Stealth bombers from the US Air Force (USAF) landed in Australia on 16 August following unannounced flights from North America.
At least two Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit flying-wing jets arrived at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley in Queensland, after transiting from the stealth bombers’ home station of Whiteman AFB in the continental USA.
The long-range sortie covered more than 7,400nm (13,750km) over an undisclosed length of time. Video released by the USAF shows the pair of stealth aircraft arriving in Queensland after dark.
Subsequent B-2 sorties were launched from Amberley on 19 August, according to the USAF.
Dispatching of the nuclear-capable B-2s, part of a so-called “bomber task force”, had not been announced prior to their arrival in Australia. Washington describes the long-range mission as part of the USAF’s effort to maintain a “credible bomber force that enhances security and stability of our allies and partners”.
The USAF has previously deployed B-2s and Boeing B-1B Lancer heavy bombers to Europe under earlier bomber task force missions. Such missions have previously lasted several weeks before the aircraft return home.
“Bomber missions contribute to joint force lethality and deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by demonstrating the US Air Force’s ability to operate anywhere in the world at any time,” the service says of the latest deployment to Australia.
Washington maintains only a small fleet of the strategic bombers, with just 19 operational B-2s in service. The USAF plans to scrap one more existing Spirit bomber that was irreparably damaged in a 2022 emergency landing at Whiteman, Missouri.
The Australia flights were the second major Indo-Pacific appearance for B-2s in recent months, following a separate mission to the US-controlled island of Guam in June. That marks a notable change from recent years, during which the scarce and notoriously difficult-to-maintain aircraft have had limited presence in the region.
The B-2 fleet was grounded in 2022 after the Whiteman crash. The type made its first post-grounding overseas appearance one year ago in Iceland, during a 2023 bomber task force mission.
“United States strategic bombers can operate in the Indo-Pacific region from a broad array of overseas and continental US locations with great operational resilience,” the USAF says.
Following meetings with his Australian counterpart earlier this month, US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon planned to increase rotational aircraft deployments to the continent, and to increase its bomber presence there.
The latest B-2 deployments come as the USAF is reckoning with a new strategic reality in that theatre. Advances in both aircraft and long-range missile capability by rival China recently led USAF leaders to declare they can no longer count on established forward air bases in the region, which Beijing could effectively target during conflicts.
That has the service searching for sites, such as in Australia, that are farther from the so-called “first island chain”, which is nearer to the East Asia mainland. The USAF’s recent Bamboo Eagle exercises focused on using larger numbers of small, more-austere ground bases to support sorties over wide areas.
In July, Reuters reported that Washington and Canberra have quietly been expanding RAAF Base Tindal in Australia’s Northern Territory, with an eye toward expanding the presence of US aircraft there, including Lockheed F-22 stealth fighters, Boeing B-52 bombers and support tankers.
