Multiple B-52H bombers took flight from the British Isles to the Middle East last week accompanied by Israeli aircraft. A move which will not go unnoticed by Iran’s top brass.
Four United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic bombers were deployed to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in the UK last month as part of the Bomber Task Force (BTF) Europe 25-2 mission, the second such deployment of 2025.
The aircraft from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota, flew southbound accompanied by Israeli aircraft.
One of the bombers took part in the third sortie to the Middle East from the UK base in Gloucestershire earlier this week. It was operating with RAF aircraft based in the Mediterranean before integrating with Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra’am and F-35I Adir fighters.
The length of the operation and the total miles flown are unknown, but it reportedly involved around a dozen fighters as well as refueling aircraft.
“The exercise aimed to strengthen and maintain the long-standing cooperation between the forces while expanding connectivity and building integrated capabilities for a range of scenarios,” the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said in a statement to The Times of Israel.
Video and images of the U.S. bomber being escorted by the IDF fighters have been shared on X.
The B-52H Bombers Have Been Busy
The B-52H flight over the Mediterranean Sea and to the edge of Israel with IDF fighters comes just weeks after two Stratofortress bombers operating from RAF Fairford were escorted by a pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and two Iraqi Air Force F-16IQ Vipers in a BTF mission over Iraq.
One of the deployed Boeings also took part in the Onyx Cross BTF training flight with Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, Croatian Air Force Dassault Rafales, and Bulgarian MiG-29s earlier this year.
According to United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), that mission was carried out to refine combat tactics among the U.S. allies. During the operation, the bombers executed a simulated bomb drop on pre-planned targets in the Balkan region, with the allied aircraft providing close-air support.
Another simulated weapons drop from one of the B-52s was carried out with Turkey late last week as part of the BTF mission SPARTAN Sword, where the bomber was escorted by Turkish F-16s.
The U.S. Air Force hasn’t announced how long the four B-52s, ground crews, and other personnel from the 69th EBS will remain in the UK, but it is likely the BTF mission could be concluded in the next couple of weeks. It won’t be the last time the residents of Gloucestershire may see or hear the B-52.
The U.S. Air Force will certainly continue to rotate the bombers and other aircraft to RAF Fairford, at least as long as the U.S. remains a member of NATO.
This also marked the second BTF mission to the UK base, after four other B-52s were deployed last fall as part of BTF Europe 25-1 before returning to the United States about a week before Christmas. While operating from the UK, those aircraft took part in training missions over Scandinavia, central and southern Europe, and North Africa.
The Air Force operates a fleet of seventy-six B-52s aircraft, including reserves. The Cold War-era bombers have been steadily upgraded over the past seven decades, and current plans call for the Stratofortresses to receive new engines and other modifications that could keep them in service through 2050 or later.
About The Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He hascontributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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