Two US B-52H Stratofortress bombers assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Royal Air Force Fairford have completed a combined Bomber Task Force mission in Turkey.
Called Spartan Sword, the Thursday mission involved Turkish F-16s escorting the bombers before they conducted inert weapons drops with Turkish Joint Terminal Attack Controllers 150 miles northwest of Incirlik Air Base. According to U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Bomber Task Force missions are critical to strengthening NATO’s capabilities and demonstrating shared commitment to global security.
“Every ally and partner had a crucial part in the success of this mission and serves as a model for future operations,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Cangealose, commander of the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. “The allied Joint Terminal Attack Controllers seamlessly integrated with the bombers to hone our collective lethality and ensure stability.”
This recent exercise in Turkey follows previous B-52 deployments aimed at demonstrating NATO interoperability and readiness. In November, two B-52Hs conducted a simulated weapons drop in Finland alongside Finnish and Swedish aircraft as part of Bomber Task Force 25-1.
In the same month, a B-52 from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron participated in a rare live-fire exercise in Lithuania during NATO’s Vanguard Merlin exercise, dropping munitions on the Cudgel Range. This exercise, involving Lithuanian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian and Italian forces, focused on familiarizing aircrews with operations in the region and enhancing cooperation with coalition ground forces.