B-52s Kick Off Bomber Deployment to Spain

May 22, 2025 | By Chris Gordon

B-52H Stratofortress bombers have arrived in Spain to kick off a new European deployment as the Air Force looks to make its nuclear-armed fleets more flexible.

The Air Force said in a news release that the bombers would operate from “smaller, more flexible locations across Europe and Africa,” a concept the service has also rehearsed with fighter, cargo, and refueling aircraft.

Recent bomber task force missions to Europe have operated mainly out of RAF Fairford, U.K., with long-range flights and air refueling extending their missions.

Two B-52s arrived at Morón Air Base May 20, a defense official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The bombers are from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and deployed as the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron with tail numbers 60-0044 and 60-0004.

“Bomber Task Force Europe is a clear signal of peace through the strength of airpower,” Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds, deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, said in a statement. “This BTF deployment will ensure our forces remain resilient, dynamic, and capable of responding to evolving security challenges with speed and precision.”

U.S. defense officials did not preview the missions the bombers planned to conduct during the deployment. The Pentagon typically declines to comment on upcoming bomber operations.

The U.S. is not the only global power flexing its long-range strike capability. On May 20, the same day the B-52s arrived in Europe, two Russian TU-95 strategic bombers flew over the Barents Sea, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The bombers appear to have been carrying air-launched cruise missiles, which are visible in a video released by the Russian government.

The B-52s appear not to have conducted any missions out of Morón since arriving in Spain, according to flight tracking data, though they hooked up with KC-46A Pegasus refuelers from McConnell Air Base, Kan., on their way across the Atlantic.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Merkel and Lt. Col. Vincent Noel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron pilots, maneuver a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft to conduct air-to-air refueling with a KC-46 Pegasus aircraft assigned to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., during Bomber Task Force Europe over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 20, 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie

U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Merkel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron pilot, and Lt. Col. Vincent Noel, 23rd EBS commander, fly a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 20, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates Agile Combat Employment concepts that enables forces to adapt quickly to changing environments, enhancing survivability and operational effectiveness under contested conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Vincent Noel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, flies a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 19, 2025. BTF missions demonstrate the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Vincent Noel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, guides a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, during Bomber Task Force Europe over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 20, 2025. BTF deployments allow Airmen to conduct Agile Combat Employment tactics to ensure forces remain resilient, dynamic, and capable of responding to evolving security challenges with speed and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft pilot assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron adjusts the throttles of a B-52 during the current Bomber Task Force deployment over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 19, 2025. BTF missions align with U.S. Strategic Command regularly tests and evaluates the readiness of strategic assets to ensure our extended deterrence commitments are strong and credible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Merkel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron pilot, looks down at flight controls of a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during the current Bomber Task Force deployment over the North Atlantic Ocean, May 19, 2025. BTF operations are U.S. Strategic Command’s means of conducting Dynamic Force Employment in support of the Department of Defense’s National Defense Strategy at the direction of the President of the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Vincent Noel, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, adjusts communications equipment in a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during the current Bomber Task Force deployment at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, May 19, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

It is Minot’s second bomber task force deployment of the year to Europe, following another that ended in March. One of the bombers in the current rotation, 60-0044, also participated in the earlier visit, which was based at RAF Fairford and carried out missions across Europe and the Middle East.

Morón Air Base has been a strategic location for the Air Force since the 1950s, when it first served as a key Cold War bomber base and has routinely housed U.S. bombers since then. The U.S. no longer maintains a continuous bomber presence overseas but sends them abroad multiple times a year for training exercises with foreign allies and partners.

U.S. conflicts in the Middle East have also led to rare bomber combat deployments. Four B-52s are currently stationed on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, home to a joint U.S.-U.K. base. Those bombers arrived after six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers participated in the U.S. campaign against the Houthis in Yemen from late March to early May, when the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire with the group.

In November, six B-52s from Minot headed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, for a 45-day combat deployment, during which they bombed Islamic State group targets in Syria.

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron taxis after landing in support of Bomber Task Force Europe (BTF) at Morón Air Base, Spain, May 20, 2025. BTF missions demonstrate the U.S.’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle Wilson)

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron idles on the flightline after arriving in support of Bomber Task Force Europe (BTF) at Morón Air Base, Spain, May 20, 2025. BTF missions demonstrate the U.S.’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle Wilson)

A B-52 Stratofortress aircraft assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron sits on the flight line during Bomber Task Force Europe at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 22, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force maintenance personnel assigned to the 23rd Bomber Generation Squadron prepare to refuel a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 22, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Zachary Cecchini, 23rd Bomber Generation Squadron crew chief, places chalks on a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 22, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Air Force crew chiefs assigned to the 23rd Bomber Generation Squadron conduct maintenance on a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 22, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 5th Maintenance Group conduct post flight operations on a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during Bomber Task Force Europe at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 20, 2025. BTF deployments demonstrate the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron arrive with a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft after arriving at Moron Air Base, Spain, during Bomber Task Force Europe on May 20, 2025. This BTF deployment demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate from flexible, dispersed locations while maintaining strategic reach and precision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie)