A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber arrives at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. (Whitney Erhart/U.S. Air Force)
American B-2 Spirits recently deployed to eastern Australia for the first bomber task force mission there in over two years.
An undisclosed number of aircraft, support personnel and equipment arrived Friday at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, the Air Force said Tuesday.
B-2s last deployed to Amberly for a bomber task force mission in July 2022.
Spirits arrived this month from the 509th and 131st bomb wings at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., according to the release.
“This deployment is in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners, and joint forces and strategic deterrence missions,” the release states.
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber arrives at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. (Whitney Erhart/U.S. Air Force)
Bomber task force missions operate regularly out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
In March, for example, two B-52 Stratofortress bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia. In June, a B-1B Lancer operating out of Guam bombed simulated targets on Pilsung Range, about 100 miles southeast of Seoul, South Korea.
The Australian bomber deployment comes as American military planners look for options to disperse forces in the region.
In a conflict, China could strike U.S. bases on Guam and in the Far East with everything from ballistic missiles to maneuverable cruise and hypersonic missiles.
Nearly $450 million in U.S.-funded air base construction is underway in Australia’s Northern Territory, Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin Schneider told reporters during a visit to RAAF Darwin in July.
The construction includes facilities that can support rotations of U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers to RAAF Tindal, 180 miles southeast of Darwin, he said, noting that any deployments must be coordinated at the highest levels of the Australian and U.S. governments.
Tindal and Darwin are closer than Amberly to Manila by more than 1,400 miles.
Tindal hosted Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters during the biennial Pitch Black exercise in July and August. The drills involved 21 nations, 140 aircraft and 4,400 personnel in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
