US Air Force B-2 Stealth Bomber Missions to Deploy Over Europe

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

 US Air Force B-2 Stealth Bombers have arrived in Iceland in preparation for Europe-wide Bomber Task Force missions in support of US European Command, a move which aligns with the service’s committment to expanding forward bomber presence. 

Simply put, the concept is deterrence, as there are not many stealth aircraft throughout the European continent and, given the range of the B-2, European-launched stealth bombers could easily reach Russia should there be a need for engagement. 

The B-2s will engage in “collaborative” training with allies across the European continent, according to an Air Force essay, which refers to the B-2 as “arguably the most strategically significant airplane in the world.” 

There is an interest subtext to this deployment, despite the fact that B-2 forward positioning and Bomber Task Force mission patrols are a standard Air Force deployment procedure. Operating B-2s over Europe to hold Russia at risk if necessary signals a vote of Air Force confidence in the B-2, a 34yr-old stealth bomber which has been extensively upgraded to remain relevant and effective until sufficient numbers of the B-21 Raider arrive. 

The significant subtext here seems to be that perhaps the Air Force has increased confidence that indeed the upgraded B-2s could overmatch or elude advanced Russian air defenses. For years, Russian news reports have claimed that Russia’s S-400 and S-500 Surface to Air Missile (SAMS) systems have become so advanced that even stealth aircraft are vulnerable. Indeed modern Russian air defenses are known to have increasingly precise, long-range and networked radar system which use digital processors and a greater range of frequencies.  Could these advanced air defenses detect a broadband stealth airframe such as the B-2, built to elude low-frequency surveillance radar as well as higher-frequency engagement or targeting radar. 

There are several key variables to consider here, as an ability to establish a “track” on a moving stealth target, maintain positioning and “hit” the aircraft is far more difficult to accomplish than simply recognizing that something is “there.”  Engagement and actual “hits” of stealth remain an extremely difficult task.