Thanks guys, I was thinking of the 20,000lb tank and didn’t realize there was a shortened option for ALCM carriage. Actually I didn’t realize B-1s had a configuration for internal ALCMs. The B-1 uses a separate shorter rotary launcher than the common strategic used for AGM-86 (and other stores), correct?
I showed up long after START, so I never saw the ALCM rotary for the Bone. The CSRL’s now in use were the nuclear ones modified for conventional weapons.
It’s also pretty questionable how well the aircraft would fly with 20 ALCM’s on board, lots of weight and lots of drag. The plane doesn’t have enough wing and thrust to fly heavy in the 20’s when it’s heavy. That said, the thought was when the B-2’s took over the penetration role that the Bones would become ALCM shooters. With the end of the Cold War and SAC The capability was never pursued, the boxes never purchased and in the early 2000’s the space was used for data link boxes.
Also at this point there isn’t any limitation to what the B-1 can carry so long as it isn’t nuclearized? Were not the hard point and bulkhead limitations part of old START, with New START just limiting the total number of launch platforms?
The only limitation to what it can carry is what’s certified, there are some weapons that won’t come out of some bays nicely. Some were dropped but never certified. The OAS also would need the right software for some other weapons, so there’s stuff that isn’t/won’t be integrated given the limited life left on the airframes.
I was a START escort and did escort the Russians for one of their visits (they seemed to like the Taste of Abilene weekend). The external hard points had to be disabled by a ”process equivalent to welding”. When we integrated Sniper we had to get the Russians to agree that it wasn’t a treaty violation to use the pylon. To be honest I was long gone from bombers when new START arrived, so what you’ve read is as good as my knowledge Of the topic.