B-52s Arrive in Europe for Bomber Task Force as Hegseth Visits NATO

B-52 Stratofortress bombers have landed in England to kick off the U.S. Air Force’s first European bomber deployment of the year, service officials said Feb. 12.

Four B-52s, flying as the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., are operating out of RAF Fairford, U.K., a traditional hub for the Air Force’s European bomber operations, where they are under the command of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFA), officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Some of the B-52s have already flown alongside French Dassault Rafales, Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripens, and Finnish F/A-18 Hornets, USAFE said. A photo from the cockpit of a B-52 taken Feb. 11 and released by the Air Force shows allied fighters flying off the wing of the BUFF, with a second B-52 visible in the background. Another photo released by the Finnish Air Force shows two B-52s flying with the fighters.

“While transiting into Europe, the U.S. aircraft conducted a routine mission,” said Col. David Herndon, USAFE’s senior spokesman. “Training with NATO Allies strengthens our ability to operate as one team. These missions reinforce our partnerships and prepare us to deliver decisive capabilities whenever and wherever they’re needed.”

Bomber task force operations typically include multiple training events with foreign nations. NATO released a promotional video for the current rotation with the blurred flags of more than half a dozen countries. The bombers will participate in “a series of exercises and training flights alongside allied air forces,” Herndon said.

The mission comes as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is in Europe, where he visited U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Germany before heading to NATO headquarters in Belgium, where he exhorted the alliance’s defense ministers to do more for their own defense on Feb. 12.

“Stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe,” said Hegseth, who added that the Pentagon will be “prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific.” Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has also focused on helping to prevent illegal migration across the U.S. southern border and on transporting detained migrants.

President Donald Trump and Hegseth have called on NATO nations to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense, an increase from a previous alliance goal that nations should spend 2 percent of GDP on their military. The U.S. spends roughly 3 percent of its GDP on defense.

Still, bomber task forces are likely to remain an important element of the U.S. military’s force posture in Europe. BTF missions are in high demand by combatant commanders, and planning them is a balancing act for Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command. BTFs in Europe are often particularly busy as U.S. and allied officials say countries are eager to fly and conduct missions with American B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s, as no allied European nation has its own bomber fleet.

On 11 February, the Finnish Air Force trained together with 🇺🇸 B-52 bomber aircraft, 🇸🇪 Gripens and 🇫🇷 Rafale fighters in Swedish airspace. The training was supported by a 🇫🇷 MRTT aircraft. Training together demonstrates high level of interoperability among allies. #ilmavoimat pic.twitter.com/AHWlmXExKm— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) February 12, 2025

The U.S. conducts several bomber task forces missions a year. And while the Air Force ended its continuous bomber presence in Guam in 2020, it still carries out shorter-term deployments. Six of Minot’s B-52s temporarily deployed to the Middle East last year amid regional tensions and participated in combat missions, including bombing Islamic State targets in Syria.

“Bomber Task Force missions reinforce our ability to rapidly project combat power, demonstrating U.S. lethality and readiness in a dynamic security environment,” Maj. Gen. Joseph Campo, U.S. Air Forces in Europe–Air Forces Africa’s director of operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration, said in a statement. “Training alongside our allies and partners ensures seamless integration, enhancing our collective deterrence and warfighting capability across Europe and Africa.”