US B-52 bombers have been war training target acquisition missions out of RAF Fairford on an integration exercise. Bosses at the Gloucestershire airport are working alongside NATO allies from Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Czech Republic.
The Stratofortress aircraft from the Fairford-based 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron took part in Close Air Support Training alongside U.S, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers near Poland. This integration focused on cutting-edge Beyond Line Of Sight target acquisitions practices, aimed at refining the process of obtaining a target while the target is outside the line of sight, or not clearly visible .
This type of training is said to significantly extends the strategic reach of the bombers. The Fairford B-52's also conducted operations in the Czech Republic centring on bomber intercept and escort procedures. Part of training involved 'quick change' crew turnarounds allowing bombers to take off in short time for tasking to fresh missions, reports Gloucestershire Live.
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“We’re shortening the kill chain, talking to our partners, and getting after what interoperability can do in this theater,” said Gen Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander. “When we begin exercising these concepts as soon as possible, we’re baking in capabilities with our Airmen, our allies, and our partners.”
Last month, Gloucestershire Live reported B-52's flying into Fairford as part of a pre-planned "task force mission". The bombers had taken off Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to be part of a "long-planned" joint mission series involving US European Command and US Strategic Command .
According to a statement at the time from the US Air Force, the bombers landed at RAF Fairford as part of a normal "rotation" of American aircraft across the world. The statement said that "bomber rotations reinforce the US commitment to NATO allies and coalition partners to maintain our collective safety and sovereignty".
