The U.S. Air Force has returned a retired B-1B Lancer bomber to active service after pulling it from storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
The aircraft, tail number 86-0115, was one of 17 B-1Bs retired in 2021. It underwent nearly two years of regeneration and depot maintenance at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, including structural repairs, system overhauls, and replacement of more than 500 components. Functional check flights occurred earlier this year in a stripped, unpainted configuration to validate systems and performance, followed by final refurbishment, repainting, and preparation for delivery.
The bomber departed Tinker on April 22 and arrived at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, where it now serves with the 7th Bomb Wing under the name Apocalypse II, referencing a World War II-era B-24 Liberator. This reactivation replaces capacity lost from prior incidents and supports fleet stability amid availability challenges.
Budget documents show the Air Force plans to maintain 44 B-1Bs in service through the late 2030s, with about $342 million allocated for life-extension upgrades on its fleet of 45 aircraft. As of 2025, the service operates 45 B-1Bs, primarily for conventional missions after the nuclear role ended in 1994.