The US Air Force (USAF) will retire its B-1 and B-2 bombers in the early 2030s as the new B-21 aircraft is slated to be ready in mid-2020s. 

The service will include the overhaul the B-52s in its inventory to its fiscal 2019 budget and extend their service life till 2050 due to the comparatively lower maintenance needs and the ability to carry the new Long Range Standoff cruise missile. However, the B-1 and B-2 bombers will be retired and replaced by the B-21 that will also be able to carry the LRSO. 

The revelations were contained in USAF’s “Bomber Vector,” (previously called the “Bomber Roadmap”) which has been in development for several years and plans the phase-in of the B-21, the phase-out of older aircraft, and the timing and scope of upgrades and new munitions needed for the bomber enterprise. The draft version of the Vector said the B-2 would be retired “no later than 2032” and the B-1 “no later than 2036″.