An American supersonic bomber has crashed

A US B-1B Lancer long-range bomber has crashed near Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, military authorities said. They noted that the crash occurred while the plane was completing a training mission.

Ellsworth Air Force Base said in a statement late Thursday that the bomber crashed while attempting to land at the facility around 6 p.m. local time.

"He was training at the time of the accident. There were four crew members on board the ship. "All four have been released safely," the report said, adding that an investigation had begun.

Unconfirmed images circulating on social media showed a fire breaking out outside the military base, but officials gave few details about the crash's aftermath. One of the three most important strategic bombers in the US arsenal, the B-1B Lancer was once one of Washington's most important nuclear fighter aircraft, capable of carrying the largest weapons load and reaching the highest speeds.

However, the B-1B later lost its nuclear status under the Cold War START treaty with the Soviet Union, and the aircraft underwent physical modifications in 2011. “The aircraft’s external attachment points, or hard points, have been modified to prevent the core pylon from attaching to the aircraft,” said Master Sgt. Brian Hudson, B-1 avionics manager for Air Force Global Strike Command, explained in an interview with Military.com.

However, despite the loss of its nuclear mission, the Lancer remains the primary heavy bomber, along with the B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit, both of which entered service in 1986.

The aircraft are based at Ellsworth AFB and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, and several have been deployed on "deterrent missions" to Guam in recent years.

According to the Moscow Defense Ministry, the two Lancers were intercepted in late 2023 when a Russian Su-27 fighter jet approached Russian airspace over the Baltic Sea. After seeing the two American planes, they changed course and crossed the border without incident.