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A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, flew with Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force F-15SAs during a bomber task force mission over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 27, 2021. The bomber deployment underscores the U.S. Military's commitment to regional security and demonstrates a unique ability to rapidly deploy on short notice. The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds of altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and provides the United States with a global strike capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)
A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress flew with Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force F-15SAs during a bomber task force mission. US Air Force

US B-52 bomber makes third flight over Middle East amid Iran tensions

The presence of the aircraft is meant to 'deter potential aggression' and demonstrate US commitment to regional security, Centcom said

AP

January 27, 2021

The US military said on Wednesday it again flew a B-52 bomber over the Middle East “to deter potential aggression” amid tensions with Iran.

The B-52 flew nonstop from Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base into the region earlier in the day. The plane went over both the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, according to flight-tracking data.

The US military’s Central Command later published images of the bomber flying alongside Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s.

While not mentioning Iran in its statement, Central Command said the flight was meant to “showcase the US commitment to regional security.”

The flights, the third-such operation this year, had become common in the last months of former President Donald Trump’s administration. Mr Trump’s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers sparked a series of escalating incidents in the region.

President Joe Biden has expressed a desire to return to the deal if Iran honours the deal's limits on its nuclear program.

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