American-made B-52 Stratofortress bombers arrived in Indonesia this week in the airframes first deployment to the country.
Upon arrival on the island of Sumatra, the bombers were escorted by the Indonesian Air Force. B-52s have been deployed to the U.S. Air Force’s Anderson Air Force Base on Guam. However, they have previously been denied access to Indonesia in par with the country’s position not to permanently host American military aircraft.
Due to the growing threat posed by China’s expanding military capabilities and prowess in the region, Washington has pivoted towards the Western Pacific over the last decade.
Various news outlets and military personnel shared the arrival of the strategic bombers to Indonesia on social media. Air Force Global Strike Command tweeted that “#Striker Airmen from @TeamMinot have brought the B-52 back out to the Indo-Pacific on a #BTF mission, to train & interoperate with Allies and partners across the region.” Rumors have also circulated suggesting that the B-52s could be taking part in the bilateral training exercise Cope West 2023 this month, which includes American and Indonesian Air Force aircraft.
Introducing the B-52 strategic bomber
The B-52 Stratofortress is one of the oldest airframes in operation today. In fact, the Vietnam-era strategic bomber may end up in service for close to a century considering the major upgrades and enhancements it has incorporated over the years. The need for a bomber “capable of carrying out the strategic mission without dependence upon advanced and intermediate bases controlled by other countries” first arose towards the end of the Second World War. By 1954, the first B-52A iteration took to the skies, followed closely by the B model one year later.
Specs & capabilities
Capable of dropping or launching the largest range of weapons in the U.S. inventory, the B-52 has remained the staple of the U.S. Air Force’s strategic bomber force since its introduction to service. 744 total B-52s were produced, however, currently 76 airframes remain in the Air Force’s inventory. Roughly two-thirds of those airframes are active with the 2ndBomb Wing and 5thBomb Wing, while one third remain in reserve with the 307thBomb Wing. Additionally, one dozen have been relegated to long-term storage at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB) “Boneyard.”
Armament-wise, the B-52 can pack a punch. Equipped with a weapons payload of more than 70,000 pounds, the Stratofortress is basically a bomb-truck in the skies. As detailed by Air Force Technology, the B-52 can carry conventional weapons including AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles, joint direct-attack munitions and AGM-142 Raptor missiles. The B-52’s nuclear capacity includes AGM-129 advanced cruise missiles, bombs and AGM-86A air-launched cruise missiles.
While the recent deployment of B-52 bombers to Indonesia is notable, it is not the first time these strategic bombers have trained alongside the Indonesian Air Force’s own aerial arsenal. As detailed by Yahoo News, “In September 2021, the very first BTF mission involving the Indonesian Air Force took place.
During the mission, four Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) F-16s based at Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, teamed up with two B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, over the Sulawesi Sea. The mission also constituted the first time a B-52 integrated with the Indonesian Air Force in flight, according to Pacific Air Forces.
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
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