A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, over the North Sea on Sept. 11. U.S. Air Force photo.

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE – B-52 bombers and personnel from Minot Air Force Base traveled to and from overseas during 2024.

Those travels included:

Four B-52s assigned to the Minot base’s 5th Bomb Wing arrived in May at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford, England, to launch a routine bomber task force (BTF) deployment, according to U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs.

While deployed, the unit operated as the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron under the banner of Bomber Task Force Europe 24-3. During the deployment, the U.S. Air Force airmen and aircraft integrated with NATO allies and other international partners.

Most notably, the B-52s integrated with the British, Swedish, French, Lithuanian, Polish, German and Spanish Air Forces, according to U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs.

By flying out of RAF Fairford, the 69th EBS showed the U.S.’s ability to rapidly deploy and sustain operations great distances from home, according to 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron Public Affairs information.

About two weeks after arriving at RAF Fairford, two of the Minot B-52s flew from that location to the Eastern Mediterranean for a long-planned bilateral, international training mission. The Minot bombers integrated with Royal Air Force fighter aircraft and French Air Force aircraft in the Eastern Mediterranean before returning to RAF Fairford, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs reported.

The four Minot AFB bombers and personnel returned to the Minot base in June, concluding their month long routine Bomber Task Force deployment.

In mid-September, two Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses from Minot AFB took part in a NATO-led integration exercise over Poland.

Allied aircraft from NATO nations Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United States and United Kingdom integrated over Poland for the exercise, according to Allied Air Command with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The exercise demonstrated the service’s ability to integrate with allied nation forces while providing global strike capabilities anytime, anywhere.

In October, personnel at Minot Air Force Base were taking part in a two-week Global Thunder 25 exercise and in the middle of it, they were requested to generate fully loaded jets and several hundred airmen to send them overseas, Col. Jesse Lamarand told members of the Minot Area Chamber EDC’s Military Affairs Committee at their November meeting.

U.S. Central Command confirmed in early November that B-52 bombers from the base’s 5th Bomb Wing had deployed to the Middle East.

Minot AFB personnel returned to the base from their deployment just prior to Christmas.

Minot AFB is the only dual wing, nuclear-capable base in the Air Force. The 5th Bomb Wing has B-52 bombers and the 91st Missile Wing is responsible for operating, maintaining and securing Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Minot missile field.