identifies the component directly as the B-1B left flap asymmetry brake sensor.
The B-1B has a wingspan of 41.8 meters with the wings extended forward and 24.1 meters when they are swept sharply aft. The more extended positions are used for takeoff, landing, and aerial refueling, while greater wing sweep supports higher-speed phases of flight. This configuration requires precise coordination between the aircraft’s aerodynamic control surfaces. Flap asymmetry protection serves a separate function. When an abnormal difference develops between the high-lift devices on the two wings, the system must detect the mismatch and prevent it from developing into a potentially hazardous asymmetric configuration. In such a case, the asymmetry brake helps stop or contain movement in the affected mechanism so that one flap does not continue travelling while the corresponding surface on the opposite wing fails to move correctly.
These sensors therefore do not provide the B-1B with a new combat capability. Their role is more directly connected to flight safety and aircraft availability, particularly during phases in which the flaps are required to generate the lift needed for takeoff and landing. A fault in this chain can lead to operating restrictions or temporarily remove a bomber from service until the system is restored. The contract is therefore focused on restoring an existing function. The term remanufacture is important because the U.S. Air Force is arranging for existing components to be recovered, reconditioned, and returned to service rather than introducing a new flight-control architecture.
This requirement becomes more relevant when considered against the age of the bomber fleet. The B-1B reached initial operational capability in October 1986, and the U.S. Air Force currently retains 44 aircraft in the active force, in addition to two test aircraft. In a relatively small fleet, the loss of even a limited number of bombers because of difficult-to-repair components can have a direct effect on aircraft available for training, deployments and presence missions. The contract is structured as an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity arrangement. No funds were obligated at the time of award, meaning the $23.526 million figure represents a potential ceiling rather than an immediate expenditure. The Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base is overseeing the acquisition, for which one offer was received.
This structure gives the U.S. Air Force a procurement mechanism that can be used over several years without reopening a separate acquisition process for every requirement. On an aging fleet, availability also depends on less visible components that remain essential to keeping aircraft in service, particularly when original production lines have disappeared or when fewer suppliers retain the ability to repair certain parts. The B-1B still occupies a specific role within the U.S. bomber inventory. The Air Force describes it as its conventional bomber with the largest payload capacity, at up to 75,000 pounds, or roughly 34 metric tons. It is powered by four General Electric F101-GE-102 afterburning turbofan engines and can exceed Mach 1.2, while retaining the range required for long-distance bombing missions.
Its current role no longer includes nuclear operations. Since conversion to an exclusively conventional mission, the B-1B has been used primarily to deliver large numbers of guided weapons over long distances and to take part in integrated strike operations. It can carry up to 24 AGM-158A JASSM cruise missiles or 24 GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs, allowing a single aircraft to deliver a large volume of conventional ordnance in one sortie. The aircraft also carries a synthetic aperture radar, a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, and a Link 16-compatible data link. These systems allow it to operate within a broader command-and-control architecture, receive information during a mission, and adjust its attack plan as the tactical situation changes.
In U.S. service, the B-1B is used primarily for its combination of speed, endurance, and weapons capacity. It can operate from the continental United States or forward bases, reach distant areas of operation, refuel in flight and take part in coordinated missions with other air assets. Bomber Task Force deployments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific also show its use for presence missions, combined training with allies and demonstrations of long-range strike capability. That combination remains relevant as the U.S. bomber force moves through a transition period. The B-21 Raider is expected to gradually assume part of the mission set currently carried by the B-1B and B-2, but the introduction of a new bomber requires time, infrastructure, trained crews, and a progressive buildup of operational units.
In this context, remanufacturing flap asymmetry brake sensors has a direct practical purpose. It is intended to prevent a relatively small component in the flap system from becoming a reliability issue for aircraft that continue to perform long-range missions. The military value of the contract therefore lies in sustaining day-to-day fleet availability rather than increasing the bomber’s performance. For the United States and its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, this continuity has broader strategic implications. Keeping the B-1B in service allows Washington to retain a heavy conventional strike capability while the B-21 enters service progressively, reducing the risk of a sudden gap in the bomber force. In an environment shaped by increasingly dense Russian and Chinese air-defense networks and expanding long-range strike capabilities, U.S. force posture depends both on bringing new aircraft into service and on maintaining the availability of those that remain part of the current long-range airpower structure.
Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition GroupErwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.
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The U.S. Air Force awarded Thomas Instrument a $23.526 million contract to remanufacture B-1B Lancer flap asymmetry brake sensors through September 2031. The work is intended to preserve flight-control reliability and aircraft availability as the service continues operating the B-1B during the transition toward the B-21 Raider.
Thomas Instrument will remanufacture the B-1B’s flap asymmetry brake sensors in Brookshire, Texas, under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract valued at up to $23.526 million. The sensors support protection against asymmetric flap movement during critical phases of flight, and their continued availability helps reduce the risk of maintenance-related groundings across a bomber fleet that remains central to U.S. long-range conventional strike missions.
Related News: U.S. Keeps B-1B Lancer Combat Ready to Preserve Bomber Strength Before B-21 Enters Service
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer from Dyess Air Force Base flies over Tampa Bay AirFest in Florida on March 30, 2024. The bomber remains a key U.S. long-range conventional strike aircraft as the Air Force sustains its fleet ahead of the B-21 Raider transition. (Picture source: US DoD)
The operational objective is to preserve B-1B availability as the U.S. Air Force gradually prepares for the introduction of the B-21 Raider. The components involved are sensors linked to the flap asymmetry brake, not sensors associated with the variable-sweep wing system, an important distinction on an aircraft that combines high-lift devices with variable-geometry wings.
On September 25, 2026, the Pentagon announced the award to Thomas Instrument of an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum estimated value of $23,526,065 for the remanufacture of B-1 Asymmetry Brake Sensors, with work expected to continue until September 24, 2031. The U.S. Department of Defense states that the sensors operate in three modes: Operational, Flap Selection/Fail Operational, and Fail-Safe, while an official image from Dyess Air Force Base identifies the component directly as the B-1B left flap asymmetry brake sensor.
The B-1B has a wingspan of 41.8 meters with the wings extended forward and 24.1 meters when they are swept sharply aft. The more extended positions are used for takeoff, landing, and aerial refueling, while greater wing sweep supports higher-speed phases of flight. This configuration requires precise coordination between the aircraft’s aerodynamic control surfaces. Flap asymmetry protection serves a separate function. When an abnormal difference develops between the high-lift devices on the two wings, the system must detect the mismatch and prevent it from developing into a potentially hazardous asymmetric configuration. In such a case, the asymmetry brake helps stop or contain movement in the affected mechanism so that one flap does not continue travelling while the corresponding surface on the opposite wing fails to move correctly.
These sensors therefore do not provide the B-1B with a new combat capability. Their role is more directly connected to flight safety and aircraft availability, particularly during phases in which the flaps are required to generate the lift needed for takeoff and landing. A fault in this chain can lead to operating restrictions or temporarily remove a bomber from service until the system is restored. The contract is therefore focused on restoring an existing function. The term remanufacture is important because the U.S. Air Force is arranging for existing components to be recovered, reconditioned, and returned to service rather than introducing a new flight-control architecture.
This requirement becomes more relevant when considered against the age of the bomber fleet. The B-1B reached initial operational capability in October 1986, and the U.S. Air Force currently retains 44 aircraft in the active force, in addition to two test aircraft. In a relatively small fleet, the loss of even a limited number of bombers because of difficult-to-repair components can have a direct effect on aircraft available for training, deployments and presence missions. The contract is structured as an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity arrangement. No funds were obligated at the time of award, meaning the $23.526 million figure represents a potential ceiling rather than an immediate expenditure. The Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base is overseeing the acquisition, for which one offer was received.
This structure gives the U.S. Air Force a procurement mechanism that can be used over several years without reopening a separate acquisition process for every requirement. On an aging fleet, availability also depends on less visible components that remain essential to keeping aircraft in service, particularly when original production lines have disappeared or when fewer suppliers retain the ability to repair certain parts. The B-1B still occupies a specific role within the U.S. bomber inventory. The Air Force describes it as its conventional bomber with the largest payload capacity, at up to 75,000 pounds, or roughly 34 metric tons. It is powered by four General Electric F101-GE-102 afterburning turbofan engines and can exceed Mach 1.2, while retaining the range required for long-distance bombing missions.
Its current role no longer includes nuclear operations. Since conversion to an exclusively conventional mission, the B-1B has been used primarily to deliver large numbers of guided weapons over long distances and to take part in integrated strike operations. It can carry up to 24 AGM-158A JASSM cruise missiles or 24 GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs, allowing a single aircraft to deliver a large volume of conventional ordnance in one sortie. The aircraft also carries a synthetic aperture radar, a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, and a Link 16-compatible data link. These systems allow it to operate within a broader command-and-control architecture, receive information during a mission, and adjust its attack plan as the tactical situation changes.
In U.S. service, the B-1B is used primarily for its combination of speed, endurance, and weapons capacity. It can operate from the continental United States or forward bases, reach distant areas of operation, refuel in flight and take part in coordinated missions with other air assets. Bomber Task Force deployments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific also show its use for presence missions, combined training with allies and demonstrations of long-range strike capability. That combination remains relevant as the U.S. bomber force moves through a transition period. The B-21 Raider is expected to gradually assume part of the mission set currently carried by the B-1B and B-2, but the introduction of a new bomber requires time, infrastructure, trained crews, and a progressive buildup of operational units.
In this context, remanufacturing flap asymmetry brake sensors has a direct practical purpose. It is intended to prevent a relatively small component in the flap system from becoming a reliability issue for aircraft that continue to perform long-range missions. The military value of the contract therefore lies in sustaining day-to-day fleet availability rather than increasing the bomber’s performance. For the United States and its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, this continuity has broader strategic implications. Keeping the B-1B in service allows Washington to retain a heavy conventional strike capability while the B-21 enters service progressively, reducing the risk of a sudden gap in the bomber force. In an environment shaped by increasingly dense Russian and Chinese air-defense networks and expanding long-range strike capabilities, U.S. force posture depends both on bringing new aircraft into service and on maintaining the availability of those that remain part of the current long-range airpower structure.
Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.
