US bomber aircraft catches fire after landing at airbase in Qatar

April 4, 2008 A United States Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft caught fire after landing at an air base west of Doha, Qatar. The incident happened at Al Udeid Air Base at 1820 UTC on Friday.

According to the Air Force, the fire has been contained and the flight crew safely evacuated from the aircraft.

The B-1 Lancer can carry a variety of satellite and laser-guided bombs and is able to remain over targets for long periods of time to assist in close-air support for troops on the ground. It has been widely deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In March, a B-1 slid off a runway at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam.