USAF's Ellsworth bombers arrive in Sweden as part of strategic messaging
On 23 February 2024, two B-1B Lancer bombers, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing based at Ellsworth AFB (SD), arrived at Luleå-Kallax Air Base (Sweden) for Bomber Task Force (BTF) 24-2.
It was expected that, with exercise "Steadfast Defender 24", NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War just started, the USAF would send multiple strategic bombers to Europe to add deterrent signals.
The EL coded B-1Bs, 86-0129 (as "28BW" flagship) and 86-0137 (as "37BS" flagship) will integrate with the Swedish Armed Forces, NATO Allies and other international partners to synchronise capabilities and assure security commitments across the US European Command area of responsibility.
The USAF routinely demonstrates its commitment to NATO Allies and partners through BTF missions. Through these missions, the USAF enables dynamic force employment in the European theatre, providing strategic predictability and assurance for allies and partners while contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries.
At this moment it is unknown to Scramble Magazine if more USAF bombers are expected to come to Europe in the near future. On 10 March 2021, Scramble Magazine first wrote about the B-1B spreading its tentacles towards the Arctic.
Credit photo: USAF