U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, currently based out of Keflavik Air Base, Iceland completed a Bomber Task Force mission with Norway over the North Sea on Sept. 8, 2021. The strong and strategic relationships between U.S. allied and partner countries ensures a collective defense posture that is ready and prepared to respond and support global operations. Bomber Task Force missions like this one highlight strategic bomber readiness and U.S. capabilities and to work closely with allies to deter any potential adversary.
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses. Designed during the Cold War, it is a flying wing design with a crew of two. The bomber is subsonic and can deploy both conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as up to eighty 500-pound class (230 kg) Mk 82 JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400-pound (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
The bomber aircraft integrated with F-35 fighter aircraft in an advanced mission designed to test escort procedures, stand-off weapon employment and the suppression and destruction of air defenses. The participating countries were able to align tactics, techniques and procedures and employ 5th generation aircraft data sharing capabilities. Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. commitment to the collective defense of NATO and contribute to stability in the European theater.
Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. commitment to the collective defense of NATO and contribute to stability in the European theater. These missions display the credibility and readiness of our forces to successfully operate in a global security environment that is more challenging and uncertain than at any other time in U.S. Air Force history. The U.S. Air Force regularly deploys bomber aircraft to the European theater of operations. Training with joint partners, allied nations and other U.S. Air Force units contributes to our ready and postured forces and enables us to build enduring and strategic relationships necessary to confront a broad range of global challenges.
