US bombers back in Norway ahead of Russia's Zapad-2025 exercise
Three B-1B Lancer bombers from an air base in Texas landed at Ørland air base in Norway on Saturday to begin training operations with NATO Allies.
The bombers crossed the skies of the Arctic between August 8 and 9 and were partly escorted by Spanish fighter jets currently policing Icelandic air space from Keflavik airport.
The deployment of the three B-1B bombers to Norway is the first since 2021. Last year, similar bombers were deployed to Kallax air base in northern Sweden.
The U.S. Air Force informs in a press release that when in Norway, the planes empower aircrews to refine tactics, increase flexibility and strengthen coordination with Allies by exercising and operating together increasing warfighting capabilities and readiness.
“This deployment allows us to train the way we fight — integrated with our NATO Allies, ready and adaptive,” said Lt. Col. Eric Alvarez, 345th Bomb Squadron deployed commander.
“It’s about building experience and trust together, enhancing readiness, and staying sharp in dynamic environments,” Alvarez said.
The Norwegian Armed Forces informs that the U.S. bombers will train with F-35 fighter jets based at Ørland. Neither the Americans nor the Norwegians detail where the training will take place, but it is believed that flights will take place in the Nordic-Baltic regions.
Aircrews will train on key elements of the find, fix, track and target process – honing the speed and accuracy with which bombers and fighters are able to act against threats in real time, the U.S. Air Force elaborates. It adds:
"As aircrews practice these skills, they simultaneously train against ground and air-based threats designed to deny their freedom to maneuver, requiring them to act decisively to counter threats and gain air superiority."
The deployment to Norway comes a month before Russia and its puppet ally Belarus kick off the massive strategic exercise Zapad-2025 (West-2025).
"During the exercise, we plan to practice new forms and methods of using units of military units of the ground forces based on an analysis of the latest modern military conflicts. Such exercises are held on a regular basis every two years, alternately on the territory of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation," said Deputy Commander of the North-Western Operational Command, Colonel Pavel Shebeko, in a statement posted on the Vkontakte site of the Belarus Armed Forces.
Last time Russia's strategic exercise took place in the western (European) theater of operations was Zapad-2021. Then the Northern Fleet took part with 3,000 soldiers in the border areas with Norway and Finland, simultaneously as warships and aircraft trained on protecting Arctic military bases from a Western invader in the Barents Sea region.
When the U.S. Air Force deployed B-1B bombers to Ørland in 2021, the Russian Northern Fleet sailed the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov to the maritime border areas with Norway in the Varanger fjord.
Russia's planned Zapad-2023 exercise was cancelled, likely due to a lack of available equipment and troops given their involvement and big losses in the war against Ukraine.
