US B-2 stealth bomber teams up with Norwegian F-35s to sink ship in the Arctic
A US B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has flown non-stop from Missouri to carry out a Quicksink exercise in the Norwegian Sea.
The exercise involved the B-2 together with four Norwegian F-35s and a P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
The US stealth bomber dropped joint direct attack munitions which were developed at the US Air Force research laboratory.
The Quicksink is a new seeker attached to a conventional bomb but designed to adjust its course close to the ship hit a specific point and rupture the hull to rapidly sink the target.
The B-2 was carrying both GBU-31 2,000lb and GBU-38 500lb bombs to test different variants of the precision strike weapon.
So far the Norwegian military has only released grainy periscope footage of the ship being destroyed, taken from a submarine.
The exercise took place close to the island of Andoya inside the Arctic Circle.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford has been operating in the Norwegian Sea, while the Carrier Strike Group's Destroyer Squadron Two has also been operating in the Barents Sea north of Norway.
The US Arleigh Burke destroyers were working with the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl and supply ship HNorMS Maud, which was previously part of the UK's CSG25 deployment.
The US has also recently had a deployment of B-1B Lancer bombers working with the Norwegian air force, flying out of Ă˜rland Air Station near Trondheim in central Norway.
The deployment of multiple US assets shows the importance to them of security in the Arctic region.
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