U.S. B-52s participate in back-to-back exercises led by Colombia, Ecuador

Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft participated in exercises led by Colombia and Ecuador earlier this month.

According to the Air Force, on Nov. 8 the aircraft participated in Brother's Shield, which was led by the Colombian air force, and in UNITAS LXI, led this year by Ecuador -- but the mission began well beforehand.

Brother's Shield was the first mission to be completed celebrating the Colombian Air Force's 101st anniversary. During the exercise, the B-52H crews supported Colombian air force Kfir fighter aircraft pilots in air-to-air interception training, which includes flying in formation to form a shield against enemy combatants.

"Anytime we have the privilege to integrate with our allies in a fighter integration or naval exercise, we are excited," U.S. Air Force Capt. Joshua Henry, 96th Bomb Squadron B-52H pilot and mission lead, said in a press release.

The B-52 crews integrated and trained with joint forces for UNITAS, an annual multinational naval exercise conducted in the Atlantic and Pacific waters near Central and South America. That exercise drew participants from 11 countries from Nov. 2 through Nov. 11.

This year's UNITAS exercise was led by Ecuadorian forces, and B-52 crews integrated and trained with joint forces to provide a simulated dynamic targeting capability for naval forces.

"I haven't worked with the Colombian or Ecuadorian militaries before, but anytime that we as a community have an opportunity to work with partner nations, we always learn a lot," Henry said. "Colombia and Ecuador were very professional, and a lot of our lessons learned were developed from the planning stages."

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Lockheed, U.S. government offer to sell 40 F-35As to Swiss air force
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 19, 2020
The U.S. government and Lockheed Martin submitted a proposal to the Swiss government offering up to 40 F-35A aircraft and a sustainment and training program. According to Lockheed Martin, the offering also includes an industrial package that would provide Swiss industry with work opportunities in all regions of the country. If the deal goes through, Lockheed said, Swiss industry would have the opportunity to compete for direct production of F-35 components as well as sustainment projects ... read more