Two American nuclear-capable B-52 bombers flew over the Baltics and the Russian semi-enclave of Kalinigrad, sending a strong message to the Kremlin.
The two B-52s were deployed to the Royal Air Force Fairford in the UK as part of a four-aircraft Bomber Task Force (BTF) on May 28, according to US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).
The aircraft took off around 8:30am from the Air Force Global Strike Command’s 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Flight tracking data shows the bombers departing the UK and then flying over the Baltics, including EU and NATO member states Poland and Lithuania.
The data then shows the B-52s flying a loop for about a dozen kilometers around Kalininigrad, located between Poland and Lithuania, before returning to the RAF Fairford base.
The B-52s also flew through the airspace of the Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.
The bomber task force mission is understood to demonstrate NATO allies and partner nations’ ability to “seamlessly operate together to maintain a stable and prosperous Baltic Sea region,” a USAFE spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
“This sends a strong message to potential adversaries, deters aggression, enhances stability, and assures Euro‐Atlantic publics.”
Kaliningrad, formerly known as Koenigsberg prior to 1946, was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union after World War Two.
The city – home to the headquarters of the Russian Navy’s Baltic fleet – stores nuclear-capable Iskander missiles transported by the Kremlin in recent years, according to Russian state-run media.
This was not the first time B-52 Stratofortress bombers conducted exercises over the Baltic Sea, as four bombers arrived at the Royal Air Force earlier this month to begin “Bomber Task Force Europe 24-3.”
The Bomber Task Force deployments serve as opportunities for the US to train and collaborate with its European allies, while also improving “shared understanding, trust, and interoperability,” the US Air Force said in a press release on May 20.
“Landing at Royal Air Force Base Fairford, United Kingdom, May 20, 2024, a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress demonstrates the ability to forward posture strategic bombers within the European theatre, enabling critical touchpoints with NATO Allies.”
The deployments of US-made B-52 bombers to Europe aims to integrate with its NATO allies, as well as “bolstering a collective response to any global threat.”
This comes several months Vladimir Putin flew over the Baltic Sea and made a surprise visit to Kaliningrad.
