“The Bone” is coming: the massive B-1B bomber that will shake Super Bowl LX with its 146-foot frame
Meet the huge bomber that will take to the skies ahead of Super Bowl LX.
When the skies rumble over Super Bowl LX’s opening ceremony, it won’t just be noise from the fans below. A colossal machine from the United States Air Force’s heavy bomber fleet will thunder past: the Rockwell B‑1B Lancer, known as “The Bone.”
At 146 feet long and with a wingspan that can stretch nearly as far as a football field, the Bone is one of the most imposing aircraft ever built.
The Bone’s lineage stretches back to the tense years of the Cold War. Originally conceived in the 1960s as a supersonic successor to the iconic B‑52, the bomber went through many variations on the drawing board before finally emerging as the B‑1B in the early 1980s. The aircraft entered service in 1986, and had a combination of speed, range and payload that was simply unmatched at the time.
What makes the B‑1B Lancer stand out among heavy bombers isn’t just its size but its adaptability. Powered by four General Electric turbofan engines, the Bone can fly at supersonic speeds while carrying up to 75,000, still more than any other bomber in the current U.S. fleet. Its variable‑sweep wings allow it to transition smoothly from slow take‑offs and landings to high‑speed cruise, adapting to mission conditions across the globe.
During the Cold War, it was built with a nuclear strike mission in mind. After strategic arms reduction treaties in the 1990s, its nuclear role was eliminated and the B‑1B was thankfully reinvented as a precision‑strike aircraft using non-nuclear munitions. It made its combat debut in the late 1990s and played significant roles in conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. It is set to fly until around 2040.
Joining the bombers will be two F-15C Eagle fighters, a pair of F/A-18E Super Hornets, and two F-35C Lightning II fighters, completing the stellar lineup that will only be rivalled by the players on the field for the game.
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Super Bowl LX will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with the game scheduled for Sunday, February 8, 2026. The NFL has set a 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff for the fixture, which translates to 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time locally at the stadium. Don’t bring your umbrella.
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