The Spanish Air Force escorts B-52 bombers upon their arrival in Morón

The United States Air Force (USAF) yesterday began a new deployment of its B-52 strategic bombers to Europe.

The nuclear-capable B-52 bombers deployed by the USAF to Morón, Spain
Fighters from Spain and other allied countries escort B-52 bombers over Europe

The USAF European Command (USAFE) announced yesterday the arrival of these bombers at Morón Air Base, in the province of Seville, Spain, coming from Barksdale AFB, in Louisiana, as part of Bomber Task Force 26-1 (BTF 26-1). Its purpose is "to conduct multilateral training operations alongside Finland, Lithuania, and Sweden, as well as other Allies and partners," according to USAFE, at a time of tension between the United States and Russia over the possible deployment of US cruise missiles to Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion.

This Saturday, the US Armed Forces' multimedia portal DVIDShub.net published a series of photos showing the arrival of these nuclear-capable bombers in Spain. The USAFE has not indicated how many bombers are part of this deployment, but from Ireland, @EISNspotter reported yesterday that three B-52Hs made this transatlantic crossing to Spain. According to this source, during their flight over the Lisbon Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers a wide area including waters north of the Canary Islands, the B-52Hs were escorted by Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighters.

At the same time that it published the series of photos of these aircraft arriving in Spain, DVIDShub.net published another series of photos of the B-52s taken in the moments before their takeoff from Barksdale AFB, in the middle of the night. The aircraft identifiable in the photos published by the USAF on the occasion of this deployment are the B-52H 60-0059 and 60-0062, both from 1960 and bearing the insignia of the 2nd Bomb Wing (2BW), which operates from the aforementioned base in Louisiana. Bombers from that unit already visited Spain in 2021, one of them starring in a spectacular formation with five EF-18M fighters and an EF-18BM from the 12th Wing of the Air Force.

This time, DVIDShub.net has released a single photo of a Spanish fighter jet escorting these bombers. Interestingly, it is a Eurofighter Typhoon from 14th Wing, based in Albacete (the C.16-72, 14-72), instead of one of the Eurofighters from Wing 11, which is based in Morón. In the image we can see the Spanish fighter flying alongside the left wing of a B-52H. The C.16-72 likely performed this escort accompanied by another aircraft, as is customary, but DVIDShub.net does not mention this in the description of this image.

"The deployment enables U.S. Air Force bomber aircrews to refine tactics, increase flexibility and strengthen coordination with Allies, increasing warfighting capabilities and readiness through exercising and operating side-by-side.", USAFE pointed out, adding that in this way "the U.S. Air Force is better postured to respond rapidly to emerging threats and maintain a credible deterrent along Europe’s Eastern Flank and the High North." A message clearly directed at Moscow.

USAFE added that during their deployment, "the bomber aircrews will conduct a series of training missions simulating operations in complex, high-threat airspace. Aircrews will train on key elements of the find, fix, track and target process – honing the speed and accuracy with which bombers and fighters are able to act against threats in real time scenarios. As aircrews practice these skills, they simultaneously train against simulated ground and air-based threats designed to deny their freedom of maneuver, requiring them to act decisively to counter threats and gain air superiority."

The USAF likely hasn't released images of the Portuguese escort because the flight over that part of the Atlantic must have been conducted at night. The photos of the B-52Hs arriving at Morón show these aircraft in the early morning light of Saturday, November 8th. The first two night photos you can see in this article were all taken at Barksdale AFB before takeoff. In this photo, we see B-52H 60-0059 taxiing at Morón Air Base after landing.

In this other photo we see one of the B-52Hs about to land at Morón, with the first light of dawn. You can see enlarged versions of all the photos in this article by clicking on each image.

One of the most beautiful images among the photos published by the USAF of this transatlantic crossing shows two of the B-52Hs with the Strait of Gibraltar in the background. On the left, we see the southern Iberian Peninsula, with the Spanish city of Tarifa at its tip (its beaches are clearly visible). On the right, we see North Africa, with the Spanish city of Ceuta in the background. The photo was most likely taken from the third B-52H.