B-1B Lancer bombers are once again touching down on the South Dakota prairie, returning to Ellsworth Air Force Base after a months-long exile that tested the flexibility of the U.S. bomber force. Their homecoming marks more than a routine basing shift. It signals the completion of a major runway overhaul that is meant to carry Ellsworth into the era of the B-21 Raider while keeping the B-1B relevant in a more demanding global security environment.
As the first aircraft roll back onto the rebuilt flight line, the move closes a chapter that began when the last jets departed ahead of construction and opens another in which Ellsworth must simultaneously sustain combat-ready B-1B operations and prepare for the arrival of America’s newest stealth bomber. I see this transition as a live test of how the Air Force modernizes critical infrastructure without sacrificing day-to-day deterrence.
The long road back to Ellsworth’s runway
The return of the B-1B Lancer fleet to Ellsworth Air Force Base did not happen in a vacuum. It follows a deliberate decision to send the final U.S. Air Force B-1B aircraft away from South Dakota so crews could close the runway and launch a comprehensive construction project. According to the base’s own account, the final Ellsworth B-1B Lancers departed to clear the way for that work, a move that temporarily shifted one of the Air Force’s key bomber hubs off its home turf.
That decision effectively turned Ellsworth into a construction zone rather than an operational bomber base, at least on the surface. Underneath, the 28th Bomb Wing still had to maintain its people, training pipelines, and mission planning while its aircraft were scattered to other locations. The runway closure was not just about fresh concrete. It was a calculated trade, accepting near-term disruption so the base could emerge with a modernized airfield capable of supporting both the B-1B and the future B-21 Raider.
What changed on the ground: a rebuilt runway and flight line
When I look at the scope of the work that followed, it is clear Ellsworth did more than patch cracks. Reporting on the bomber return describes a runway reconstruction and upgrade effort that extended across the flight line, with B-1B Lancer bombers from the 28th Bomb Wing now landing on a rebuilt surface designed for heavier use and more advanced aircraft. One detailed account notes that the B-1B Lancer bombers from the 28th Bomb Wing have begun returning after roughly ten months away, underscoring how extensive the project was.
The improvements are not just cosmetic. The rebuilt runway and associated flight line upgrades are explicitly tied to future B-21 Raider operations, which demand tighter tolerances, modern arresting systems, and hardened infrastructure that can support stealth aircraft maintenance. Another report frames Ellsworth Air Force Base as the future home of the U.S. B-21 nuclear bomber, and the runway work is part of preparing for that role. In practical terms, the same concrete that now welcomes returning B-1Bs is being laid with the B-21’s arrival in mind.
How the B-1B fleet operated while Ellsworth was offline
Keeping a bomber wing sharp while its home runway is torn up requires a complex juggling act. During the closure, Ellsworth’s B-1Bs were dispersed to other installations, and one of the most important of those was Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The Air Force formally approved a temporary B-1 bed down there, with an environmental assessment and legal review clearing the way for the move. That decision is captured in an official notice that describes how temporary Grand Forks AFB B-1 bed down was authorized, turning a base better known for tankers and remotely piloted aircraft into a bomber host.
Grand Forks Air Force Base is not a household name in bomber circles, but it became a crucial safety valve while Ellsworth’s runway was closed. The installation, identified in public references as Grand Forks AFB, provided ramp space, maintenance support, and airspace access so B-1B crews could keep flying. For the Air Force, this was a live demonstration of how quickly it can shift heavy bombers to alternative locations when a primary base is unavailable, a capability that has obvious implications for wartime dispersal and resilience.
Grand Forks AFB’s unexpected starring role
From my perspective, Grand Forks’ role in this story is one of the more revealing parts of the bomber return. The base is typically associated with refueling and intelligence missions, not with the roar of B-1B afterburners. Yet the environmental assessment that preceded the temporary bed down shows how seriously the Air Force took the move, weighing noise, safety, and community impact before greenlighting the plan. The fact that the assessment and legal review were completed in time to support Ellsworth’s closure highlights how agile the service can be when infrastructure demands it.
Public references to the installation, such as those that describe Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, underline that this is a fully capable Air Force facility, even if it is not traditionally a bomber hub. Additional location data, including map-based entries for Grand Forks AFB, reinforce how the base sits within a broader network of northern-tier installations that can absorb new missions when needed. In effect, Ellsworth’s runway project turned Grand Forks into a test case for distributed bomber operations on U.S. soil.
The 28th Bomb Wing and 37th Bomb Squadron at the center
Behind the hardware and concrete, the human core of this story is the 28th Bomb Wing and its subordinate units. These are the airmen who had to uproot training schedules, families, and maintenance routines when the final jets left Ellsworth. One official narrative describes how the final Ellsworth B-1B Lancers depart base ahead of runway closure, a phrase that captures both the logistical and emotional weight of sending the last aircraft away from their long-time home. For the crews, that meant adapting to new local procedures and support structures while still meeting global taskings.
Within that wing, the 37th Bomb Squadron of the 28th Bomb Wing has been particularly visible in coverage of the return. One report notes that B-1B Lancer bombers from Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron of the 28th Bomb Wing, are among those coming back to the upgraded runway. That detail matters because it shows that this is not a symbolic flyby. It is the operational heart of Ellsworth’s bomber force reestablishing itself at a base that has been physically reshaped to support its future.
Ellsworth’s dual identity: B-1B workhorse and B-21 vanguard
Ellsworth’s runway project is not just about today’s missions. It is about the base’s emerging identity as both a B-1B hub and the first operational home of the B-21 Raider. Public descriptions of Ellsworth Air Force Base emphasize that it is being upgraded as the future home of the U.S. B-21 nuclear bomber, with construction projects tailored to the stealth aircraft’s arrival. That means hardened shelters, specialized maintenance facilities, and security enhancements that go well beyond what the B-1B alone would require.
At the same time, the B-1B Lancer remains a central part of the Air Force’s conventional strike portfolio, and Ellsworth’s rebuilt runway must serve both masters. One account of the bomber return notes that the rebuilt runway powering future B-21 Raider missions is already handling B-1B traffic, a tangible sign that the base is straddling two eras at once. In practice, that dual identity will shape everything from sortie scheduling to how maintainers are trained, as Ellsworth becomes a living laboratory for operating legacy and next-generation bombers side by side.
Why the B-1B still matters in a B-21 world
With so much attention on the B-21, it can be easy to treat the B-1B as a placeholder. I think that view misses the point of what Ellsworth’s reconstruction signals. The Air Force would not invest in a rebuilt runway and flight line tailored to B-1B operations if it saw the aircraft as a short-term relic. Instead, the return of the B-1B Lancer to a modernized base suggests the service expects the jet to remain a key conventional strike asset even as the B-21 comes online, particularly for missions that do not require penetrating the most advanced air defenses.
Reports on the bomber return emphasize that B-1B Lancer bombers from Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron of the 28th Bomb Wing, are resuming operations on a runway that has been reconstructed and upgraded. The description of the runway reconstruction and upgrade work underscores that this is infrastructure built to handle sustained bomber activity, not a brief overlap. In strategic terms, the B-1B’s return to Ellsworth is a reminder that modernization is as much about extending the life and utility of existing platforms as it is about fielding new ones.
Ellsworth and Grand Forks in the wider basing map
Ellsworth’s experience over the past year also sheds light on how the Air Force thinks about basing in the continental United States. The decision to send B-1Bs to Grand Forks Air Force Base while Ellsworth’s runway was closed shows that the service is willing to use nontraditional bomber locations when infrastructure or threat conditions demand it. Public map entries for Ellsworth Air Force Base and Ellsworth AFB highlight its location in South Dakota’s open spaces, while references to Grand Forks Air Force Base place that installation in North Dakota’s northern tier. Together, they form part of a geographic arc of bomber-capable airfields across the upper Midwest.
In a crisis, that kind of flexibility could prove decisive. The environmental assessment that cleared the way for the temporary Grand Forks AFB B-1 bed down approved shows that the Air Force is already doing the legal and environmental groundwork to use alternative bases when needed. Ellsworth’s runway closure simply forced the service to put those plans into practice in peacetime. The result is a more distributed, resilient bomber posture that does not rely on any single runway, even one as central as Ellsworth’s.
What the B-1B return signals for U.S. airpower
As the B-1B Lancer bombers settle back into their refurbished home, the symbolism is hard to miss. A legacy bomber is landing on a runway built for the next generation, at a base that has just proven it can weather a year without its primary aircraft and still keep its mission alive. For Ellsworth, the return is a validation of the disruption that began when the final Ellsworth B-1B Lancers depart base ahead of runway closure. For the wider Air Force, it is proof that major infrastructure upgrades can be executed without hollowing out operational capability.
I see the episode as a preview of the balancing act that will define U.S. airpower over the next decade. The service must keep aircraft like the B-1B relevant and ready while pouring resources into platforms like the B-21 Raider and the facilities they require. Ellsworth’s rebuilt runway, the temporary reliance on Grand Forks Air Force Base, and the seamless return of the 28th Bomb Wing’s jets all point to a force that is learning how to modernize on the move. The B-1Bs may be the ones flaring over South Dakota today, but the concrete beneath them is already laid for the bombers that will follow.
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