Four B-1B Bone Bombers Have Arrived At Andersen AFB In Guam
Tyler Rogoway - 3h ago
A quartet of B-1B Bone bombers just arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam today. It isn't clear if the bombers will be staying as part of the now sporadic bomber presence deployments to the Indo-Pacific region or if they are there to take part in a major exercise, or both. Valiant Shield, a series of large multi-domain wargames is getting underway in the region. There have also been some rumors that a B-1 deployment was imminent as a deterrent and hedge against North Korean actions, including a potential nuclear test.
In 2020, it was announced that after 16 years of fulfilling the Continous Bomber Presence mission to Guam, the Pentagon would opt for a far less predictable deployment plan to the region for its bombers. What came after was a flurry of extremely long-range bomber patrols, many from the continental United States, to Russia's eastern borders and the tumultuous South China Sea, as well as shorter deployments to Guam or Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean by the USAF's B-1, B-52, and B-2 bomber force.
B-1Bs on deck at Andersen AFB as photographed on June 4th, 2022. PHOTO © 2022 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION
The last time we are aware of a significant bomber presence on Guam was in February of this year when B-52Hs deployed to the island for the annual Cope North multi-national military exercises.
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