Recently Deployed US B-1B Bombers To Norway Conduct First Mission - Pentagon

US B-1B Lancer bombers that were recently deployed to Norway have conducted their first mission from that country, the Defense Department said in a statement on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2021) US B-1B Lancer bombers that were recently deployed to Norway have conducted their first mission from that country, the Defense Department said in a statement on Friday.

"Two B-1s conducted tactical integration with Norwegian F-35s and Norwegian naval assets in the eastern Barents Sea," the statement said.

The bomber task force missions demonstrate the United States' commitment to the collective defense of NATO and contribute to the stability in the European theater, the statement added.

"This type of interoperability is especially critical in the Arctic where no one nation has the infrastructure or capacity to operate alone," US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa commander Jeff Harrigian said in the statement.

The US bombers arrived in Norway earlier this week and their crews joined the 200 US airmen that were deployed there earlier in February.

Russia criticized the deployments to its neighbor Norway as a sign of military buildup in the region.