Last week, three B-2 Spirit bombers and more than 200 accompanying support Airmen arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, in Hawaii. The stealth bomber deployment is a part of regular rotations aimed at integrating the capabilities of America’s varied bomber fleets into ongoing operations throughout the region.
Just beyond the strategic justification for reshuffling combat aircraft around the globe comes the subsidiary, but ever present, need to remind regional partners and opponents alike that the U.S. Air Force has a number of tools in its belt that are all ready to begin combat operations at a moment’s notice.
“Deploying to Hawaii enables us to showcase to a large American and international audience that the B-2 is on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week ready to protect our country and its allies,” Lt. Col. Joshua Dorr, 393rd Bomb Squadron director of operations, said in a recent press release.
And showcase is right — the B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor may both be renown for their low observability on a radar screen, but some of the shots of these incredible aircraft flying alone and conducting joint flight operations over Hawaii are well worth a bit of observation. Take a look below:
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, prepares to take off from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam ( JBPH-H), Hawaii, Jan. 14, 2019.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and two F-22 Raptors from the 199th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, fly in formation near Diamond Head State Monument, Hawaii, Jan. 16, 2019.
A B-2 Spirit bomber deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and F-22 Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing fly near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, during an interoperability training mission Jan. 15, 2019.