Two US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers recently completed their first-ever live weapons drop over Swedish airspace during a military exercise.
Accompanied by two Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, the bombers released GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) as they approached the Vidsel Test Range in northern Sweden.
The mission was supported by US and Swedish Joint Terminal Attack Controllers on the ground, ensuring precise targeting and execution.
According to the US Air Forces in Europe, the exercise was designed to strengthen operational coordination between the two nations, improving their precision strike capabilities in a complex training environment.
Last week, a @usairforce B-52H Stratofortress from the @501CSW‘s RAF Fairford integrated with RAF Typhoons and Israeli F-35s & F-15Es over the @CENTCOM region.https://t.co/Ai8GaIVmzI pic.twitter.com/OnbOXNTxIx
— USAFE-AFAFRICA (@HQUSAFEAFAF) March 10, 2025
In addition to the weapons drop, the B-52H bombers performed a low-formation flyover of the Swedish Parliament to mark the first anniversary of Stockholm’s NATO membership.
‘A New Level of Cooperation’
The “backbone” of the US strategic bomber force, the B-52H is capable of carrying a wide range of weaponry, including gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision-guided missiles, and JDAMs.
It can fly at subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,166 meters).
The recent live weapons drop not only reinforced coordination between US and Swedish air and ground forces but demonstrated “a new level of cooperation” between the two nations.
The bombers involved are stationed at a Royal Air Force base in England with the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron.
In 2023, the nuclear-capable B-52H also participated in joint air drills with South Korea on the Korean Peninsula.
