Sweden’s partnership has been crucial to the success of the U.S. Bomber Task Force operations. The B-52 and other U.S. bombers are becoming a familiar sight over Swedish skies.
Just days after a pair of United States Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers took part in a patrol mission over the Mediterranean, escorted by Israeli Air Force F-35 Adir stealth fighters, two B-52s were operating over the skies of Scandinavia on Tuesday.
The two Stratofortesses, which were deployed to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in the UK last month as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Bomber Task Force (BTF) Europe 25-2 mission, conducted “a low-pass flyover in Sweden [to observe] the first anniversary of the nation’s accession to NATO,” U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AF) announced.
“Sweden’s partnership has been crucial to the success of our Bomber Task Force operations,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Kendall “Spartan” Smith, USAFE-AF chief. “Access to their airspace, logistical support and seamless integration with U.S. bomber aircraft have made joint missions more efficient and effective.”
This recent bomber sortie, “coordinated with Swedish defense officials,” highlighted the significance of BTF missions, which allow U.S. aircraft to “integrate and train with regional partners.”
“Through detailed planning and deliberate coordination, we’ve built a stronger coalition with our Arctic Allies to hone our collective ability to deploy large, combat-credible forces and strengthened NATO’s deterrence capabilities in the High North,” Smith added.
Four B-52H bombers from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS), Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota, arrived at RAF Fairford last month. 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 the BTF mission could likely be concluded in the next couple of weeks.
A Familiar Sight in Swedish Skies: the B-52
The U.S. Air Force BTF missions are still meant to be fair from routine and have no planned schedule announced in advance, yet the increased number is making the B-52 and other U.S. bombers a familiar sight. The service has carried out the deployments since 2018, as part of its efforts to provide “theater familiarization for aircrew and aircraft integration opportunities with Allies and partners across the globe.”
As previously reported, last year was a significant one for the operations. During the calendar year, the United States 8th Air Force successfully integrated with 23 percent of the world’s military in BTF missions.
In February 2024, just as Sweden was set to join the international alliance officially, an undisclosed number of Rockwell B-1B Lancer bombers, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, arrived at Luleå-Kallax Air Base, Sweden, to train alongside Swedish Air Force aircraft as part of BTF 24-2.
Weeks later a B-1B Lancer joined by a B-52 flew in unison with Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters. The B-52 conducted a planned CONUS-to-CONUS mission, meaning that the aircraft took off from the United States and were meant to return without landing.
Last summer, during the BTF 24-4 mission, U.S. Air Force B-52s flew over NATO member Finland for the first time, before crossing over the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and then onto Poland.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and 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].
Image: Shutterstock/Andrew Harker.
