Escorted by Israeli, Bahraini F-16s and Saudi F-15s for Practice Mission

A B-1 bomber flew alongside aircraft from four U.S. partners on October 30, as the group circled the Arabian Peninsula for a “presence patrol” mission.

The flight took the wing on a five-hour tour over the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman before returning. 

Throughout the journey, nations governing each leg of airspace sent fighter escorts for the photo op, demonstrating their partnership and commitment to regional security for the surrounding areas. A flight of 3 Saudi F-15s escorted the B-1B Lancer over their skies, later followed by 2 Israeli F-15s and Bahraini F-16s in a similar fashion. The origin of the Lancer was undisclosed, but assumed to be one from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, a unit recently deployed to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

That base is well within the long-legged aircraft’s range of almost 6,500 nm, fully within reach of most possible viewers of a demonstration in that half of the globe. 

The patrol marks the fourth of its kind this year run by CENTCOM, with three in January 2021 and one in March.  Deploying the unit to Diego Garcia for the first time in 15 years was believed by some to be a warning to China, sending a message to stay away from Guam and other allies in the region. With rumors and worries over Taiwan in the news cycle, the wings’ presence seems to play an increasing role in the varied disputes around the world. Whatever the stage, the Lancer is content to travel for an appearance, be it this flight over U.S. Central Command’s purview, Africa, or the Indo-Pacific. 

FMI: www.centcom.mil