Article Posted on : - Aug 31, 2012

Boeing B-1 Bomber. Photo: U S Air Force/Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon.

TUKWILA, WASHINGTON (BNS): Boeing has begun a five-year fatigue test on the wing of a US Air Force B-1 bomber to validate the predicted life of the bomber fleet, currently forecasted to be 2050.

The test also will reveal potential areas of concern for which Boeing and the Air Force can develop maintenance and repair plans.

Boeing and the Air Force also plan to fatigue-test a B-1 fuselage at Boeing Tukwila beginning in November 2013.

The aircraft began as a nuclear bomber and moved into a solely conventional role in the 1990s. It carries the largest payload in the Air Force's long-range bomber fleet.

The heavy bomber entered service with the US Air Force on June 29, 1985, and has been in nearly continuous combat for the past 10 years.