A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., parks on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Jan. 15, 2025. (Robert Trujillo/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Air Force bombers from South Dakota are back in the Western Pacific for the region’s first bomber task force mission of the year.
At least two B-1B Lancers assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., arrived Jan. 15 at Andersen Air Force Base, according to photos published Friday by the 28th Bomb Wing.
The long-range, heavy bombers are slated to participate in Bomber Task Force 25-1, part of an ongoing series of training missions intended to showcase the Air Force’s “ability to deter, deny and dominate any influence or aggression from adversaries or competitors alongside allies and partner forces,” according to photo captions published to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
Squadron spokeswoman 2nd Lt. Alejandra Angarita acknowledged an email request for additional information on the deployment but was unable to provide a response by Tuesday afternoon.
The day of their arrival, at least one of the Lancers completed an aerial refueling over the South China Sea with a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, according to a separate series of photos posted Thursday on Facebook by the 18th Wing.
Also that day, a pair of Lancers were escorted in an airpower demonstration over the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, by South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 fighters, the first overflight by U.S. allies of the new year. The Air Force did not identify the Lancers’ home station.
The Air Force routinely deploys Lancers, B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit bombers to Guam and elsewhere around the world on task force missions, which began in January 2018 and have continued regularly since 2020. Plans call for replacing the Spirits with the B-21 Raider being developed by Northrop Grumman.
“While the missions for each BTF may vary, the overall goal remains the same: assure allies and deter adversaries,” the Air Force Global Strike Command website states.
From Nov. 8 to Dec. 13, four B-52s assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., deployed to England’s Royal Air Force Fairford base.
The bombers participated in nine operations with NATO and partner nations, including the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to a Dec. 13 news release.
The last task force mission based out of Guam, Bomber Task Force 24-6, concluded June 25 and included B-1Bs from Ellsworth’s 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, according to a July 5 news release from the 28th Bomb Wing.
