Ghost ship of the sky! B2 Stealth Bomber from the US is pictured at RAF Fairford after carrying out training missions in Europe
- The B2 stealth bomber spans an imposing 170 feet and is capable of unleashing awesome destruction
- It was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after flying in from Lajes Field, Portugal
- Training exercises over Garvi Island were choreographed to showcase Washington’s military might to world
- Darren Lewington, 49, flew over the RAF base yesterday in a two-seater Piper Cub to glimpse the best view
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Spanning an imposing 170 feet and capable of unleashing awesome destruction, the B2 stealth bomber is one of the most deadly weapons in the United States’ military arsenal.
But this weekend it was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after flying in from the American base in Lajes Field, Portugal, where it had carried out training.
These exercises over Garvi Island were choreographed to showcase Washington’s military might by striking fear into its enemies while reassuring its allies.
And to those who marvelled at the stealth bomber in the Cotswolds, it certainly had the desired effect and sent a chill up the spine.
Darren Lewington, 49, flew over the RAF base yesterday in a two-seater Piper Cub to glimpse the best view of the gigantic plane.
The aeronautical enthusiast said: ‘Apparently there were three of them, they tend to be deployed every few months or so.
‘There’s something a bit sinister about those planes, it looks like something Batman would swoop around in.’
Spanning an imposing 170 feet and capable of unleashing awesome destruction, the B-2 stealth bomber was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire this weekend
It had earlier swooped in to the Cotswolds air base after carrying out training exercises at the American base in Lajes Field, Portugal
Darren Lewington, 49, flew over the RAF base yesterday in a two-seater Piper Cub to glimpse the best view of the gigantic plane
Three stealth bombers swooped into Fairford on Thursday and were greeted by jaw-dropped locals who watched in amazement.
According to a US Air Force statement release, the B2 Spirit aircraft – which are capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads – conducted military drills with US NATO partners in Europe to ‘deter adversaries’ and reassure ‘allies’.
Lt. Gen Steven Basham, Deputy Commander of US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, said: ‘Operating bombers from forward locations enables collective defense capabilities and provides the US and NATO the strategic and operational capacity needed to deter adversaries while assuring our allies and partners’.
Previously the B-2 stealth bombers – developed under the Advanced Technology Bomber during Jimmy Carter’s administration – were based in Portugal.
NATO, founded in 1949 to deter the expansionist USSR, has come under strain in recent years as member-states are accused of reneging treaty duties.
This stealth bomber had been training over the Garvi Island in exercises choreographed to showcase Washington’s military might by striking fear into its enemies while reassuring its allies
According to a US Air Force statement release, the B-2 Spirit aircraft – which are capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads – conducted military drills with US NATO partners in Europe to ‘deter adversaries’ and reassure ‘allies’
Previously the B-2 stealth bombers – developed under the Advanced Technology Bomber during Jimmy Carter’s administration – were based in Portugal
Pictured: US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber lands at RAF Fairford in Goucestershire
President Donald Trump, who famously designated the alliance ‘obsolete’, put European allies under pressure to spend two per cent of their GDP on defence.
Military drills in NATO airspace come amid heightened tensions with Russia, which is accused by Western powers of bullying and aggressive behaviour.
Relations between Moscow and Western powers first soured after the former’s war with Georgia in 2008, backing separatists in the tiny Caucasian state.
They collapsed after Russia annexed Crimea and helped fuel Ukraine’s bloody civil war, which began after the toppling of the pro-Moscow regime in 2014.
Russia has also found itself at loggerheads with the US, Britain, and France in Syria, where it has backed Bashar al-Assad and Iran to the hilt since 2015.
President Vladimir Putin has lamented the collapse of the USSR, and accused NATO of provoking Russia by expanding the alliance after the Cold War.