USAF B-52 Stratofortress Flies with Israeli F-35Is and F-15s in Joint Training Over Middle East
The B-52, at the moment deployed to the UK for BTF 25-2, practiced operational coordination and communication with Israeli F-35Is and F-15Is to discourage regional threats.
A U.S Air Drive B-52H Stratofortress bomber and Israeli Air Drive (IAF) F-15I Ra’am and F-35I Adir fighters performed a joint coaching train over the Arabian Peninsula within the U.S. CENTCOM (Central Command) space of accountability, introduced each the militaries on Mar. 6, 2025. The B-52 is among the 4 deployed to RAF Fairford, UK, as part of the Bomber Process Drive 25-2 (BTF 25-2) that started on Feb. 11, 2025.
From the pictures launched by each the providers, we will see the one B-52H Stratofortress, two F-35Is and an F-15I, with probably one other F-15I taking the pictures. The F-15 are absolutely armed, carrying two GBU-31 JDAMs (Joint Direct Assault Munition), two Python AAMs (Air-to-Air Missiles), an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Superior Medium-Vary Air-to-Air Missile), an AIM-9 Sidewinder and two AIM-7 Sparrows. The B-52s are, nonetheless, not seen carrying any exterior payload, however may very nicely have had ordnance within the inside bays.
It additionally seems that the F-35Is are flying with out the radar reflecting Luneburg lenses. The removable units assist to masks the precise radar profiles of stealth plane, making them additionally seen to pleasant radars. The units and the dwell munitions (as denoted by the yellow bands) are a sign of Israel nonetheless being concerned within the high-intensity operations towards Hamas.
Though they weren’t proven within the pictures, the mission additionally included the integration with Royal Air Force Typhoons. The fighters are primarily based at RAF Akrotiri and probably cooperated with the bombers earlier than they reached the coast of Israel.
תרגיל אווירי משותף בין חיל-האוויר הישראלי לחיל-האוויר האמריקאי, התקיים השבוע.
במהלכו, מטוסי ה״אדיר״ (F-35i) וה״רעם״ (F-15i) של חיל-האוויר, ביצעו טיסה משותפת עם מפציץ אסטרטגי אמריקאי מסוג B52.
בטיסה תורגל הקשר המבצעי בין הצבאות כדי לשפר את יכולת ההתמודדות עם איומים אזוריים שונים.… pic.twitter.com/1zvi1lEXj7— Israeli Air Drive (@IAFsite) March 6, 2025
Train objectives
Israel and Iran tacitly disengaged after two notable episodes in 2024, the primary with Tehran raining missiles on Tel Aviv, and the second being the Israeli raid towards an Iranian missile factory deep inside Syria. Later, on Feb. 23, 2025, two F-15Is and two F-35Is flew in a finger 4 formation at low-altitude over followers mourning the lack of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Following the newest train, not one of the U.S. press releases formally recognized Israel or its navy plane, however characterised the flight as meant for “associate interoperability.” Israel, nonetheless, explicitly talked about the U.S. Air Drive B-52.
The Israeli Air Drive performed a joint aerial train with the @usairforce 🇮🇱🤝🇺🇸
Israeli F-35i and F-15i plane flew alongside an American U.S. B-52 strategic bomber. Throughout the flight, the forces practiced operational coordination between the 2 militaries to reinforce… pic.twitter.com/2d6UlNrEoM
— Israel Protection Forces (@IDF) March 6, 2025
CENTCOM called the flight the “third BTF mission in two weeks,” which allowed “strengthening associate interoperability and demonstrating pressure projection capabilities within the [Middle East] area.” The flight additionally included “aerial refueling and coaching alternatives with associate nations.”
A earlier mission concerned two of the 4 B-52s deployed to RAF Fairford, which dropped dwell munitions at a number of ranges in undisclosed international locations throughout a 24-hour sortie on Feb. 17. The bombers joined with 4 KC-135 Stratotanker refueling plane from RAF Mildenhall, routed south in the direction of France and the Mediterranean earlier than making a flip eastwards in the direction of the CENTCOM AOR.
A single B-52H from the identical deployment then joined Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Dutch F-35As, the latter from the Estonia-based Baltic Air Policing detachment, to conduct a flypast over Tallinn on the Estonian Independence Day on Feb. 24.
CENTCOM Conducts Bomber Process Drive Mission
On March 4, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) performed a Bomber Process Drive Mission within the Center East, strengthening associate interoperability and demonstrating pressure projection capabilities within the area. It was the third BTF mission in… pic.twitter.com/AIEh8Fyqgx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 6, 2025
The most recent train, in the meantime, “is probably geared toward readying the Israeli navy for a possible joint strike with the US on Iran,” as per The Times of Israel. “The IAF has already carried out two strikes on Iran with out US help, however would seemingly want the heavy capabilities of the B-52s to successfully hit Iran’s closely fortified underground nuclear websites,” the report added.
Different current B-52 flights over the Center East
B-Roll footage from Mar. 4, 2025, launched on the DVIDS community confirmed a clip captured from a KC-135 Stratotanker’s increase, exhibiting it docking with a B-52H’s refueling port, with different lengthy photographs of the one B-52 over CENTCOM skies. The B-52H is assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (69th EBS).
The IAF performed a joint aerial train with the @USAFCENT to strengthen cooperation for a variety of situations.
The F-35i and F-15i plane flew alongside a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber, training operational coordination to reinforce their potential to handle regional threats. pic.twitter.com/hghT1FSGVH— Israeli Air Drive (@IAFsite) March 6, 2025
Previous to that, DVIDS confirmed one other replace on Feb. 20, 2025, with two B-52s within the CENTCOM AOR, of which one was refueled by the KC-135 over the ocean. The mission, the second in 48 hours, noticed the bombers flying over Europe and 6 associate international locations within the CENTCOM AOR.
Captions have described how the B-52s and BTF strategic bombers “contribute to stability within the CENTCOM theater by demonstrating the credibility, functionality, and readiness of the U.S. bomber pressure, which is vital to deterring assaults towards the U.S. and its allies and companions.”
