On November 25, 2024, two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted a pair of B-52H Stratofortresses near Kaliningrad while the bombers were conducting a training flight over the Baltic Sea. A U.S. defense official reported that the interception was carried out in a safe and professional manner, allowing the B-52s to continue their mission as planned.
The B-52s are part of a bomber task force that had deployed to Europe in early November 2024. During this particular training flight, the bombers executed their first simulated weapons drop in Finland and coordinated with Finnish F/A-18C Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens.
The bombers belong to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and took off from RAF Fairford in England. The United States Air Force noted that this training mission highlights Finland’s growing role within NATO, which Finland joined in the previous year. The operation, designated Exercise Apex Jet, involved U.S. forces collaborating closely with their Finnish counterparts.
General James Hecker, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, emphasized the importance of such missions in strengthening relationships and enhancing security across the region.
This interaction between U.S. bombers and Russian fighters occurs during a tense period in U.S.-Russia relations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. As the Biden administration seeks to expedite military aid to Ukraine before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January 2025, it has authorized the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) by Ukraine to target areas within Russian territory.
On the same day, Russia reportedly launched an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, which later reports indicated contained dummy warheads devoid of explosives.
