U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Matthew Schreurs, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent, marshals a B-1B Lancer assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, to the landing pad during Bomber Task Force 24-2 at Luleå-Kallax Air Base, Sweden, Feb. 23, 2024. Operations and engagements with Allies and partners demonstrate and strengthen shared commitment to global security and stability. BTF operations provide U.S. leaders with strategic options to assure Allies and partners, while deterring potential adversary aggression across the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
A pair of B-1 Lancers flew from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to Luleå-Kallax Air Base, Sweden, to start a Bomber Task Force deployment on Feb. 23, marking the latest stop in the Air Force’s effort to showcase the reach of U.S. airpower and strengthen ties with allies and partners.
The missions provide “strategic predictability and assurance for Allies and partners while contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries,” U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa wrote in a press release.
“During the deployment, the bomber crews and support personnel will integrate with the Swedish Armed Forces, NATO Allies and other international partners to synchronize capabilities and assure security commitments across the U.S. European Command area of responsibility,” the release added.
Ellsworth’s B-1s have had a busy month. On Jan. 25, several bombers relocated to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, to continue training and operations while the wreck of a B-1 that crashed was investigated. Then on Feb. 2, some of those B-1s dropped more than 125 precision-guided munitions on Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq and Syria in a nonstop trip from Texas to the Middle East and back. The strikes were in response to the Jan. 28 drone attack on Tower 22, a U.S. outpost in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria. Three U.S. Army reservists were killed and at least 47 other troops injured.
This latest movement to Sweden marks the second time ever U.S. bombers have landed in that country—the first occasion took place in June 2023, when B-1s from Dyess also landed at Luleå-Kallax Air Base.
In January, Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, deployed to Singapore for joint exercises with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Last year, B-1s, B-52s, or B-2 bombers made appearances in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Iceland, and other locations around the world.
“It seems as though everyone likes to have a bomber in their region,” U.S. Strategic Command boss Gen. Anthony J. Cotton told reporters in August. “It shows our resolve in showing that extended deterrence is alive and well when it comes to the United States.”
The B-1 in particular has a history of speedy globe-trotting. In 1995, two Lancers from Dyess set a world speed record for circumnavigating the globe without stopping in 36 hours and 13 minutes. Along the way, the jets aerial refueled six times and dropped bombs on training ranges in three continents: Europe, Asia, and North America. Then-Lt. Col. Douglas Raaberg—now a retired major general and the executive vice president of the Air & Space Forces Association—commanded the four B-1s involved, and piloted one of the two aircraft that pulled off the exercise, which was called ‘Coronet Bat.’
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for 22 F-15EX Eagle II fighters on Sept. 29, narrowly meeting a deadline to use funds from last summer’s reconciliation bill or face cuts.
The Navy has awarded Boeing a contract worth more than $20 billion to build its new carrier-based sixth-generation fighter, the F/A-XX. Boeing is also building the Air Force’s sixth-gen F-47.
The Pentagon on Sept. 28 announced a contract potentially worth $20.7 billion for RTX to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles used by Navy and Air Force aircraft and for ground-based interceptors.
For the past four years, the idea of autonomous drone warfare like Collaborative Combat Aircraft has been discussed as a future concept, rather than near-term reality. But now that promised vision appears imminent, with the Air Force promising at least 1,000 such drones by 2032.
The Air Force’s emerging Collaborative Combat Aircraft program would suffer delays if Congress fails to pass a budget before the end of this calendar year, a top service official said Sept. 28.
Six U.S. Air Force F-35A fighters and 200-plus Airmen deployed to India on Sept. 26 for their first appearance in a large-scale exercise on Indian soil.
A recent $21 million contract award to three software companies could give the Air Force’s airlift and tanker units real-time software updates in degraded environments, including aircraft fuel, logistics, and other mobility fleet data.
U.S. Northern Command plans to sign an agreement with its European and Pacific counterparts to enhance coordination and close security seams in the Arctic, a strategically vital region that spans all three commands. The agreement comes at an important moment in NORTHCOM's evolution, as its mission grows more complex.
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