The U.S. Air Force Pulled Retired ‘Apocalypse II’ B-1 Lancer Bomber Out of the Boneyard

The U.S. Air Force Pulled Retired ‘Apocalypse II’ B-1 Lancer Bomber Out of the Boneyard

The U.S. Air Force just resurrected a B-1B Lancer bomber from the legendary “Boneyard” desert storage facility at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona—a stunning return to service that signals just how desperate the Pentagon has become for long-range strike capability. The regenerated aircraft, serial number 86-0115 and formerly nicknamed “Rage,” now flies operationally as “Apocalypse II” out of Dyess Air Force Base in Texas after departing T…

Retired B-1 bomber brought back to life

A B-1B Lancer has returned to active service after the bomber was sent to the Arizona desert in 2021 to be cannibalized for spare parts, U.S. Air Force officials said this week.

B-1 Pulled from Retirement Returns to Service at Dyess

The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. B-1B, tail 86-0115, was sent to the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., in 2021. But it was brought back into service last month, moving from retirement to front-line service. The Air Force retire…

Airmen Bring the B-1 Back to the Fight

MAY 8, 2026 – A B-1B Lancer once parked in the Arizona desert is back in the air after an intensive regeneration and depot maintenance effort led by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base. The aircraft departed Tinker AFB April 22 following nearly two years of work to return it to combat-capable status after time in Type 2000 storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Ba…

US Air Force returns retired B-1B bomber to service

A US Air Force B-1B Lancer that was retired in 2021 has returned to active service after nearly two years sitting dormant in a desert aircraft storage depot, as the service now moves to keep its aging bomber fleet flying into the late 2030s.  The aircraft, tail number 86-0115, recently left Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma after maintenance crews restored it to combat-capable status.   The bomber had been stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenan…

Apocalypse II: Legendary U.S. Bomber Returned from the “Aircraft Boneyard”

The United States Air Force has completed a complex restoration process for a B-1B Lancer bomber, transforming an aircraft once intended for spare-parts storage in the Arizona desert into the new flagship aircraft of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base. The aircraft, tail number 86-0115, was transferred to storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force […] Post Apocalypse II: Legendary U.S. Bomber Returned from the “Aircraft Boneyard” at Root-Nation.c…