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In June 1992 the fleet was grounded as a result of an engine failure on an aircraft taking off from Dyess, and this was not lifted until mid-July.
As a result of the 
Gulf
War, the USAF embarked on a re-organisation of its command structure. On
June 1st 1992 Strategic Air Command was disbanded, and passed its assets
to the new Air Combat Command.
B-1B 86-0106 crashed on November 30th 1992 during a low-level night flight in IR-165, while leaving the Sierra Vieja mountains near Van Horn, Texas. All four crewmembers were killed instantly when the aircraft collided head-on with a mountain wall. Analysis of the flight data recorder indicated that everything had been functioning normally prior to the impact.
In April 1993 the B-1B flew its first Global Power mission, when two 384th Wing aircraft flew a 21-hour mission to a range on Corsica.
The first B-1B deployment to the UK occured on June 16th 1993 when a pair of 28th Bomb Wing aircraft arrived at RAF Fairford.
On October 1st 1993 the 96th Bomb Wing changed its numberplate to the 7th Wing. On the same date the 337th BS became the 9th BS, and the 338th BS became the 337th BS.
On April 7th 1994 a pair of 46th Bomb Squadron aircraft captured two world records which had been held by a B-52D since 1958. These concerned speed over a 10000km closed circuit, one for an aircraft in the 150000 to 200000kg weight category (10 hr 27 min 34 sec), and the other for an unlimited weight (10 hr 22 min 20 sec). Nine other speed records were established by the pair of aircraft. Shortly thereafter the 46th BS disposed of the last of its B-1Bs and was de-activated.
Four B-1s from the 9th BS deployed to RAF Fairford on June 1st 1994 to participate in the NATO exercise Central Enterprise. The B-1 deployment was called Coronet Pluto '94 and involved more than 250 people from Dyess AFB.
During the exercise work-up phase, the Lancer crews spent time familiarising themselves with ATC procedures in European airspace. Dummy 227 kg bombs were released over the Vlievors range in Holland, and fighter intercepts were experienced over the North Sea. They also took time to work up with their co-penetrators in Central Enterprise, 48th FW F-15Es and 27th FW F-111Fs.
Two of the aircraft, 84-0057 Hellion and 86-0103 The Reluctant Dragon took part in ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day on June 6th. Hellion was scheduled to take part in a 50-aircraft flypast of Omaha Beach, but this was prevented by bad weather. The flypast of the US services' cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer by The Reluctant Dragon went as planned.
Central Enterprise ran from
13th to 17th June, with the B-1s active every day. During the exercise
Hellion
was forced to 
divert
to Rhein-Main AB in Germany with a wingsweep malfunction.
On July 1st 1994 the Air National Guard formed the 184th Bomb Group at McConnell AFB, and the 127th Bomb Squadron was equipped with B-1Bs from the deactivated 46th Bomb Squadron at Grand Forks. This change was made in an attempt to save money.
In October 1994 the 384th Bomb Wing was disbanded, and the 28th Bomb Squadron's numberplate was reassigned to the 7th Wing at Dyess as the training squadron, replacing the 337th BS.
On March 31st 1995 the 77th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth was inactivated, again as a cost-saving measure.
In June 1995, two B-1Bs from the Dyess wing (85-0082 Global Power, and 84-0057 Hellion), with KC-10 and KC-135 support, flew non-stop around the world in a mission called Coronet Bat. The aircraft flew 36797.65 km in 36 hours 13 minutes to set two records.
In 1996 a second ANG unit equipped with the B-1B. This was the 116th Bomb Group/128th Bomb Squadron at Robins AFB, Georgia.
The 77th Bomb Squadron re-activated on April 1st 1997 at Ellsworth AFB with one B-1B, after being inactivated on March 31st 1995.
On August 22nd 1996 the first two B-1Bs to be transfered from Ellsworth AFB to the 366th Wing at Mountain Home AFB flew into their new base. The 34th Bomb Squadron was equipped with eight Lancers by March 1977.
Between September 1996 and September 1997, B-1Bs were upgraded under the Conventional Mission Upgrade Program to carry cluster bomb units.
In a joint 
exercise
with the US Navy which started on April 21st 1997 and lasted for several
days, B-1B crews from Ellsworth practiced dropping Mk62 Quick Strike
mines. This role used to be carried out by the B-52.
In May 1997, a B-1B from Dyess (86-0132 Oh Hard Luck) became the first to reach 4000 hours. The aircraft was displayed at the USAF Golden Air Tattoo at Nellis AFB.
On May 28th 1997 a B-1B crew from Ellsworth dropped a single CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon against an array of tanks and other vehicles at Eglin AFB, Florida. This was the first time that a B-1B had dropped a CBU-97.
A record number of B-1Bs from the 7th and 28th Bomb Wings were deployed to RAF Fairford between May 26th and July 3rd 1997 to take part in three NATO exercises.
Some time in 1997 the 7th Wing was re-named the 7th Bomb Wing, when the C-130s it was operating were transfered to Air Mobility Command.
On September 19th 1997 at about 22:20 GMT B-1B 85-0078 from the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth AFB crashed 25 miles north of Alzada, Montana while flying over the Powder River Military Operating Area. All four on board were killed. They were Lt Col Anthony Beat (pilot and vice-commander of the 29th BW), Maj Clay Culver (assistant operations officer), Maj Kirk Cakerice (co-pilot) and Capt Garry Everett (WSO). The board of inquiry determined that the aircraft impacted the ground while carrying out a defensive maneuver which involved slowing down and turning sharply to avoid a threat.
The 9th Bomb Squadron deployed to Alaska in October 1997 to participate in exercises to evaluate the air defence system. The 28th Bomb Wing deployed to Guam in late October/ early November. They gained experience of operating in the Pacific theatre as well as training with JSTARS and theatre missile defence operations.
The B-1 supported two Air Expeditionary
Force (AEF) deployments to Bahrain during 1997. The 366th Wing sent 
two
aircraft to join the 366th AEF in September/October, where they participated
in live bombing missions. Two B-1s from the 28th Bomb Wing joined the 347th
AEF from November 18th as tensions with Iraq rose once again. In February
1998 a third B-1 was sent to Bahrain, as military action against Iraq looked
likely.
A B-1B from Edwards AFB (86-0129) dropped a GPS-guided JDAM for the first time on February 11th 1998. The aircraft released the JDAM at an altitude of 7200m and a speed of Mach 0.85, and it hit within 7m of the centre of the target. In a previous test on January 22nd, the B-1B released an inertially-guided JDAM.
On February 18th 1998 at about 19:45 GMT, B-1B 84-0057 Hellion from the 9th Bomb Squadron based at Dyess AFB crashed near Mattoon, western Kentucky. The plane hit the ground and exploded about 2 minutes after the crew successfully ejected. (More information). The crew ejected after the cabin filled with smoke while the aircraft was returning to Dyess AFB at an altitude of about 6700m. Hellion was one of a pair of B-1s which took part in the Coronet Bat non-stop round-the-world deployment in 1995.
The first seven sets of the B-1B GPS/JDAM and communication upgrade kits arrived at Oklahoma City ALC in early April 1998.
In early June 1998 B-1B crews from Ellsworth AFB simulated Russian Tu-22M Backfires during the 20th Fighter Wing Operational Readiness Exercise. Four sorties were flown, simulating attacks against the North Carolina coast and Shaw AFB.
On June 9th 1998 six B-1Bs from the 9th BS at Dyess AFB arrived at RAF Fairford to take part in NATO exercise Central Enterprise. They were 83-0065, 84-0058, 86-0108, 86-0123, 86-0135 and 86-0140.
On June 12th 1998 Air Combat Command released the report into the crash of 84-0057 Hellion on February 18th 1998. According to the report the crew tried to shut down engine number 3 because of a warning of low oil pressure or high temperature in that engine's accessory gearbox. When the No. 3 engine fire push button on the Fire Warning Extinguisher Panel was pressed, a short circuit in the panel closed the firewall fuel shutoff valves of engines 1, 2 and 4, lit up the fire warning lights on engines 2, 3 and 4, and produced grey smoke in the cockpit.
The loss of all four
engines resulted in the loss of all hydraulic and electrical power. In
theory the crew could have restarted the Number 1 and 2 engines, but it
was impossible to do so because the fuel shutoff valves for those engines
were closed, and without a working FWEP there was no way of re-opening
them; the crew therefore had no option but to eject. They were Lt Col Daniel
Carchian (pilot), Capt Jeffrey Sabella (pilot), Capt Kevin Schields (navigator)
and 1st Lt Bert Winslow (navigator).
Ironically, the need for a more reliable FWEP had been identified in 1996, but this was not approved until July 14th 1998.
On June 30th 1998 a B-1B Lancer from the 9th BS at Dyess AFB took off at 15:53 local en route for Israel. Routing via Newfoundland, Canada, across the Atlantic, the Strait of Gibraltar, and across the Mediterranean, the aircraft landed at Tel Aviv at 23:05 local on July 1st. Four aerial refuelings were required during the flight. The 22200-km, 31-hour flight enabled the B-1 to be the sole U.S. representative in an airshow flyby celebrating Israel's 50th anniversary.
Two B-1Bs from the Kansas Air National Guard (85-0064 and 86-0136) and one from the 28th BW at Ellsworth AFB (86-0128) arrived at RAF Fairford on July 23rd 1998 to take part in the 1998 Royal International Air Tattoo. They departed on July 27th.
A B-1B from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB made an emergency landing at Colorado Springs on October 22nd 1998 after suffering a partial electrical malfunction. The aircraft blew five tyres on landing at higher than normal speed. It was repaired and returned to Dyess the following day.
The first Block D B-1B (85-0091) arrived at Ellsworth AFB on October 29th 1998. The 77th BS received all the "Fast 7" Block D aircraft. The other six are: 85-0075, 85-0083, 85-0073, 86-0097, 85-0074 and 86-0104. The upgrade also included the Towed Decoy System.
B-1Bs were alerted for possible military action against Iraq in mid-November 1998. Two aircraft from Ellsworth AFB and two from Dyess AFB reached their forward operating base in Oman, but two 7th Wing aircraft were diverted into Pease AFB, New Hampshire, after air strikes were called off at the last minute.
The 77th BS's Block D B-1B flew
its first test sortie on November 24th 1998. The crew, Majs Troutman and 
Rodriguez,
and Capts Brunner and Humphries, of the 53rd Training Evaluation Group,
Det 2, flew to the Utah Test and Training Range from Ellsworth AFB and
dropped four inert BDU-56 900kg bombs with live JDAM tail kits.
The B-1B made its combat debut on December 18th 1998, when 86-0096 Wolf Pack from the 37th BS/28th BW and 86-0135 Watchdog from the 9th BS/7th BW attacked Iraqi targets with Mk82 iron bombs during Operation Desert Fox. Flying in 86-0096 (callsign Slam 1) were aircraft commander Lt Col Wilborsky, pilot Capt Wright and WSOs Capts Bivetto and Bailey. The crew of 86-0135 (Slam 2) comprised aircraft commander Capt Hoyt, pilot Lt Mankus and WSOs Capts Xiques and Greaney.
On the following night 86-0135 flew a second mission as Slam 4, this time with Lt Col Harencak (commander), Maj Dodson (pilot) and Capts Todaro and Newby (WSOs) on board. The second aircraft in the package was 86-0102 Black Hills Sentinel from the 37th BS/28th BW, crewed by Capt Taliaferro (commander), Capt Kaufman (pilot) and Capts Reidy and Martin (WSOs). This aircraft had the callsign Slam 5.
According to Lt Col Harencak, who was the on-site commander in Oman, the AAA fire on both nights was "heavy", and it was not all "low level" (the B-1s flew at an altitude of around 6500m).
Two more B-1Bs, one each from the 28th (85-0084) and 7th (86-0109) Bomb Wings, were despatched from the US on December 20th, but arrived too late to see any action.
Following the end of Desert Fox, all six B-1Bs in theatre had returned to the US by the end of 1998.
Force structure changes to support the Expeditionary Air Force concept were announced on March 5th 1999. The B-1B force is affected thus:
Five B-1Bs from the 28th 
BW
at Ellsworth arrived at RAF Fairford in April 1st 1999 in support of Operation
Allied
Force. They were 85-0073, 85-0075, 85-0083 and 85-0091 from the 77th
Bomb Squadron, and 86-0102 from the 37th BS. The 77th BS aircraft were
all Block D conversions. Before the B-1Bs could be deployed a "block cycle"
software update was required, so that the bomber's defensive avionics system
could accurately identify and counter enemy radars. This was done in less
than 100 hours with the assistance of the 53rd Wing at Eglin AFB.
The aircraft launched before midnight local time on April 1st to carry out attacks on Serbian army staging areas in Kosovo. The weapon used was the Mk82 227kg iron bomb; these could be delivered accurately on target, despite the poor weather in the region, thanks to the GPS receivers in the Block D Lancers. The aircraft used the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System during the first (and presumably subsequent) missions, which is said "to be very effective at countering SAMs".
On the first night of operations, Captain (later Major) Gerald Goodfellow, an instructor WSO assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, was involved in an incident which for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. The crew on the B-1B had to penetrate a SAM zone to reach their targets. During the first attack run, Goodfellow released thirty-two 500lb Mk82 bombs, but he was then unable to close the bomb bay doors and a malfunction in the weapon system prevented further bomb releases.
Although Goodfellow was able to fix the malfunction, the bomb bay doors remained open. The aircraft commander decided to continue to the second target, and dropped forty Mk82s on it, before a SAM was fired at the aircraft. The crew used chaff, ECM and maneuvering to defeat it. During the maneuveres to avoid the SAM, the aircraft was forced into the engagement zone of a second SAM, which was also defeated.
The aggressive maneuvering, and
the increased drag caused by the open bomb bay doors, caused the B-1B to
use more fuel than expected, requiring a rendezvous with a tanker. While
returning to Fairford the aircraft was struck by lightning, which blew
off a portion of the 
horizontal
stabiliser. Visibility on landing was poor, but the crew successfully put
the aircraft on the ground after a mission which had lasted over 14 hours.
B-1B 84-0074 arrived at Fairford on April 8th. It replaced 85-0075, which returned to Ellsworth for periodic maintenance on April 11th. Similarly 86-0097 arrived on April 24th, and 85-0073 returned to Ellsworth on April 26th.
B-1B 86-0129 of the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth arrived at Fairford on May 15th 1999. 86-0102, which had been at Fairford since April 1st, returned to Ellsworth on May 18th.
85-0075 returned to Fairford on May 27th 1999. It replaced 85-0083, which returned to Ellsworth for maintenance on the 29th. On June 3rd 1999 86-0104 from the 77th BS arrived at Fairford. It replaced 85-0074 which departed on June 6th.
Up to June 7th the B-1s at Fairford had dropped more than 1100 tonnes of ordnance (approx 5000 Mk 82 bombs and CBU-87 cluster bombs) on targets in Serbia. 81 strike missions had been flown, of which 74 released weapons. All strike missions had taken off on time.
As a result of all that ordnance the following were either seriously damaged or destroyed:
Following the end of Operation Allied Force on June 20th 1999, all the B-1s at Fairford (85-0075, 85-0091, 86-0097, 86-0104 and 86-0129) returned to Ellsworth on June 24th. Final combat sorties were:
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