British F-35B fighters from No. 617 Squadron and Norwegian F-35A aircraft escorted a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress over the Norwegian Sea on 24 October during Exercise Global Thunder 27. The mission brought together carrier-based, land-based and tanker-supported aircraft from the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States in the High North.
The British fighters were operating from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales as part of Operation FIRECREST and the carrier strike group’s regional deployment. An RAF Voyager supported the F-35Bs, while a U.S. Air Force KC-135 provided tanker support to the Norwegian aircraft.
The B-52, operating under U.S. Strategic Command, flew from Minot Air Force Base on a transatlantic sortie supported by multiple tankers. The formation operated near allied naval forces associated with HMS Prince of Wales.
The mission was reportedly the first time a U.S. B-52 had been escorted by British F-35s while operating alongside Norwegian F-35s. Global Thunder 27, which began on 22 October, is the U.S. Strategic Command’s annual nuclear command-and-control and readiness exercise. It is not a NATO exercise, although NATO allies participated in the flight. The available reporting does not identify the bomber’s route beyond the High North or disclose its payload, weapons status or rules of engagement.