RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has hosted B-2 Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress (colloquially known as the Buff) bombers in the past but not at the same time. In June five Air Force Global Strike Command bombers (three B-52Hs and two B-2s) were based at the sprawling airfield for a major training exercise. RAF Fairford is the only declared forward deployment base for US long-range bombers within the US European Command theatre. Three B-52H aircraft arrived on June 4. Aircrew were drawn from the 20th Bomb Squadron (BS) 'Buccaneers' and the 96th BS 'Red Devils', based at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana and the 69th BS 'Bomber Barons', based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Three days later two B-2 Spirits 82-1069 Spirit of Indiana and the 93-1088 Spirit of Louisiana (the last of 21 B-2 aircraft built) arrived from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri: home of the 509th Bomb Wing. Spirit aircrew were drawn from the 13th BS 'Grim Reapers' and 393rd BS 'Tigers'. The timing of the exercise might be considered significant given the continuing tension in the Middle East and Putin's intervention in Ukraine. The bomber deployment enabled the US to send a very powerful message to allies and potential adversaries of its preparedness and capability to forward deploy long-range bombers quickly and efficiently.
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