Tinker brings the B-1 back to the fight

Published May 7, 2026
By Courtney Landsberger
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFNS) --

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 Base — commonly known as the “boneyard.”

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Trevor Francisco, 28th Bomber Generation Squadron assistant dedicated crew chief, taxis in a B-1B Lancer, tail number 86-0115, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, April 22, 2026. Francisco is part of the maintenance team responsible for keeping the newly regenerated bomber mission-ready after it was recalled from retirement to support the active bomber fleet and serve as the 7th Bomb Wing's historic "Apocalypse II" flagship. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Neal)

b1 inside paint shop — A freshly painted B-1B Lancer is positioned inside a paint facility at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, April 15, 2026, during depot-level maintenance. The aircraft is being prepared for return to operational use. (U.S. Air Force photo by Courtney Landsberger)

stripped b1 test flight — A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer conducts a functional check flight at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Feb. 26, 2026, in a stripped, bare-metal configuration. The aircraft underwent extensive depot maintenance to return it to operational status. (U.S. Air Force photo by Courtney Landsberger)

For Jason “JJ” Justice, a technical analyst with Tinker’s B-1 Systems Program Office, the aircraft’s return marks a rare full-circle moment.

“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, Justice was part of the team that sent the aircraft into storage in 2021. Years later, he helped lead the charge to bring it back.

Behind the massive effort was a workforce that rarely sees the runway.

More than 200 Airmen and civilians from the 567th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron worked extended shifts completing 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 AFB’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 passed these flights and was deemed Fully Mission Capable, it moved to the final phase of the regeneration process: the paint facility.

There, three rotating teams worked around the clock to prepare the aircraft for final delivery.

The regeneration effort comes as the Air Force continues modernizing its bomber fleet while sustaining legacy platforms critical to current operations. It’s a move that highlights the critical role of depot maintenance in extending aircraft service life.

“We’ve got the right people doing the right work,” Justice said. “That’s what makes something like this possible.”

The aircraft has since returned to Dyess Air Force Base, where it rejoined the fleet with a new name and nose art marking its restoration—another aircraft brought back from storage and returned to the fight through a coordinated team effort at Tinker AFB.