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Ten B-52 Stratofortresses are currently deployed across Europe and the Middle East, representing nearly 15 percent of the entire U.S. Air Force fleet and an even larger chunk of combat-ready B-52s available.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe announced Nov. 8 that four B-52s have deployed to RAF Fairford, U.K., for a Bomber Task Force. Air & Space Forces Magazine previously reported that B-52s were deploying to Europe, but the Air Force had not disclosed the total number or their operating location.
That deployment comes on top of six B-52s that landed in the Middle East a few weeks ago to deter Iran and its proxies in the region.
USAF regularly sends bombers around the globe for task force deployments, and it is not unprecedented for bomber deployments to overlap.
But the sheer number of B-52s currently deployed overseas marks a high since the Air Force implemented Bomber Task Forces several years ago.
The Air Force has 76 B-52s in its inventory, so 10 deployed equals 13.2 percent of the fleet.
But of those 76, there are several constantly being cycled through depot maintenance, and several more are dedicated to testing weapons and upgrades like the bombers’ new engines and radar. On top of that, the fleet had a mission capable rate of 54 percent in 2023, which measures the percentage of time an aircraft is able to perform at least one of its core missions.
Taken together, and the 10 B-52s currently deployed could represent upwards of a quarter of the combat-ready fleet.
The bombers that went to Europe kicked off their deployment by flying alongside Finnish F-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens—a noteworthy integration with NATO’s two new allies in the Arctic region.
“This Bomber Task Force mission exemplifies our unwavering commitment to our European Allies and partners. Together, we build stronger, more strategic relationships that reinforce security and stability across the region,” Gen. James Hecker, commander of USAFE, said in a statement.
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
Vital infrastructure at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, is suffering due to years of deferred maintenance and climate-related stressors, government auditors said in a new report—two prominent examples of larger issues affecting bases worldwide.
A small civilian plane carrying eight people and contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crashed Aug. 20 near a remote Alaskan radar site managed by the Air Force in support of NORAD, killing all aboard.
Some 50 miles from the border with North Korea, U.S. and South Korean forces recently executed their first counter-drone defense drills targeting medium-sized systems, which the North Korean military has has prioritized based on Russia and Iranian models.
A frayed wire likely triggered stray voltage to shut off a fuel valve, causing the catastrophic loss of an MQ-9 Reaper drone last August, according to a new Air Force investigation report.
The Air Force plans to put new F-15EX Eagle II fighters at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., to replace older F-15E Strike Eagles that will move to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Shield AI, a specialist vying to provide the autonomy software for the Air Force’s autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has won government backing for its X-BAT drone—but not from USAF.
A major U.S. Southern Command exercise this month brought representatives from 10 Latin American countries to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., for the air component of the event, with a focus on intelligence sharing for coordinating air operations.
The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit hosted a change of command ceremony recently, another sign of how the CCA concept is maturing and becoming entrenched in the Air Force’s structure, to the point where exercises have generated multiple sorties in a single day to simulate high-tempo combat operations.
Search and rescue Airmen from Nellis Air Base, Nev., flew more than 200 miles in two HH-60W Jolly Green IIs last week to rescue five of their Navy helicopter crew counterparts who were forced to land in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif.
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