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A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer once stored in the Arizona desert is flying again after an intensive regeneration led by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base.
The aircraft departed Tinker on April 22 following nearly two years of work to restore it to combat-capable status after Type 2000 storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, commonly known as the “boneyard.”
For Jason “JJ” Justice, a technical analyst with Tinker’s B-1 Systems Program Office, the effort brought a personal milestone. “I’ve been on this jet for 32 years,” Justice said. “To see it come back and still support the warfighter is a great feeling.” A retired Airman, he helped send the bomber into storage in 2021 and later helped lead its return.
Behind the revival was a largely out-of-sight workforce. More than 200 Airmen and civilians from the 567th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron worked extended shifts to complete system overhauls and structural repairs, replacing more than 500 components. “The maintainers of the 567th support our warfighters at unprecedented levels,” said Steven Mooy, 567th AMXS master scheduler. “They overcome so many obstacles and work together to accomplish repairs that nobody else in the bomber community could do.”
Pilots from Tinker’s 10th Flight Test Squadron flew the aircraft in a stripped, bare-metal configuration over Oklahoma, conducting functional check flights to validate systems and performance. Once the aircraft was deemed Fully Mission Capable, it moved into the paint facility, where three rotating teams worked around the clock to prepare it for delivery.
The regeneration comes as the Air Force continues modernizing its bomber fleet while sustaining legacy platforms vital to current operations, underscoring the role of depot maintenance in extending service life.
The aircraft has since returned to Dyess Air Force Base and rejoined the fleet with new nose art and a new name marking its restoration. “We’ve got the right people doing the right work,” Justice said. “That’s what makes something like this possible.”
