Gentle Reminder, with BUFFs

B-52 Stratofortress

B-52s Fly Across Middle East, Drop Live Munitions

Feb. 18, 2025 | By Chris Gordon

Two U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratrofortress bombers flew over the Middle East in a “force projection” demonstration Feb. 17, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
The two B-52s began their mission at RAF Fairford, U.K., before flying across Europe and through the airspace of nine partner nations, according to CENTCOM. The command did not specify which nations those were, a common practice given regional tensions and sensitivities.

The B-52 mission also included “live munitions drops at ranges in several partner nations,” the command said in a news release. The B-52s flew with American F-15E Strike Eagles, which are based in the Middle East, and “four partner nations provided fighter escorts for the bombers throughout the mission,” CENTCOM said. Again, those partner nations were not publicly identified.

“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, CENTCOM’s commander, said in a statement.

Air and Space Forces

The intended audience of this little display very recently had pretty much their entire air defense system destroyed by Israel. The unsaid threat- these are the ones we let you see. Sleep tight Mullahs.

Category: Air Force, Blue Skies, Middle East