Report: American B-52 bombers circle Russian enclave Kaliningrad
American B-52 bombers departed the UK and flew a loop around the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad as a deterrent to Russia.
Long-range deterrence missions by American bombers have become routine in Europe as a way to flex Alliance defensive capabilities muscles against Russia. That the aircraft was tracked online during its sortie proves they wanted to be seen.
Here’s the track.
Earlier this month, four U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers arrived at Royal Air Force Fairford, United Kingdom to commence Bomber Task Force (BTF) Europe 24-3. BTF missions, say the U.S. Air Force, enable U.S. joint forces to train with Allies and partners to improve shared understanding, trust, and interoperability.
The deployment to Europe aims to build on the Trans-Atlantic bond between the U.S. and European Allies. Demonstrating their commitment to the Alliance, the bombers provide strategic predictability and assurance for Allies and partners while contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries.
“Landing at Royal Air Force Base Fairford, United Kingdom, May 20, 2024, a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress demonstrates the ability to forward posture strategic bombers within the European theatre, enabling critical touchpoints with NATO Allies,” the release noted.
The regular and routine deployments of U.S. strategic bombers provide critical touch points to train and operate alongside Allies while bolstering a collective response to any global threat.
According to the release, BTF 24-3 will demonstrate agility in a dynamic security environment and global strike capabilities in support of assurance and deterrence objectives, also in a NATO context, focusing on the Baltic region.
