B-1B Bomber

THERE can be few modern warplanes that have experienced quite such a protracted development period as the Rockwell B-l strategic bomber nor have there been many which have suffered the indignity of cancellation, only to reappear in a slightly different guise. Now in the process of joining the Strategic Air Command (SAC) inventory as the B-1B, it has yet to acquire a name but in view of its past history there would appear to be only one suitable candidate, namely "Phoenix", this being particularly apposite in that it relates to a mythical flying creature which consumes itself by fire every 500 years or so, only to reappear from its own ashes.