B52 x 6 at Fairford
 

According to a local paper, six B52's landed at Fairford this morning. Something in the offing?

23rd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Wing from Minot Air Force Base (ND).

USAFE-AFAFRICA tweeted and posted the following on its Facebook page this morning:

“Six United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft from the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, arrived at RAF Fairford, England for a long planned training mission where the aircraft will conduct theater and flight training across Europe and Africa.”

B52 arrival

Along with the B-2's arriving in DG.

Looks like someone is about to be bombed into freedom!!

Yesterday morning they arrived......landed just after 6am.

Imminent US election and behind in the polls.

DC10RealMan,

Training exercise deployment planned a long time ago.

Is it a long haul from DG to Oz.

Nonsense.

Routine Bomber Task Force Europe deployment.

https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Press-...tner-training/

Excellent overhead photo here showing 6 of the 50+ bomber parking slots - which were part of many year 2000 onwards infrastructure improvements - being used for their intended purpose.

Maybe the crews think Trump might stay in office and are claiming political asylum....

Maybe planning a back door to China?!!!!

Some Border rattling on its way?

Blast from the past
 

Amazing sight. and I do hope they get the even older Mustang to cover their daylight ops. Great photo shoot opportunity !!!!

The spotters were reportedly furious that USAF managed to sneak them in without them picking them up on the various ADSB tracking sites. They need to pull some more night shifts.

Do B52s (or USAF generally) broadcast ADSB?

Interesting, in the video, that the B52s approach in a distinctly nose-down attitude. Do military big jets make steeper approaches than civilians?
(In a B52 it probably doesn't matter which gear lands first.)

Only one pilot visibly pops the braking chute. Perhaps he was late touching down. I'd have thought Fairford would be long enough even for the most nervous B52 driver.

Sometimes. I've certainly spotted them flying into out of Minot and Barksdale a few times while idly scanning ADSB in moments of boredom.

Wouldn't be surprised if that's why they deployed that way as they would have been leaving Minot around midnight or thereabouts our time, so missing most of the UK geeky anoraks wetting their pants and plastering it all over Twitter as they approached UK.

Everyone needs a hobby - you gotta be a geeky anorak to post regularly to this site, that's for sure.