BAE Systems Naval Ships business in Glasgow is continuing to progress the outfit of the lead Type 26 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigate for the UK Royal Navy (RN) ahead of the ship’s planned handover in 2026.
The future HMS Glasgow, the first Type 26 frigate for the Royal Navy, is progressing towards completion. Picture from December 2023 courtesy of George Allisson / Uk Defence Journal.
The future HMS Glasgow – the first of eight Type 26 ASW frigates ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence – has now received both its bow mounted and towed array sonar systems, and is shortly to receive its MK 45 Mod 4 5-inch medium-calibre gun.
Glasgow has been in dry dock in Scotstoun, on the north bank of the River Clyde, since its float-off in late 2022. Scotstoun is Naval Ship’s focal point for final outfit, commissioning test and trials; steelwork and major ship construction activity is undertaken at its sister Govan yard, which lies on the south bank of the Clyde.
Sir Simon Lister, managing director of BAE Naval Ships, said that work continues to insulate, paint and outfit Glasgow in Scotstoun. “We intend to move her into [the wet dock] for final test and commissioning in the autumn of this year,” he said. “Cardiff [ship 2] will then take her place in dry dock.”
Lister estimates Glasgow to be at least 65% complete, with all structural steelwork is complete, and major equipment installations are underway.
“We’re preparing to fit the [main] gun, we’ve fitted the bow sonar [Sonar 2150], and we are currently testing the towed array sonar [Sonar 2087]. All the engines are in, shafts and so on are in. We’re at that stage of connecting and installing the last few pipes, wiring up the ship, and setting-it-to-work prior to testing and commissioning.”
Sir Simon Lister, managing director of BAE Naval Ships
Glasgow is due to be formally named during 2025. Sea trials are planned to start in early 2026, with handover to follow later that same year.
Following handover, the RN will undertake a period of training and work-up on Glasgow. “They are planning for an initial operating capability in the 2028 timeframe,” said Lister.
While acknowledging that the first-of-class build had been challenging, Lister said that lessons learned are already improving performance on subsequent ships:
“We’re shrugging off the challenges of the prototype, and the design is now finished. The amount of change that’s in the programme is being eroded all the time – so the amount of change in ship 3 is one tenth of the amount of change that’s in ship 2.”
HMS Cardiff, the second Type 26 frigate, is progressing towards structural completion on the Govan hardstand. It will be the last Type 26 assembled in the open. Picture by Richard Scott.
The second Type 26, the future HMS Cardiff, is progressing towards structural completion on the hardstand in Govan, with work underway to fit and align the ship’s shaft lines. Float-off is planned for the third quarter of 2024, after which Cardiff will be moved to dry dock in Scotstoun to continue fitting out.
All Type 26 frigates from ship 3 (HMS Belfast) onwards are planned to be consolidated under cover within a new Wet Basin Hall assembly facility now taking shape on the Govan site. According to Lister, blocks of Belfast will start moving into the hall at the end of this year. “The facility will not be completely finished until August/September next year,” he said, “but because the roof [is going to be on] we will take advantage of the weather protection that provides over the winter.”
Construction work underway on the new Wet Basin Hall in Govan. BAE Systems plans to have sections of HMS Belfast inside by the end of 2024. Picture by Richard Scott.
BAE Systems forecasts that the productivity and efficiency benefits accruing from the new covered assembly hall will realise significant time and cost reductions in future Type 26 builds. “The business case for building the Wet Basin Hall is based on our ability to accelerate production and use less hours in building the ships,” Lister said. “We aim to reduce the build duration from the first-of-class being 96 months to the eighth being 60 months. And more than that we intend to compress the interval between ships from 18 months to 12 [months].”
HMSM33 is an M29-classmonitor of the Royal Navy. Built in 1915, she saw active service in the Mediterranean during the First World War and in Russia during the Allied Intervention in 1919. She was used subsequently as a mine-laying training ship, fuelling hulk, boom defence workshop and floating office, being renamed HMS Minerva and Hulk C23 during her long life. She passed to Hampshire County Council in the 1980s and was then handed over to the National Museum of the Royal Navy in 2014. A programme of conservation was undertaken to enable her to be opened to the public. HMS M33 is located within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and opened to visitors on 7 August 2015 following a service of dedication. She is one of only three surviving Royal Navy warships of the First World War and the only surviving Allied ship from the Gallipoli Campaign, the other being the Ottoman minelayer Nusret, preserved in Çanakkale. Construction[edit] M33 was built as part of the rapid ship construction campaign following the outbreak of the First World War by Harland and Wolff, Belfast. Ordered in March 1915, she was launched in May and commissioned in June; an impressive shipbuilding feat, especially considering that numerous other ships of her type were being built in the same period.[1] First World War[edit] Armed with a pair of 6-inch (152 mm) guns and having a shallow draught, M33 was designed for coastal bombardment. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Preston-Thomas, her first active operation was the support of the Britishlandings at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in August 1915. She remained stationed at Gallipoli until the evacuation in January 1916. For the remainder of the war she served in the Mediterranean and was involved in the seizure of the Greek fleet at Salamis Bay on 1 September 1916.
Members of the Royal Navy and the navies of New Zealand and Australia have gathered on board the last remaining ship from the Gallipoli campaign to mark Anzac Day.
A wreath was laid during the service on board the monitor vessel HMS M.33 which is in dry dock next to HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Members of the Royal Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal Australian Navy take part in an Anzac Day service of remembrance on board HMS M.33 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (Andrew Matthews/PA)
The service was led by Royal Navy Chaplain Ralph Barber and was accompanied by two buglers from the Royal Marines School of Music performing the Reveille.
Troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – shortened to Anzac – were landed on the western shore of the Gallipoli peninsula on April 25 1915 as part of the failed campaign that lasted into 1916.
Eileen Clegg, from the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) which helped organise the service, said: “Anzac Day is the most important day of commemoration in New Zealand and Australia, and HMS M.33 serves as an excellent symbol of the sacrifice made in Gallipoli and beyond.
“This event allows anyone, serving or not, to honour this sacrifice from those who lived and served thousands of miles away.”
Members of the Royal New Zealand Navy replace their caps during an Anzac Day service of remembrance on board HMS M.33 (Andrew Matthews/PA)
An NMRN spokeswoman said: “Anzac Day, which takes places annually on April 25, was originally commemorated to honour those from New Zealand and Australia who lost their lives in the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.
“HMS M.33 supported the landings at Gallipoli in 1915, and is the only surviving ship from the campaign.”
Able musician Orson Paine at the Anzac Day dawn service in Gallipoli on 25 April 2024. Photo: Supplied / NZDF
A commander involved in Anzac Day services in Gallipoli is proud of his contingent for rising to the challenge after their luggage was lost in transit.
New Zealand Defence Force representatives played a full part in the ceremonies, despite earlier uncertainty after uniforms and instruments went missing during the Dubai floods last week.
But Major Peter Bowyer said Kiwi ingenuity got them through, with the uniforms they did have being swapped and resized.
“As the commander, I’m just so proud of the contingent for what they’ve done. There were some challenges but I think we’ve [made] a fantastic representation.”
The uniforms they did get back in time were swapped and resized, as members without roles in the ceremony wore civilian clothes, Bowyer said.
Meanwhile, the Anzac spirit helped ensure the Royal New Zealand Navy’s bugle player could perform The Last Post.
Able musician Orson Paine’s bugle never made it, but a member of the Australia Defence Force band loaned him their cornet, Bowyer said.
Traditionally The Last Post is played on a bugle, but he said Paine was a professional.
“He’s a very capable musician and I’m sure he would have provided a very good Last Post … on anything.”
USS George Washington (CVN-73) returning from sea trials on May 25, 2023. HII Photo
Carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is set to depart Naval Station Norfolk, Va., this week for its new homeport in Japan, the Navy announced on Wednesday. George Washington is scheduled to leave Norfolk on Thursday to sail down the coast of the U.S., through the Caribbean Sea and enter the Pacific by rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.
The carrier will be part of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2024 event that will team Washington up with the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78), and Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189). The carrier will embark with a partial air wing from Carrier Air Wing 7, Naval Air Force Atlantic announced. Outlined earlier this month, Southern Seas will have the U.S. group sail with warships from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. Washington plans to make port calls in Brazil, Chile and Peru. An international staff will of about 24 officers from 11 partner nations will serve on the carrier.
“This international staff will receive instruction from U.S. Naval War College professors and will work alongside embarked Destroyer Squadron 40 personnel,” reads a statement from U.S. Southern Command.
The international staff will include officers from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Following Southern Seas 2024, “George Washington will relieve USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) as the forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) aircraft carrier during a historic carrier swap at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., this summer. This will mark the second time George Washington has served as the FDNF aircraft carrier, arriving in Japan in 2008 as the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward deployed to Japan before being relieved by Ronald Reagan in 2015,” reads a statement from Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Following the transfer, Reagan will head to Washington state for an overhaul before its permanent homeport assignment.
Prior to this week’s planned departure, George Washington completed its midlife nuclear refueling and complex overhaul at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The normally four-year-long maintenance period stretched to just short of six years due to a number of factors, including supply chain issues and workforce problems that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington began the RCOH period on Aug. 4, 2017, and redelivered to the Navy on May 25, 2023.
During the RCOH, the Navy conducted an extensive quality of life study that revealed sailors living aboard the carrier had some of the toughest living conditions in the Department of Defense. The investigation followed the death by suicide of nine GW sailors from 2017 to 2022.
Her mission is to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or amphibious ready group, carrying part of a Marine expeditionary unit into battle and putting them ashore with helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by F-35B Lightning II aircraft and helicopter gunships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_America_(LHA-6)
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of April 22, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
294 (USS 234, USNS 60)
93 (USS 63, USNS 30)
53 (33 Deployed, 20 Local)
In Japan
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Robert Miller, from Palatka, Florida, assigned to USS America (LHA-6) guides an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262, to take off from the flight deck while conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, April 2, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port Yokosuka. The carrier is set to depart for a repair availability in Washington state later this year. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan. USS America (LHA-6) is in port in Sasebo.
In the South China Sea
Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class McGilf Reyes, from Springs, Colo., conducts maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to the ‘Eightballers’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), April 19, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is underway in the South China Sea.
The carrier has been using older C-2A Greyhounds as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet was grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B Osprey off the coast of Japan.
Earlier this month, Naval Air Systems Command lifted the grounding of the Ospreys and the Navy has started re-certifying crews and aircraft for the logistics operations.
Carrier Strike Group 9
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, lands on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on April 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic (Equipment) 2nd Class Carl Barr, from West Hartford, Vt., signals during flight operations on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), April 17, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG-83) transits the South China Sea, April 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the Red Sea
A MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter, attached to the ‘Dusty Dogs’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, departs the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG-58) in the Red Sea, April 6, 2024. US Navy Photo
U.S. ships continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect ships moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Israel.
As of Monday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating in the Red Sea.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin extended the ship’s deployment late last month, a defense official confirmed to USNI news.
The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 2
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
On Tuesday, CENTCOM “forces successfully engaged two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas in Yemen,” according to a news release from the combatant command.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Eastern Pacific
USS Boxer (LHD-4) coming into San Diego, Calif., on April 15, 2024. Image San Diego Web Cam
The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) returned to San Diego, Calif., delaying its deployment after suffering a casualty, USNI News reported. The two San Diego dry docks large enough to accommodate a big deck amphibious warship are currently occupied, complicating the repairs of Boxer.
Naval Sea Systems Command told USNI News on Monday that it has not yet made a decision on the way forward.
“Boxer is currently pier side at Naval Station San Diego. As inspections and assessments are continuing, a decision on the most efficient way to execute repairs is still being determined,” reads the statement.
In the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic
USAV SP4 (LSV-6) underway on the James River on March 12, 2024. USNI News Photo
The ships carrying pieces to build a humanitarian aid pier in Gaza are now mostly in the Mediterranean Sea.
Four U.S. Army watercraft, a Military Sealift Command transport and a Maritime Administration ready reserve transport ship are all now in port or operating near the island of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As of Monday, USAV General Frank S. Benson (LSV-1), USAV SP4 James A. Loux (LSV-6), USAV Montorrey (LCU-2030), USAV Matamoros (LCU-2026) were operating near Crete, along with Military Sealift Command ships USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK-3010) and MARAD ship MV Roy P. Benavidez (TAKR-306). USAV Wilson Wharf (LCU-2011) was in the Eastern Atlantic off the coast of North Africa, not yet in the Mediterranean Sea.
Lopez and USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (TAK-3008) were transporting parts of Naval Beach Group One’s similar floating pier system to operate in tandem with the Army’s system.
2nd Lt. John P. Bobo returned to Jacksonville, Fla., after experiencing a fire in its engine room, the Navy said Wednesday. The crew extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation, according to the statement. The Navy is now assessing how to get the gear aboard Bobo to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The general concept will have the Army build a pier that it will anchor to the shore in Gaza, with no U.S. personnel setting foot on land. The Navy will build a transfer point two to three miles offshore where cargo – likely originating in Cyprus – will be transferred to the Army watercraft to be taken to the pier.
Based on the initial timelines, the pier could be completed by mid-May.
In the Western Atlantic
USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) ,Left, USS Cole (DDG-67) ,center, and USS Wasp (LHD-1) ,right, underway in the Atlantic Ocean, April 14, 2024. US Navy Photo
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) is operating off the East Coast.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is underway conducting basic training.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
When a B1-B Lancer’s engine failed, an unexpected savior rose from the desert.
BY KYLE MIZOKAMIPUBLISHED: APR 22, 2024 7:30 AM ESTSAVE ARTICLE
U.S. Air Force
The Air Force is recalling a bomber sent to a desert retirement back to active duty.
“Lancelot” enjoyed a brief vacation in Arizona before a vacancy in the fleet needed filling.
The bomber is currently undergoing preparations to return her to the 45-strong B-1B force.
The U.S. Air Force is bringing a bomber back from the dead—or, rather, from the Boneyard. The B-1B bomber #85-0081, also known as “Lancelot,” is undergoing a refurbishment designed to ready the big, swing-wing bomber for active duty, replacing another bomber lost in a fire. The process illustrates how “The Boneyard” is not always a final resting place for America’s warbirds and how planes might be ‘reanimated’ to make up for combat losses.
Bomber Down
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In 2022, Dyess Air Force Base mechanics were running the engines of B-1B Lancer bomber while fixing its hydraulics. A crack in an engine disc resulted in the #1 engine catastrophically disassembling, severing fuel lines in the process. The fuel caught fire and the engine was destroyed in a fireball, with parts landing up to five hundred feet away from the parked aircraft. No injuries were reported. The event was captured on video and the bomber was written off as a total loss.
The Boneyard
U.S. Air Force
In 2020 an older B-1B Lancer bomber was donated to Wichita State University from the Boneyard to create a “digital twin”, precisely measuring all the parts that make up the bomber for research and ongoing maintenance purposes.
In 2021, the Air Force retired 17 B-1B bombers from the active force. The B-1B bomber force—stripped of its ability to carry nuclear weapons under the New START arms control treaty with Russia—was often used in Iraq and Afghanistan as a close air support aircraft. Its combination of high speed, long range, and ability to drop precision-guided bombs proved a major asset for troops on the ground. As a result, the B-1B fleet had one of the lowest readiness rates of all aircraft types, due its age (the bombers first entered service in 1986) and years of hard use.
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The Air Force plans to retire all B-1B bombers by the early 2030s, replacing them with the new B-21 Raider bomber. The readiness problem, however, was so bad that the Air Force decided to retire some bombers early to save the rest. The service cut 17 of the bombers from a fleet of 62, flying them to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group employees remove a part from a B-1 Lancer bomber stored in the boneyard on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base May 2015.
Davis-Monthan is the home of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, otherwise known as AMARG, or The Boneyard. The Boneyard is the home of thousands of aging Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft retired from flying status. The high desert temperatures and low humidity prevent corrosion and rust, preserving the planes.
In most cases, the planes are stored—awaiting some emergency that might recall them to active duty—and are eventually cut into scrap. Other planes, including B-52G bombers, are cut into pieces and then preserved to allow Russian satellites to verify that they have been permanently retired from the nuclear force. Still other planes are slowly cannibalized for spare parts to keep other planes going. That was the expectation for the retired B-1B planes.
Knight Resurrected
Wikimedia Commons
“Lancelot”, photgraphed in 2000.
B-1B serial number #85-0081 was one of the 17 bombers retired in 2021. The plane had been photographed by aviation enthusiasts for years—visiting Edwards Air Force Base, Misawa Air Base in Japan, Abbotsford Airport in Canada, and other locations. In 2004, the aircraft suffered a collapse of its nose gear after landing at the U.S. airbase on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The plane, call sign SABRE 01, is well known enough among plane spotters that you can buy a reproduction of the nose art online.
Four of the seventeen retired B-1Bs were kept in flyable condition, in case there was a need to bring them back. And as it turns out, that happened sooner than anyone expected. Air Force officials immediately began plotting to bring one of the bombers back, and Lancelot was selected to replace the bomber lost in the 2022 fire.
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Lancelot was first flown to Tinker Air Force Base, where it underwent programmed depot maintenance at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. According to Arnold Air Force Base, the bomber will also receive upgrades that it missed during its brief retirement to bring it up to par with the rest of the active fleet. Pilots from the 10th Flight Test Squadron flew the aircraft from the Boneyard to Tinker, and then flew test sorties with the rejuvenated plane before handing it over to the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base.
A Lesson for Future War
Richard Baker//Getty Images
Dozens of F-16 fighters, shrinkwrapped in protective plastic, await the call to be turned into silverware…or fly again. Some F-16s are converted into QF-16 drones.
America’s aging warplane fleet means that, often, there are models of aircraft sitting in the Boneyard while the same models are on active duty. While this is obviously not as good as having the latest planes, there is a major, hidden advantage.
In the event of a major war, it is inevitable that the armed services will take aircraft losses. It would take only five lost B-1B bombers to reduce the fighting force by ten percent. Bringing back planes from the Boneyard and refurbishing them to modern standards takes less time than building new ones. The process can also count on decades of institutional knowledge about the airframe. In its press release, the Air Force mentioned one civilian analyst who helped with the resurrection—he had been part of the B-1 program for 30 years.
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BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers are seen in a boneyard at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base May 13, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona.
In some ways, the Boneyard is not a retirement community for airplanes—it’s a bank and insurance policy rolled into one. The Air Force, Navy, and Marines deposit less useful planes (that are often expensive to operate) and wait. The aircraft sit silently in the desert, among the horned toads, rattlesnakes, and scorpions, until someone decides that they are worth more as scrap than they are as warplanes. Most never leave the Boneyard under their own power. But a few, like Lancelot, turn on their engines and roll down the runway to serve once again.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he’s generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
Officers undertaking their ‘Bravos’ Officer of the Watch course on board HMNZS Taupo, berthed in Wellington in this photo. From left, MID Samuel King, MID Jaamin Fuller, SLT Liam van Etten and MID Leighton Tanner.
STORY The Inshore Patrol Vessel is one of the busiest ships in the fleet, travelling from port to port as junior officers work to pass their three-week sea phase of the Officer of the Watch (Basic) course, commonly known as ‘Bravos’. This is the foundation course for warfare officers, teaching the fundamentals of navigation and bridge routines.
Midshipmen Samuel King, Jaamin Fuller, Leighton Turner and Sub Lieutenant Lian van Etten are ‘Bravo’ officers near the end of their sea time. While all agree that ship’s watches and pilotage can be intense and stressful, nothing beats the feeling when your hard work pays off.
“The course takes from pretty much knowing nothing about navigation, to driving a ship around the Hauraki Gulf. Coming down the east coast, the navigator will plan a route for the ship, and the Officer of the Watch will follow that plan. Then coming to the Marlborough Sounds and Nelson, another steep curve. It’s a lot of work and pretty stressful navigation. But you come out the other side thinking: man, I did that.” ~ Midshipman Leighton Turner
C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House will be set up tomorrow to broadcast on Whakaata Māori for Anzac Day. File picture
The C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House is set to broadcast coverage of Anzac Day this year to help share stories and history of those from Tairāwhiti who went to war.
Dr Monty Soutar said the C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House was approached by Whakaata Māori (Māori Television) a couple of years ago and was planning to broadcast for Anzac Day last year, but because of the region still reeling from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, it was decided to postpone to this year.
Veteran broadcaster Julian Wilcox (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa) will be joined in Gisborne by military historian Dr Monty Soutar (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou), who throughout the broadcast will comment on what is happening and why certain things are done during a dawn ceremony.
“It’s a huge honour for the C Company Memorial House to be the setting for it as it’s run by a voluntary trust and all income for it comes from koha, so to have this opportunity to promote what we do is great,” Dr Soutar said.
Throughout the morning broadcast there will be features about different kaupapa related to the region and Anzac history.
There will be a tour through the Memorial House, a closer look at Sir Apirana Ngata and the background to his work The Price of Citizenship, and a visit to St Mary’s Memorial Church in Tikitiki, which celebrates 100 years since laying its foundation stone.
Coverage will also feature a piece on Toti Tuhaka (Ngāti Porou), who served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in Korea, and the exploits of Lieutenant Te Rauwhiro Tibble (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), of Tikitiki, who won the Military Cross for bravery in Italy.
Tokomaru Bay kapa haka group, Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū will perform waiata associated with the 28 Maori Battalion and the stories behind these will be shared.
The broadcast will cross over to the Auckland dawn ceremony as well as the Gisborne dawn ceremony at the Cenotaph.
Anzac Day is about not forgetting the sacrifices made in the past by those who served, Dr Soutar said.
“It’s quite special this year as Māori TV have chosen a quote that is on C Company house from Sir Apirana Ngata, who said at the beginning of World War 2: ‘We are of one house and if our Pākehā brothers fall, we fall with them’.
“It’s almost ironic, with what is going on with the Māori language and the moves by the current Government to do different things that impact on Māori, that we should not forget what he said.
“I guess we really need our Pākehā brothers to stand alongside Māori today in the continued battle for equality.”
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U.S. Air Force
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The Inshore Patrol Vessel is one of the busiest ships in the fleet, travelling from port to port as junior officers work to pass their three-week sea phase of the Officer of the Watch (Basic) course, commonly known as ‘Bravos’. This is the foundation course for warfare officers, teaching the fundamentals of navigation and bridge routines.
