A US B-52 strategic nuclear bomber has landed in the UK, taking the total to three such arrivals since the start of the month, local aviation enthusiasts have reported. The US Air Force earlier announced an upcoming deployment of warplanes to Europe.
Having entered service back in 1952, the B-52 remains one of the pillars of Washington’s nuclear triad.
On Thursday, the RAF Fairford Movements website, which specializes in tracking incoming and outgoing aircraft at the RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, claimed that a B52H bomber codenamed ROPE32 had arrived at around 2:30pm local time.
According to plane spotters, two more warplanes of the same type, FLUX11 and FLUX12, had touched down at Fairford on Tuesday.
Local media has claimed that a fourth American strategic bomber is expected to arrive in Britain in the coming days. One of the aircraft believed to already be at the airbase reportedly took part in drills with the Finnish Air Force before landing in the UK.
US B-52s previously visited the UK back in June.
Last Friday, the United States Air Forces in Europe issued a statement saying that the “next Bomber Task Force-Europe deployment is scheduled to begin in the coming days with US strategic bombers transiting from the continental US to the US European Command area of responsibility.”
The “long-planned” exercise would see American aircraft “train and operate alongside NATO Allies and partners for several weeks demonstrating the US commitment to global security and stability,” the statement added.
Last October, the US, Japan, and South Korea held their first-ever joint aerial drills, which included at least one American B-52 nuclear-capable strategic bomber. The aerial maneuvers drew condemnation from North Korea, which views such exercises as preparation for potential aggression.