The US Air Force (USAF) has deployed two B-2 Spirit stealth bomber aircraft to the US European Command (USEUCOM) area of operations for military exercises.
The bombers, which arrived at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, are expected to conduct training flights in the USEUCOM area of operations, enabling aircrews to sharpen their skills in several key operational sets and familiarise themselves with airbases and operations in the region.
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Assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, US, the forward-deployed B-2s will primarily train and integrate with both US and allied military forces in the region during the short-term deployment.
US Strategic Command commander admiral Cecil Haney said the deployment offers an opportunity to strengthen and enhance interoperability with allies and partners.
"The training and integration of strategic forces demonstrates to our nation’s leaders and our allies that we have the right mix of aircraft and expertise to respond to a variety of potential threats and situations," Haney said.
Commenting on the deployment, Pentagon spokesman US Army colonel Steve Warren said: "It certainly is yet another demonstration of America’s ironclad commitment to the Nato alliance."
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By GlobalDataThe bombers join the three USAF B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers that arrived at the airbase last week for similar missions.
Manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the B-2 Spirit is a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber designed to penetrate complex air-defence shields, attack heavily defended targets and deploy conventional and nuclear weapons on the battlefield.
The multi-role bomber was used extensively by USAF during the Kosovo War in 1999, and the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Image: A USAF B-2 Spirit bomber taxis down the runway at RAF Fairford, England. Photo: courtesy of USAF Staff Sgt. Nick Wilson/Released.
