B-52s fly to North Sea, Arctic for NATO exercise

[Hindustani78]

B-52s fly to North Sea, Arctic for NATO exercise
By Brian Everstine, Staff writer 12:03 p.m. EDT April 6, 2015

The Air Force sent two B-52s on round-trip missions to the Arctic and North Sea last week as part of NATO training missions.

The B-52s — one assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and the other assigned to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota — flew round-trip from their home bases to the Arctic and North Sea regions respectively April 2, according to the Air Force.

The two bombers took part in exercise Polar Growl, which focused on the aircraft's ability to work with partner nations and navigate in the frozen region.

"These flights, demonstrating the credible and flexible ability of our strategic bomber force in internationally-recognized flight information regions, are the culmination of months of planning and coordination," Adm. Cecil Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander, said in an Air Force news release. "They are one of many ways we demonstrate interoperability, compliance with national and international protocols and due regard for the safety of all aircraft sharing the air space."

The Minot crew flying in the North Sea worked with the Royal Canadian Air Force, the U.K. Royal Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force on air intercept maneuvers with partner fighter jets.

The Arctic crew from Barksdale flew with Canadian fighters and around the North Pole, according to the Air Force.

"This type of training ensures we are ready to respond to any and all unforeseeable mission directives across the globe," Maj. Nathan Barnhart, instructor radar navigator with Barksdale's 343rd Bomb Squadron, said in the release.

The bomber training exercise follows a two-week October training mission in the Mediterranean where B-52s flew with NATO crews, and a June deployment of B-52s and B-2s to RAF Fairford, England, to work with U.K. aircraft.

 

[Penguin]

So long as they had their transponders on and didn't intefere with commercial traffic....

 

[Hindustani78]

So long as they had their transponders on and didn't intefere with commercial traffic....

NATO exercises are going on because of CSTO exercises in Arctics.

Russian Federation military is expanding itself in the Arctics.

 

[Hindustani78]

• David Cenciotti, The Aviationist

• 40 minutes ago
  
  
  
  
  On April 2 two US B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, one assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and the other assigned to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, conducted round-trip missions from their home bases to the Arctic and North Sea regions respectively.
  
  The two bombers were taking part in “Polar Growl,” an exercise aimed at testing the ability of the aircraft and their aircrews to operate with international partners in the northern part of the globe.
  
  One of the aircraft, belonging to the 2nd Bomb Wing from Barksdale, flew over the North Sea and was intercepted multiple times by the Royal Canadian Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
  
  
  
  
  
  

The other “Buff” on the Arctic leg, belonging to the 5th Bomb Wing from Minot, flew with Canadian CF-188 fighters around the North Pole.

The Dutch F-16s of the RNAF took some stunning photographs of the (quite rusty!) B-52 they intercepted over the North Sea.

The US regularly conducts similar combined training and theater security engagements with allies and partners. In October 2014, B-52s were involved in NATO Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION while in June of the same year Air Force Global Strike Command B-52s and B-2s deployed to RAF Fairford, UK, to train alongside regional partners.

The last time US bombers were launched on Arctic missions, the Russians reacted with a spike in air incursions in the Baltic Sea and around the Scandinavian peninsula.