US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers recently concluded a month-long deployment to the United Kingdom as part of Bomber Task Force Europe.
The bombers, part of the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, left their forward deployed base at Royal Air Force Fairford and returned to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on 21 September. They were the second Task Force of B-52s to visit Europe in 2022, following an earlier deployment that ended in April. During this stint, the bombers integrated with NATO Allies and partner countries, both in the sky and on the ground. From being escorted by F-35 Lighting II fighters from the Royal Norwegian Air Force to flying training missions with Balkan Allies across Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, the B-52s have had access to strategic international territories thanks to the relationships with NATO Allies and partners.
Bomber Task Force Europe is a standing mission intended to help US Air Force pilots and crews familiarise themselves with European airspace and Allies. Flying from Fairford but conducting missions all over the continent, the B-52s are able to fly long-endurance missions and carry a wide spectrum of precision ordnance, both conventional and strategic, making them a powerful long-range deterrent.
Footage includes various shots of B-52H Stratofortress aircraft plus interviews with Captain Justin Kinker and Captain Levi Hilgenhold from 23rd Bomber Squadron, the United States Air Force.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS EXTERIOR AND DETAILS OF B-52 BOMBER
(00:28) MEDIUM SHOT - COCKPIT VIEW FROM INSTRUCTOR PILOT SEAT OF B-52 BOMBER
(00:32) MEDIUM SHOT - GROUND CREW LOADING GEAR INTO B-52 BOMBER
(00:40) MEDIUM SHOT - GROUND CREW PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS ON WING OF B-52 BOMBER
(00:51) VARIOUS MEDIUM SHOTS - GROUND CREW COMMUNICATION DURING PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS
(01:13) VARIOUS MEDIUM SHOTS - PRE-FLIGHT JET ENGINE CHECKS
(01:31) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS – GROUND CREW PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS ON B-52 BOMBER
(01:46) WIDE SLOW MOTION (NO SOUND) - FORD TRUCK TOWS AWAY GENERATOR BEFORE B-52 TAKE-OFF
(01:57) MEDIUM SHOT - AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER (ATC) CLEARS B-52 FOR TAKE-OFF FROM CONTROL TOWER
(02:02) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS - TAXI AND TAKE-OFF B-52 BOMBER SQUADRON
(04:13) WIDE SLOW MOTION (NO SOUND) - B-52 TESTING CRABBING MECHANISM AND TAXI
(04:43) WIDE SLOW MOTION SHOT - B-52 TAKE OFF
(05:24) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) CAPTAIN JUSTIN KINKER, 23RD BOMBER SQUADRON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
“So Bomber Task Force Europe serves as one of our most visible signs of assurance and deterrence within the AOR (area of operations), especially considering the uncertain social and political environments that are established here recently.”
(05:39) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) CAPTAIN JUSTIN KINKER, 23RD BOMBER SQUADRON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
“The purpose of the Bomber Task Force is to come out here and cooperate with both our joint and NATO partner nations and use that opportunity to train in a dynamic fight where we can optimise our communication and tactics across a broad spectrum of warfare.”
(05:57) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) CAPTAIN JUSTIN KINKER, 23RD BOMBER SQUADRON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
“So the B-52 is one of our most capable Air Force assets and is capable of launching and employing almost every single weapon type that the Air Force is capable of using, everything from maritime support through mining operations to standoff weapons and smart precision-guided munitions for air-to-ground deployment.”
(06:20) CAPTAIN LEVI HILGENHOLD, 23RD BOMBER SQUADRON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
“Bomber Task Force Europe exists for multiple reasons. One of the main things we can do while out here is integrating with all of our partner nations to include NATO Allies and also practise our agile combat employment and the ability to move B-52s to parts of the world in a very short notice.”
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