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USAF Boeing B-52H Stratofortress take off with retractable landing gear and trailing edge wing … [+]
Universal Image Group via Getty Images
Why did two American B-52 bombers fly from North Dakota to the Persian Gulf last weekend?
Most likely it was a warning to Iran: do not build nuclear weapons and do not attack American troops.
But will Iran listen?
The two B-52H bombers belonging to the 5th Bomb Wing of the US Air Force took off from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, on November 21. They were quickly spotted by aircraft spotter enthusiasts who used the aircraft’s automatic transmission dependent surveillance (ADS-B) transponders to track their movements.
The bombers, the Warbird1 and Warbird 2 call signs, were tracked across the Atlantic, past Gibraltar into the eastern Mediterranean and then over central Israel north of Jerusalem, according to the Aircraft stains site on Twitter. Tracking was lost as the aircraft crossed into Jordanian airspace and then continued into the Persian Gulf, before being detected again on the return flight over the western Atlantic from Spain. With the Persian Gulf more than 7,000 miles from North Dakota, the nonstop flight meant that the B-52s, originally designed as intercontinental bombers in the 1950s, were in the air for at least 24 hours.
A press release from the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which covers the Middle East, said the “short-term, long-range mission” was intended to “deter aggression and reassure partners and allies of USA “
“The uninterrupted mission demonstrates the ability of the US military to deploy combat air power anywhere in the world at short notice and integrate into CENTCOM operations to help preserve regional stability and security,” said CENTCOM. It is not clear what the bombers did during the mission and what their weaponry was: the CENTCOM announcement simply noted that the B-52s worked with the Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) air operations centers, F- fighter jets. 15E and F-16, and KC-10 and KC-135 tankers.
Interestingly, the closing sentence in CENTCOM’s press release gently stated that “the last American long-range bomber presence in the Middle East was in early 2020.” While the Air Force periodically sends out long-range Bomber Task Force missions as show-the-flag operations, the question is why fly heavy bombers, and do so so publicly, over the Iranian border now?
The answer almost certainly is that the B-52s were meant to be a warning to Iran. Last week, the New York Times reported that President Trump had asked his advisers for options regarding US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Trump consultation reportedly came after the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that Iran has increased its arsenal of nuclear material in the wake of the Trump administration’s withdrawal from a multinational nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama White House. . Meanwhile, on November 17, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq fired rockets that landed near the US embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone.
It seems less than a coincidence that the B-52 flew over Israel and Jordan, two key American allies in the Middle East, before continuing onto the Persian Gulf and the Iranian border. “Although B-52s can be tracked online quite frequently, the fact that WARBIRD 1 and 2 flights were visible on the most popular flight-tracking websites seems to show that the mission was a clear show of force against Iran. “noted the Aviationist website. .
However, the question remains: what exactly will the B-52 flights accomplish? The United States already maintains considerable forces near Iran’s borders, which have included Air Force F-15s based in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, one or two Navy aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as amphibious units from the Navy. and various special forces. US troops also operate in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Despite all this military might and the devastating economic effects of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, Iran continues to expand its nuclear program and develop other weapons, such as ballistic missiles. A few B-52s won’t change that equation, even if they are armed with nuclear weapons that, at best, would be perceived as nothing more than a colossal lantern.
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