British jets and American bomber work together over North Sea
British Typhoon and F-35 jets have flown with an American B-1B bomber over the North Sea.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota have been flying from Luleå-Kallax Air Base, Sweden, to train alongside NATO allies.
The capability to generate sorties from locations like Luleå is a key focus area for U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The BTF 24-2 deployment, say the U.S., sought to exercise the ability to quickly integrate forces and equipment at Allied and partner locations.
All training objectives were met, according to officials.
The U.S. routinely demonstrates its commitment to NATO allies and partners through BTF missions. Through these missions, USAFE-AFAFRICA enables “dynamic force employment in the European theater, providing strategic predictability and assurance for Allies and partners while contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries”.
Regular and routine deployments of U.S. strategic bombers also provide critical touch points to train and operate alongside Allies and partners while bolstering a collective response to any global conflict.
BTF 24-2 marks the first multi-day deployment of U.S. Air Force bomber aircraft to Sweden.
