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US B-52 bombers in ‘historic’ NATO flight near Russia

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Two U.S. strategic long-range bombers made history on Sunday by flying over one of NATO’s newest members, Finland, for the first time and then landing in Romania, bolstering the transatlantic alliance’s eastern flank against the threat from Russia.

The B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from their home base in Barksdale, Louisiana, for Bomber Task Force 24-4, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa said in a statement on Sunday.

The aircraft is one of three operational bombers and one of two nuclear bombers in service with the U.S. Air Force. It has an unrefueled range of 8,800 miles and can deliver 70,000 pounds of nuclear or conventional ordnance, including bombs and missiles.

In focus

Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers fly in formation with fighter jets from Romania and Finland as they arrive at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania on July 21 to support the deployment of Bomber Task Force 24-4.

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The first model of the bomber, the B-52A, first flew in 1954 and the last model, a B-52H, was delivered in 1962. It saw combat in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. In recent years it has been regularly deployed for Bomber Task Force missions in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

According to an analysis by open-source intelligence agencies, Amelia Smith estimated that the bombers took a northern route to Europe, flying over Canada and Greenland before reaching the Barents Sea.

The bombers were intercepted over the Barents Sea by two Russian fighter jets and “sent away,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Barents Sea, which Russia considers its backyard, serves as the main waterway for ships of the Russian Northern Fleet to sail into the North Atlantic from their main base in Severomorsk.

The U.S. Air Force confirmed the interception but stressed that the bombers were flying in international airspace and “did not alter course due to the interception and continued on their planned flight path without incident.”

Meanwhile, the Finnish military said the B-52H entered the Scandinavian country’s airspace as part of training activities. They were supported by the U.S. Air Force’s aerial refueling aircraft – two KC-135 Stratotankers and one KC-46 Pegasus.

Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets flew the American bombers into the Gulf of Finland, the easternmost extension of the Baltic Sea.

Before arriving at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, a country bordered by Ukraine to the north and the Black Sea to the southeast, the B-52H flew a mission with German Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.

NATO has set up its Air Policing mission to protect Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack the necessary air capabilities. NATO fighter jets in the region often intercept Russian military aircraft flying close to the alliance’s airspace.

In focus

In this photo taken by the Finnish Defence Forces, two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers (below) fly over Finnish airspace on July 21. The bombers are supported by two KC-135 Stratotanker and one KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft.

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“NATO’s Eastern Flank stands strong on this historic day,” the U.S. Air Force wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter). It said the bombers will integrate with NATO allies and international partners and ensure U.S. security obligations in Europe during the deployment to Romania.

It was not immediately clear when the bombers would return to their home bases. The last deployment, Bomber Task Force 24-3, began on 20 May and ended on 20 June, with four of the same type of bombers based at Royal Air Force Fairford in the United Kingdom.

In addition to the B-52H, the strategic and stealthy B-2 Spirit and the non-nuclear B-1B Lancer have been deployed in previous European bomber task force missions. Forward bomber bases in the region also include Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

“This iteration of Bomber Task Force provides an excellent opportunity to refine our agile combat employment tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Gen. James Hecker, commander of all U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa.

According to the Air Force, the Bomber Task Force missions provide strategic predictability and certainty for allies and partners, while also contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries.

A U.S. Air Force factsheet shows that 76 B-52Hs were in service in 2019. However, only 46 of them are nuclear-capable, with the rest having been converted to conventional bombers under the U.S.-Russia New START treaty.

The bombers that flew over Finland were not capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, wrote Sunday.

Under the bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, there is a fin on each side of the fuselage, indicating that the B-52H is nuclear-capable, he explained. “Denuclearized” aircraft have the fins removed.

The B-52Hs are being upgraded to B-52Js with new engines, radar and avionics. The Air Force wants to keep them operational until 2060. By then, the bombers would be a century old.