The sight and sound of huge B52 bombers have been seen and heard across Britain as the United States Air Force planes conduct pre-planned missions across Europe. Based at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire they have acted as a sign of Allied military power following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Nato is not involved in the conflict in Ukraine but some military flights from the USAF and the RAF have been linked to the conflict, although many are routine training and exercise flights. There is renewed interest in the military aircraft as tensions continue following the invasion.
In the video you can see at the top of this article, a a B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, is loaded with munitions a day prior to a sortie on May 20, 2020.
You can see crews wheel the bombs across the landing strip and then loaded on to the planes. More videos are available in the links at the bottom of this article.
The USAF says bomber taskings are an essential part of the B-52 mission. In order to remain combat-ready, pilots must be effective at dropping munitions.
What is a B-52?
The US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, nuclear and conventional heavy bomber that can perform a wide variety of missions. The bombers are capable of flying at high subsonic altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, the bomber can carry precision-guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capabilities.
Affectionately known as BUFFs (Big Ugly Fat Fellas or a similar word beginning with F) - these big beasts cost around $14million each. In active service since 1955, they were built to carry nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
Each plane can carry up to 70,000 lbs of weapons and has a combat range of around 8,800 miles without refuelling. They were used extensively during the Vietnam War and have seen more recent service in the Gulf Wars and last year during the aerial bombardment of Syria.
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