US B-52 arrives in RAF Fairford after completing 24-hour flight with air-to-air refuelling

A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress has landed in the UK after completing a 24-hour flight, which included air-to-air refuelling and live munition drops.

The two aircraft landed at RAF Fairford having flown across Europe and, according to a tweet from US Centcom, through nine partner missions.

OSINTdefender, a self-described open-source intelligence monitor, posted on X that this saw the aircraft travel over "Egypt, Jordan and Iraq… as well as the Persian Gulf... finally returning to base after a 24-hour mission".

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Centcom also said this saw several nations receive live munitions drops at ranges, with the mission taking place "to demonstrate force projection". 

Alongside the B-52s were US F-15s, as well as fighter escorts from four partner nations.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of US Centcom, said the Bomber Task Force mission shows the US's "ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the Centcom region".

He also said it projects power and shows the US's commitment to regional stability.

Centcom covers 21 nations in the Middle East and Central and South East Asia, as well as the waterways that are around them.