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412th TW, Edwards AFB (419th FLTS) : 3 B-1B
Air Combat Command:
7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB (9th BS,
13th BS Grim Reapers, 28th BS) : 35 B-1B
28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB (37th
BS Tigers, 77th BS War Eagles) : 25 B-1B
366th Wing, Mountain Home AFB (34th
BS Thunderbirds) : 8 B-1B
Air National Guard:
116th Bomb Wing, Robins AFB, Georgia
ANG (128th BS Georgia Bones) : 10 B-1B
184th Bomb Wing, McConnell AFB,
Kansas ANG (127th BS Jayhawks) : 12 B-1B
The first B-1B, 
83-0065,
was delivered to the 96th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas on June 29th 1985.
The first units equipped were the 4018th Combat Crew Training Squadron
(later re-designated the 338th Strategic Bombardment Training Squadron,
then the 338th CCTS) and the 337th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), and the
latter achieved IOC on October 1st 1986. On the same day the B-1B stood
its first nuclear alert at Dyess, even though the aircraft had not completed
its test program at Edwards, and a number of systems either didn't work
properly, or at all.
On March 10th 1986 the first B-1B delivered to SAC (83-0065) was forced to land at Dyess with its wings locked at 55 degrees. The problem was traced to a broken interconnect cable.
On January 16th 1987 the first AGM-69A SRAM was successfully launched by a B-1B flying at Mach 0.9 at an altitude of 150m. The first SRAM launch by an operational crew occured on June 3rd 1987.
The next unit to equip was the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Its first aircraft, 85-0073, arrived on January 21st 1987. The Wing's 37th and 77th Bomb Squadrons were equipped by July 1987.
On April 14th 1987 85-0072 flew the "70 Dregrees North" mission to test the navigation system in northern latitudes and around the North Pole.
On July 4th 1987 86-0098 broke four existing world records and set 14 new ones during Freedom Flight I. The aircraft flew 2000km with a payload of 30000kg , breaking records for 1000km and 200km at a variety of payload weights. The crew consisted of pilots Lt Col Robert Chamberlain and Capt Michael Walters, OSO Maj Richard Fisher and DSO Capt Nathan Gray. The records were all set in Class C-1q for aircraft with a takeoff weight of 150000kg to 200000kg.
| Distance | 5000kg | 10000kg | 15000kg | 20000kg | 25000kg | 30000kg |
| 1000km | 1089.36 km/h | 1089.36 km/h | 1089.36 km/h | 1089.36 km/h | 1089.36 km/h | 1089.36 km/h |
| 2000km | 1078.20 km/h | 1078.20 km/h | 1078.20 km/h | 1078.20 km/h | 1078.20 km/h | 1078.20 km/h |
On September 17th 1987 86-0110 broke nine existing world records and set nine new ones during Freedom Flight II. The aircraft flew 5000km with a payload of 30000kg. Nine of the records were set in Class C-1q for aircraft with a takeoff weight of 150000kg to 200000kg, and the others in Class C-1 for unlimited takeoff weight. The crew consisted of pilots Lt Col Robert Chamberlain and Maj Brent Hedgpeth, OSO Capt Alexander Ivanchishin and DSO Capt Daniel Novick.
| 0kg | 1000kg | 2000kg | 5000kg | 10000kg | 15000kg | 20000kg | 25000kg | 30000kg |
| 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h | 1054.21 km/h |
B-1B 84-0052 crashed on 28th September
1987, after suffering a suspected bird strike at low level on the La Junta
range in Colorado. A fire 
broke
out and the crew abandoned the aircraft. The two instructors on board from
the 338th CCTS didn't have time to get out through the bottom hatch and
were killed. The co-pilot was also killed when his ejection seat malfunctioned.
The other three crew members ejected safely.
On November 24th 1987 a B-1B successfully launched an AGM-86B cruise missile for the first time.
The 319th Bomb Wing at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota equipped its single squadron, the 46th BS, by January 1988. The final unit was the 384th Bomb Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas. Its single squadron, the 28th BS, was equipped by the end of April 1988, at which point B-1B deliveries were complete.
On May 10-22nd 1988, 85-0072 flew a series of missions called "Distant Mariner 88" to test the navigation system while crossing the equator and the international date line.
On August 25th 1988, B-1B 86-0124 from the 384th Wing appeared in the static park at the RAF Lakenheath airshow. The Wing also provided 86-0099 for Ramstein's 1988 air show.
B-1B 85-0063 crashed 7 km north of Dyess AFB on 8th November 1988, following an overwing fairing fire. The crew of four ejected safely.
B-1B 85-0076 crashed on 18th November 1988 while attempting to land at Ellsworth AFB in bad weather. All four engines flamed out while the aircraft was on its final approach, and it struck a telephone pole. The crew escaped but the Offensive Systems Operator sustained a fractured back during the ejection. This occured because he had leaned forward to see what had caused the bang (the collision with the pole), and at the same moment the ejection sequence was initiated. The OSO's seat was in auto mode, so he was the first to eject, unfortunately in an improper body position.
The B-1B made its flying debut in a UK airshow in May 1989, when two aircraft (86-0114 and 86-0119) from the 46th Bomb Squadron at Grand Forks AFB appeared at the Mildenhall air show.
On October 4th 1989, B-1B 85-0070
was forced to make an emergency landing at Edwards AFB after suffering
an in-flight failure
of the No 2 hydraulic system, requiring use of the No 3 system deploy the
landing gear. After the nose gear failed to deploy, a nose-gear-up landing
was made on the dry lake bed at Edwards. The lower portion of the forward
bulkhead used to mount the radar antenna was the only part of the aircraft
to suffer damage.
The B-1B was officially named Lancer in May 1990.
On October 14th 1990 B-1B 86-0128 suffered an uncontained blade failure in the No 1 engine, and the aicraft made an emergency night landing at Pueblo, Colorado. The engine had completely broken away from the aircraft, fortunately without hitting anything. The aircraft was ferried on three engines to OCALC for repairs.
On December 19th 1990 a 96th BW B-1B (83-0071) experienced an in-flight engine fire. The aircraft recovered to Dyess and it was found that an uncontained blade failure had occured in the No 3 engine. GE began to completely redesign the first-stage fan blades, resulting in the F-101-GE-102 engine. The whole B-1B fleet was grounded from December 20th 1990 to February 6th 1991, when about half the aircraft had received temporary modifications to alleviate the problem.
The B-1B didn't play any part in the 1991 Gulf War. This was for at least three reasons: (1) the aircraft was still standing nuclear alerts; (2) the engine problems as mentioned above; (3) an insufficient number of crews combat-qualified in the delivery of conventional weapons.
As a result of the end of the Cold War, Strategic Air Command B-1Bs ceased holding ground alerts on September 27th 1991.
On February 28th and 29th 1992 three crews from the 319th BMW at Grand Forks AFB shattered eight time-to-height world records and set three more that had never previously been attempted. A fourth new record was set on March 18th 1992. The new records were set in Class C-1.Q. The records set were:
| Class C-1.O (80000kg - 91000kg) | Class C-1.P (100000kg - 150000kg) | Class C-1.Q (150000kg - 200000kg) | |||
| 3000m | 1 min 13 secs | 3000m | 1 min 19 secs | 3000m | 2 mins 0 secs |
| 6000m | 1 min 42 secs | 6000m | 1 min 55 secs | 6000m | 2 mins 39 secs |
| 9000m | 2 mins 11 secs | 9000m | 2 mins 23 secs | 9000m | 3 mins 48 secs |
| 12000m | 5 mins 2 secs | 12000m | 6 mins 9 secs | 12000m | 9 mins 42 secs |
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