A B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrives at Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia in support of a Bomber Task Force mission, March 22, 2024. The U.S. routinely and visibly demonstrates commitment to our allies and partners through the global employment of our military forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Staci Kasischke)
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
U.S. Air Force bombers deployed across the globe this past weekend, as two B-52 Stratofortresses landed at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean on March 22 and two B-1 Lancers landed at Morón Air Base, Spain, on March 24.
The pair of Bomber Task Force deployments, more than 5,000 miles apart, give Air Force Global Strike Command a presence in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, with relatively easy access to the Middle East as well.
The B-52s flew into Diego Garcia from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., after a 30-hour direct flight. It is the first time the Air Force has announced a Bomber Task Force to Diego Garcia—a tiny island that is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory that services as a key base for the U.S. and U.K. militaries, which hosted American troops since the 1970s. B-1s landed there in 2021, and the last time a B-52 landed there was in 2020.
“This deployment aims to enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe, demonstrating the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment that is more diverse and uncertain than at any other time in recent history,” Pacific Air Forces stated in a release.
While the island is in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility, the Air Force has used the island in the past as a base to send bombers into the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
The B-1s that landed in Spain came from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. While deployed, they will “generate sorties out of Morón AB and operate alongside numerous Allies and partners to increase interoperability and assure security commitments across the United States European Command area of responsibility,” a release from U.S. Air Forces in Europe stated.
x2 USAF B-1B Lancers arriving in to Moron AFB, LEMO this very wet evening✈️📸
Reuters reported March 24 that the Russian defense ministry announced it scrambled a MiG-31 fighter to intercept two B-1 bombers headed toward the Russian border over the Barents Sea—the bombers reportedly turned around short of the border. Online flight trackers noted the bombers then flew on to Morón. USAFE did not immediately reply to a query from Air & Space Forces Magazine.
As with PACAF, USAFE just recently had bombers in the region when B-1s from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., deployed to Sweden for a Bomber Task Force in late February before leaving March 1.
The last Bomber Task Force deployment to Spain took place in March 2023.
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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