Two B-1B Lancer supersonic strategic bombers from the US Air Force's 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron landed yesterday (06) at RAF Fairford Air Force Base in England.
The aircraft and their crews – based at Dyess Air Force Base in the US – arrived along with more military personnel and materials to carry out the Bomber Task Force (BTF) mission, which had been planned for a long time. This is a series of missions regularly scheduled by the European Command (USEUCOM) and the United States Strategic Command.
Recently, three B-2A Spirit stealth bombers were sent to Keflavík Airport, in Iceland, where they also participated in BTF missions. Such missions have been carried out by EUCOM since 2018 and consist of rotations with the B-1B, B-2A and B-52H Stratofortress and allow US bomber crews to deploy to unknown air bases, integrating with a series of allies and coalition partners to increase readiness.
Check out in the video the arrival of the bombers at the Fairford base of the British Royal Air Force. According to the USAF, the aircraft were escorted by RAF fighters.
“BTF missions amplify our coalition reach and project our collective airpower across all theaters”, said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of US Air Forces Europe/Africa. “By training and integrating our allies and partners, we are expanding our ability to adapt to challenges and face adversaries in the global security environment.”
Strategic bomber missions in USAFE-AFAFRICA theaters of operations demonstrate the USAF's unique ability to quickly deploy and integrate with NATO allies and coalition partners, while providing necessary training for the combined force.
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