Four American B-52 long-range bombers have arrived in Britain at the beginning of the weekend, as diplomatic tensions simmer between Russia and the West.
The iconic US military aircraft headed for RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, following the arrival of ground crew and logistics personnel two days earlier, it is understood.
The B-52, also known as the Stratofortress, is a long-range heavy bomber that has been in US military service since 1955. It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional weapons.
The jets, which took off from their home base US Air Force Minot in North Dakota at 2am before refuelling in Nova Scotia, are part of a long-planned Bomber Task Force mission.
The first bomber landed Friday.
A UK defence source said of the US deployment’s link to growing concerns about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine: “Is this aligned to current tensions? Yes and no.”
However, they stressed that US large strategic assets were frequently sent to RAF Fairford as part of a strengthened Nato presence agreed in the wake of Russia illegally annexing Crimea in 2014. The B-52s tend to stay around 10 days at a time before returning to the US, the source added.
A statement from the US Air Force, published by Gloucestershire Live, stated: “B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, support equipment, and personnel from the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, arrived at RAF Fariford, England, today to execute the long-planned Bomber Task Force mission, a regularly scheduled U.S. European Command and U.S. Strategic Command joint mission series.
“En route to RAF Fairford, US Bomber Aircraft integrated with British Typhoon aircraft and Portuguese F-16s currently assigned to NATO’s Icelandic Air Policing mission. Bomber aircraft also integrated with British Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) to conduct bilateral Close Air Support training. The mission focused on enhancing readiness and interoperability for the controllers responsible for coordinating airstrikes to support ground forces.
“Regularly integrating with our allies improves our cooperation and operational capacity, capability and interoperability. Occurring since 2018, bomber rotations through Europe maintain our readiness to execute a wide variety of missions across two continents, sustaining peace through deterrence.”
A file photo of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. EPA/EFE
