U.S. Air Force B-52H Bomber Task Force Operations: Enhancing NATO Interoperability and Strategic Readiness
These missions aim to refine operational tactics, improve collective capabilities, and demonstrate the ability to deploy strategic assets across multiple regions.
EUROPE - On March 11, 2025, two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft, assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and deployed at RAF Fairford, England, conducted the first live weapons drop in Sweden since the country’s accession to NATO on March 7, 2024.
This operation, part of the Bomber Task Force (BTF) Mission VIKING NEBULA, involved the release of GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions at the Vidsel Test Range in northern Sweden, with the aircraft escorted by two Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen fighters.
Ground support was provided by U.S. and Swedish Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs), facilitating coordination between air and ground units. The mission also featured a low-altitude flyover of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm to mark the one-year anniversary of Sweden’s NATO membership.
This event, reported by U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), underscores ongoing efforts to enhance interoperability and readiness among NATO allies in the European theater.
The VIKING NEBULA mission is one of several BTF 25-2 operations conducted in early 2025, reflecting a broader U.S. military strategy to integrate with NATO partners.
These missions aim to refine operational tactics, improve collective capabilities, and demonstrate the ability to deploy strategic assets across multiple regions.
The B-52s, operating out of RAF Fairford, have been engaged in exercises alongside allies across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with VIKING NEBULA marking the eleventh operation in this deployment cycle.
Mission Overview, Full Report:
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