This Wednesday (15), three United States Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers were seen near Venezuelan airspace, according to the newspaper Daily Mailamid growing tension between Washington and the Nicolás Maduro regime.
The presence of the aircraft – capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons – reinforces the US deterrent power in the Caribbean – where, according to the White House, American military personnel are fighting narco-terrorism – and marks yet another demonstration of strength by the Donald Trump administration in the region.
According to the newspaper Washington Postanalysis carried out this Thursday (16) of images from social networks showed that MH-6 attack helicopters Little Bird E MH-6 Black Hawk they were also flying over the Caribbean Sea, about 145 kilometers from the Venezuelan coast, in the vicinity of oil and gas platforms.
Symbol of US air supremacy
Manufactured by Boeing, the B-52 is considered the United States Air Force’s most iconic bomber. The original model came into operation in 1955, at the height of the Cold War, as part of the American nuclear deterrence strategy. Since then, the aircraft has gone through several versions – from B-52A to B-52G –, each receiving structural, performance and armament improvements.
The current variant, the B-52H Stratofortress, entered service in 1961 and is the only one still in active operation. According to Boeing, “the B-52 is the most combat capable aircraft in the American inventory, offering nuclear and conventional immediate global strike capabilities.”
The aircraft has a wingspan of 56 meters, can carry up to 31.5 tonnes of weaponry – including cruise missiles, smart bombs and mines – and fly at speeds of up to 1,046 km/h. Its flight range exceeds 14 thousand kilometers, a limit that can be increased with aerial refueling, which allows it to carry out intercontinental missions without the need for landing.
Over 60 years of active service
The US Air Force maintains 76 B-52H units in operation, distributed between the bases in Barksdale, Louisiana, and Minot, North Dakota.
“The B-52s remain an essential element of the United States’ national security strategy,” Boeing states on its official website.
The current model should remain in use until at least 2050, after successive upgrades to navigation, communication and weapons systems. During its trajectory, versions of the B-52 participated in several military campaigns, including the Vietnam, Gulf and Iraq wars, as well as missions against the Islamic State in Syria. Its performance in attack and air support missions led the Pentagon to call it the “backbone” of American strategic capability.
Non-Caribbean Alert
The overflight of B-52 bombers near Venezuela comes at a time when the Trump administration has been intensifying its military presence in the Caribbean, reinforcing air and naval patrols under the argument of combating drug trafficking and preventing drugs from entering American soil.
