Latest news with #B-2
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
These Air Force fighters and bombers just flew together for the first time
Attendees at a recent Miami airshow witnessed an unprecedented 'Freedom Flyover' of three types of Air Force bombers and four types of fighters that had never been seen flying together before, said Charles Hoffman, a spokesman for Air Force Global Strike Command. 'It's not just about fighters and bombers,' Hoffman told Task & Purpose. 'It's about an integrated team of professionals coming together across the total force to illustrate the readiness and resolve of the active duty, Guard and Reserve force any time…anywhere.' The 2025 Hyundai Air & Sea Show on Saturday marked the first time that a B-52H, B-1B, B-2, F-22. F-15C, F-16C, and A-10 have flown in a formation, Hoffman said. 'We have done a few tri-bomber flyovers, and the command wanted to do something special and unique to honor the fallen for Memorial Day at the Miami Air Show,' Hoffman said. The reason that an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter was not part of the formation is that none were available at the time, Hoffman said. Each of the aircraft showcased different capabilities that the Air Force brings to the fight, Hoffman said. The B-2 is designed to penetrate advanced enemy air defenses, and both the B-52 and B-1 are able to attack targets from a distance with standoff weapons, he said. 'The fighters represent the ability to get global strike to and from anywhere … anytime and maintain air superiority and persistent tactical ground attack,' Hoffman said. The airmen had to show tremendous skill to fly the seven aircraft in a single formation, especially since the fighters are designed to fly much faster than the bombers, he said. The display of airpower comes after a recent 'elephant walk' of 53 Air Force and Navy aircraft along with Army missile batteries at Kadena Air Base, Japan. As Task & Purpose previously reported, that elephant walk contained just about every airframe needed for a fight in the Pacific — and was likely put on with China in mind. Task & Purpose asked Hoffman if the Air Force was sending a message to China with the Freedom Flyover's unique combination of fighters and bombers. 'The flyover served to honor the fallen for Memorial Day and simultaneously illustrated the Air Force's ability to project power, communicate resolve, and provide options in times of crisis,' Hoffman replied. Still, the formation's first-ever combination of bombers and fighters demonstrated that the Air Force is 'not to be trifled with,' said retired Air Force Col. Mark Gunzinger, a former B-52 instructor pilot and flight evaluator. 'Did it send a signal to our nation's enemies, including China? Absolutely,' said Gunzinger, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for forces transformation and resources. Gunzinger noted that the planes that took part in the Miami airshow were flown by both active-duty troops and reservists. 'China is rolling out a lot of new kit, but a key point is their airmen lack the decades of combat experience our airmen have, and that can make the difference between victory and failure in war,' said Gunzinger, who is currently the director of future concepts and capability assessments at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. However, Gunzinger added that the planes that flew at the Miami airshow were designed decades ago. The B-52, for example, first flew in 1952, just five years after the Air Force became an independent military branch. 'We have the combat edge in terms of experience,' Gunzinger said. 'We have the best airmen in the world, but we must increase our advantage over China by providing our airmen with new kit, because we don't want to engage in a fair fight. We want to dominate, and that will only occur if we modernize our Air Force.' 18 Army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at Florida beach Hegseth announces accountability review of Afghanistan withdrawal Coast Guard rescue swimmers saved a worker stuck in hardening concrete after roof collapse This National Guard unit went completely analog to simulate a cyber attack Fewer reenlistment options for soldiers amid high Army retention
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Satellite Image Shows US Air Power Buildup at Island Base Near Iran
New satellite images showed U.S. forces increasing their air power at an Indian Ocean base that could be a staging point for any attack on Iran, according to an open source intelligence analyst. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) for comment. Ongoing activity at the Diego Garcia airbase, a strategic operating location for both the U.K. and British armies, comes amid tensions with Iran over its nuclear program. Although nuclear talks continue, President Donald Trump has threatened military action if diplomacy fails to produce a new agreement on curbs that could prevent it obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran has ramped up its military buildup, threatening U.S. targets in the region in the event of any attack. The U.S. Air Force has recently augmented its aerial refueling capabilities at Diego Garcia, deploying additional KC-135 Stratotankers to the strategic Indian Ocean base, according to satellite imagery shared by open-source intelligence analyst MT Anderson on X. A recent deployment of F-15 fighter jets adds to a growing U.S. military buildup at Diego Garcia, where four B-52 bombers and a contingent of six B-2 stealth bombers operate. In March, satellite imagery showed the deployment of C-17 cargo planes as well as KC-135 refueling tankers. The remote airbase, over 2,000 miles away from Iran, hosts Space Force operations and is a key port for U.S. Navy vessels, including nuclear submarines, and shelters a Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron. Tehran has yet to unveil a platform capable of reaching that range, but as a significant missile power, it continues to make strides in expanding long-range capabilities. The status of Diego Garcia has recently been in question and the subject of heated political debate with Britain signing an agreement last week to had sovereignty of the contested Chagos islands - of which it is a part - to Mauritius. Britain says that the agreement will ensure the future of the air and naval base and allow its contimued use by the United States. Commander Matthew Comer, Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson, told Newsweek earlier: "We have multi-layered defense systems on Diego Garcia that ensure the security and protection of our personnel and equipment." Beyond Iran, the continued U.S. buildup at Diego Garcia signals broader power projection with a potential view to threats in the Red Sea, activity by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and China's growing naval reach in the Indian Ocean. Related Articles Russia Attacks Trump's Golden Dome ProjectIran Unveils Next-Level Warfare Drones Amid Tensions With Show New US Missiles Sent to China's DoorstepIran Threatens Strike on Israel as US Talks Hang in Balance 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Daniel DePetris: Asia is getting shortchanged as the US keeps its focus elsewhere
How committed is President Donald Trump's administration to preserving a stable balance of power in Asia? If you go by the rhetoric and the policy documents released thus far, the answer is clear: very. Trump's national security team, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official, is stocked with people who can be described as certified China hawks. All three are extremely concerned about Beijing's ongoing military modernization — China already has the largest navy in the world and the biggest missile stockpile in Asia. And China has a heightened propensity for risk and a man in Xi Jinping who seems to relish getting into altercations with U.S. allies in the region's disputed waterways. The so-called median line separating Chinese and Taiwanese airspace, which used to be respected as a de facto boundary, is increasingly irrelevant in the eyes of China's People's Liberation Army. Washington, of course, knows all of this and has responded with barbed words. During a trip to Japan in March, Hegseth stated that 'America and Japan stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese.' A day before that speech, Hegseth and his counterpart from the Philippines agreed to schedule more bilateral military exercises with the aim of boosting Manila's capacity to resist China's gray zone activities. The Pentagon's interim policy guidance cites deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing claims, as one of its top objectives. And in an April memorandum, Hegseth supplemented that guidance by pressing the U.S. Army to reorganize and refit itself with one big mission in mind: 'deterring China in the Indo-Pacific region.' Yet take a deeper look, and it becomes clearer that the Trump administration's actions haven't synced with its words. The first four months of Trump's second term have instead been drowned out by the kinds of rapid-fire crises that often distract from longer-term priorities. In the Middle East, a region Trump has consistently railed about, the United States channeled additional military hardware into a seven-week war against the Houthis in Yemen to bolster its deterrent against Iran as nuclear talks continue to progress. Six B-2 long-range bombers, a third of the Air Force's B-2 fleet, were deployed to the Diego Garcia air base in the Indian Ocean. Additional fighter aircraft were sent to the Persian Gulf. The Defense Department ordered the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group to stay in the region past its deployment date, and it redeployed another aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to the Middle East from the Indo-Pacific. A Patriot air defense battalion was also shifted from Asia to the Middle East, which required 73 flights to pull off. The U.S. air war against the Houthis, meanwhile, was happening at such a frenetic pace that U.S. military officers responsible for Asia were alarmed about a shortage of precision-guided munitions, which Washington would need for a potential conflict with China. Although the air campaign against the Houthis stopped after Trump arrived at a ceasefire deal with the Yemeni rebel group in early May, there hasn't been much of a change in the U.S. force posture to date. The B-2s on Diego Garcia have been replaced with B-52s. And while one aircraft carrier, the USS Truman, is now in the Mediterranean serving Washington's operations in Europe, another, the USS Nimitz, is traveling from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, possibly on its way to the Persian Gulf. It's not only the Pentagon's resources that are being affected. Washington's diplomatic energy these days is focused less on Asia and more on the Middle East and Europe — or more specifically, on Iran, Gaza and Ukraine. All three of these problem sets require extraordinary amounts of time and preparation to manage, let alone resolve. On Ukraine, Trump has preferred to get involved himself, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and European leaders in an attempt to make progress on ending Europe's most destructive war in eight decades. Thus far, success has been elusive; while Ukrainian and Russian officials met this month for the first time in more than three years, no concrete outcomes were reached outside of a large prisoner exchange. Despite European frustration with Putin's maximalist demands, Trump still doesn't want to throw in the towel and give up on a diplomatic endeavor he campaigned on. The diplomacy on Gaza is even less hopeful for Trump than the diplomacy on Ukraine. The war in the Palestinian enclave is heading into its 20th month, with Israel and Hamas no closer to ending the fighting today than they were when it started. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated outright that ending the war is not going to happen until Hamas disarms and moves out of Gaza, two conditions the Palestinian terrorist group views as surrender terms. Trump is perturbed by the lack of movement but is nevertheless still ordering his envoy Steve Witkoff to continue his efforts. The talks with Iran, meanwhile, continue at a steady clip. The fifth round of diplomacy talks ended May 23, with both sides cautiously optimistic that a final end product could be achieved. But we are nowhere near an agreement, which means U.S. officials have more work to do. Through it all, Asia is getting the short end of the stick. The United States is still the world's primary superpower, but that doesn't make it superman. No country has endless resources. Sacrifices need to be made. Expending energy on one region will inevitably mean withdrawing energy from another. And right now, regardless of what Hegseth and Rubio may say, U.S. policy in Asia is the sacrificial lamb.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Historic ‘Freedom Flyover' airshow includes nearly every Air Force fighter and bomber jet
A breathtaking flyover of nearly every United States Air Force fighter and bomber jet soared during a Florida air show Saturday, stunning footage of the historic aerial display showed. Seven of the top military aircraft called the 'Freedom Flyover' united as 'one unstoppable force' for thousands of people to take in over Memorial Day weekend at the Hyundai Air and Sea Show in Miami Beach. The historic formation was led by the B-2 stealth bomber and followed by the B-1B Lancer, B-52H Stratofortress, F-22 Raptor, F-15C Eagle, F-16C Fighting Falcon and the attack aircraft A-10 Thunderbolt II, according to Air Force Global Strike Command. Advertisement 3 The flyover featured seven Air Force aircraft. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The only bomber missing was B-31 Raider, while the lone absent fighter jet was the F-35A Lightning II. The AC-130J Ghostrider, the other attack aircraft in the Air Force's fleet, was also not included. While other air shows have featured a tri-bomber flyover, this was the first time fighter aircraft were also part of the formation, according to military officials. Advertisement 'This wasn't just an air show – it was a powerful tribute to those who gave everything and a celebration of the strength that defends our nation every single day!' the AFGSC wrote in a social media post. 3 The formation was historic, military officials said. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Video of the moment showed the seven aircraft in perfect formation rev through the sunny skies to a round of applause from the delighted crowd below. 3 The air show in Miami wowed the Memorial Day crowd. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement More footage captured by a staff sergeant in a plane ahead of the formation gave an up-close glimpse of the flyover. The aircraft were manned by active-duty Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard pilots, 'representing the Air Force's ability to collaborate across components,' according to officials.
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Iran's Khamenei Fed Up With Trump's "Nonsense" Demands, Defers Future Talks
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Iran's Supreme Leader criticized US demands in nuclear talks as unreasonable. Khamenei doubts a new nuclear deal will materialise amid ongoing tensions. Iran's foreign minister called US demands illogical and potentially harmful. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has let his displeasure about Donald Trump and the US administration's demands in the crucial nuclear talks be known publicly, calling them nonsensical and utterly outrageous. Khamenei, who is increasingly doubtful that a new nuclear deal with the US will see the light of day, has called the US' demands of Tehran ending all uranium enrichment as "excessive and outrageous". Asked about the progress being made by Tehran and Washington in drafting a new nuclear deal, a visibly annoyed Mr Khamenei said, "I don't think nuclear talks with the US will bring any result. I don't know what will happen." 'NOT NEGOTIABLE' Four rounds of talks in, Mr Khamenei, frustrated with Washington's insistence over 'no enrichment', said the US should avoid such "nonsense" demands, which Iran has made clear, is "non-negotiable". Giving a cold shoulder to Washington over its request to hold the next (fifth) round of talks, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said, "A date has been suggested but we have not yet accepted it." However, there has been some talk in both capitals about the possible venue being Rome. 'DEFIES LOGIC' Iran's foreign minister went on to say that the demands being made by the US side during negotiations "defy logic". Such an approach "creates problems" and might derail talks, he hinted. He said Iran is waiting for logic to prevail in Washington before Tehran even considers the next round of talks. "We are witnessing positions on the US side that do not go along with any logic and are creating problems for the negotiations. That's why we have not determined the next round of talks. We are reviewing the matter and hope logic will ultimately prevail," he said. Both sides have been combative regarding talks on uranium enrichment, and neither is looking to budge on its stance, leading to, what now seems like, a stalemate. Preempting this, Donald Trump has issued an open-ended threat to Iran - "move quickly or something bad is going to happen". TRUMP'S WARNING TO IRAN In recent times - when Iran was reluctant to even come to the negotiating table - Donald Trump had threatened Tehran on multiple occasions, saying Iran would be bombed and shall also face very harsh sanctions if it did not compromise on its nuclear programme. President Trump has already moved in two US aircraft carrier fleet - USS Carl Vinson and USS Harry S Truman - in the Arabian Sea while also ordering the largest-ever deployment of B-2 bombers in the Indian Ocean - at its military base in Diego Garcia. Satellite images have shown at least six B-2 stealth bombers parked along the military base runway in Diego Garcia - a joint Indian Ocean military base of the US and Britain. That's roughly 30 per cent of its B2 Bomber fleet. NUKE AMBITION Steve Witkoff, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East has said that for civilian purposes, 3.67 per cent uranium enrichment is enough. Tehran has already gone far beyond that. Enrichment levels of uranium in Iran are already up to 60 per cent - a short, technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. "This cannot be allowed," Mr Witkoff has said, while Donald Trump backed him, saying, "Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. These are radicalised people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon."
