A B1-B bomber is seen at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on April 19
* The B1 is one of three U.S. Air Force bombers, alongside B-2s and B-52s
* Of 140 bombers in the USAF, 45 of them are B1-Bs, according to Flight Global
* On April 8 a large hole was seen in filter housing, forcing grounding of the fleet
* The B1s, first flying under Ronald Reagan, are due to be phased out by 2030
* The supersonic planes were used heavily in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq
* There have been concerns in recent years about the exhausted fleet
* In 2019 Congress was warned the USAF was 'beating the heck out of them'
* It was unclear when the B1s would be returned to fighting fitness
* Russia has around 128 bombers, and China has 231, according to estimates
The U.S. Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of B1-B bombers after finding a problem with the plane's fuel system.
That takes out a third of the Air Force's entire fleet of bombers. General Tim Ryan, commander of the Global Strike Command, said that he 'ordered a safety stand-down' on Tuesday.
The decision was made after a 'ground emergency' on April 8 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota - one of two bases where the B1-B is currently housed.
The other is Dyess Air Force Base, in Texas. The troubled aircraft, first brought into service under Ronald Reagan, are due to be phased out by 2030.
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Update #1: All B-1B Bombers Have Been Grounded (Updated) (Warzone/The Drive)
Update #2: Air Force grounds all B-1Bs after incident at Ellsworth (Rapid City Journal)
WNU Editor: This grounding has resulted in taking out a third of the US Air Force's entire fleet of bombers.
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