MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) – The United States has stepped up its military presence in Europe, sending two B-2 stealth bombers to the region, the Army Times reported Monday.
“This deployment of strategic bombers provides an invaluable opportunity to strengthen and improve interoperability with our allies and partners,” Adm. Cecil Haney, head of the US Strategic Command, was quoted as saying.
The commander meanwhile did not specify for how long the bombers would remain in the region, saying only that it would be a short-time deployment.
The B-2 aircraft is set up with stealth technology that allows it to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. Stealth bombers can carry a wide range of both conventional and nuclear weapons.
The B-2 bombers are assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, located at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. On Sunday, they joined three B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers that landed at RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, England, last week.
The deployed aircraft will take part in joint drills in the operational zone of the US European Command.
