Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Stunning photos show US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers training with British F-35 fighters for the first time
Stunning photos show US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers training with British F-35 fighters for the first time
Ellen Ioanes,Ellen IoanesAug 31, 2019, 00:38 IST
Two US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, currently deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, fly alongside two Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning aircraft from RAF Marham near the White Cliffs of Dover, England, August 29, 2019.US Air Force/UK Ministry of Defense
Advertisement
On August 29, US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers trained with British F-35B aircraft for the first time.
The B-2s are deployed to Royal Air Force base Fairford in Gloucestershire, as part of US Strategic Command's Bomber Task Force Europe, which sends US forces to Europe to train with NATO allies.
On August 29, two US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers trained with the Royal Air Force's F-35B jets, the first time a B-2 has flown with non-US F-35 aircraft, according to The Aviationist.
The B-2s are part of a team of three Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri that have been deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The three B-2 Spirit bombers bring with them airmen from the 509th Bomb Wing and the 131st Bomb Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard. The Spirits used the call signs Death 11, Death 12, and Death 13 when they left Whiteman, The Drive reports.
B-2s are generally kept at specific bases, including Fairfoird and Whiteman, partly because only a few bases have the necessary capacity to protect the bomber's radar-absorbing stealth covering. But the US military has increased its presence in Iceland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
Read on to learn more about Thursday's historic flight.
The B-2 celebrated 30 years of flight this year. Even after three decades, it's one of the world's most formidable combat aircraft — it's capable of dropping both conventional and nuclear weapons.
“We’re delighted that the USAF and 501st Wing Bomber Task Force are here in the UK and that our F-35 Lightning pilots have the chance to fly alongside and train with the B-2 bomber crews," Group Captain Richard Yates, chief of staff at the UK Air Battle Staff, said in a release. "This is the first time that any other country has done this."
The B-2s are deployed with US Strategic Command's Bomber Task Force Europe, which sends US forces to Europe to train with NATO allies.
“This flying integration builds on the work of Exercise Lightning Dawn in Cyprus and the visit of RAF F-35 Lightning to Italy in June, where in both cases it had the opportunity to prove itself among other NATO allies who also operate the aircraft,” Mark Lancaster, British armed forces minister, said.
