Minot's Barons fly to the Middle East
On 21 November 2020, two B-52H Stratofortress bombers assigned to the 23rd Bomb Squadron/5th Bomb Wing, based at Minot AFB (ND), conducted a short-notice, long-range mission to the Middle East.
The two 23rd BS, nicknamed Bomber Barons, MT coded B-52Hs, with callsigns 'Warbird1/2", flew from Minot, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea directly over Israel and Jordan to their objective.
It was stated that this non-stop Bomber Task Force (BTF) mission was to deter aggression, reassure US partners and allies in the region and to demonstrate US military’s ability to deploy combat airpower anywhere in the world on short notice and integrate into US Central Command (USCENTCOM) operations to help preserve regional stability and security.
During this latest BTF mission, the Stratofortress bomber aircrews integrated with air operations centers and other USAF assets such as F-15E Strike Eagles, F-16C Fighting Falcons, KC-10A Extenders and RAF Mildenhall's KC-135R Stratotankers. The last US long-range bomber presence in the Middle East was in early 2020.
Photo: USAF / Graphic: Aircraft Spots / Patch: https://flightlineinsignia.com