Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortresses integrated with Italian Typhoons and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers for a rare joint close air support mission.
On Mar. 7, 2025, two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers were tracked while orbiting over central Italy for about two and a half hours. The two bombers launched from RAF Fairford, in the United Kingdom, where they have been deployed since Feb. 11 for the Bomber Task Force 25-2 rotation.
The two bombers, registrations 60-0007 and 60-0037, flew with the radio callsigns BULL51 and BULL52, respectively. The B-52s flew an almost direct route from Fairford to Italy, flying over France.
One B-52 up 60-0007. The theme of Fairford pub callsigns continue with BULL51 Flight today – cheers🍻 pic.twitter.com/35EsoxKmBA
— Saint1 (@Saint1Mil) March 7, 2025
Unlike all the previous BTF mission, during which the U.S. bombers had simply transited through the Italian airspace, with the Italian Air Force Eurofighters or F-35s flying in formation, this time the bombers operated for a few hours over Italy and integrated with two Italian Air Force Eurofighter F-2000A Typhoons and Italian JTACs for “Spartan Mace”, a BTF 25-2 mission focused on enhancing close-air support interoperability, later said the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa command.
B-52 BULL51 taken an unusual routing to go south, with a track east of #London. Nice views👀 pic.twitter.com/DlZyjAAQyB
— Saint1 (@Saint1Mil) March 7, 2025
The two F-2000As (as the single seater Eurofighters are designated in Italy), belonging to the 9° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 4° Stormo (Wing), were scrambled from Grosseto Air Base to intercept and escort the first B-52 until it reached the R48 airspace, a restricted airspace located over central Italy, where the joint mission took place.
Both the Stratofortress bombers and the Eurofighters, whose mission was much shorter than the one of the BUFFs, conducted simulated bomb drops under the guidance of Italian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers. The B-52s were also spotted by aviation photographers on the ground as they orbited at block levels between FL210 and FL230.
The press release mistakenly said the bombers entered an Italian military range near Sardinia Island. In fact, both could be tracked online via Multilateration (MLAT) of their Mode-S transponder signals, which showed they never approached Sardinia, remaining over the mainland.
The USAFE-AFA command further mentioned that Spartan Mace marks the tenth operation integrating U.S. B-52s with Allied air and ground forces during this BTF 25-2. Just a day earlier, on Mar. 6, the bombers participated in “Fortress Hail” over the Baltic Sea, a mission that included a dynamic targeting exercise with Dutch F-35 Lightning IIs and a live weapons drop with Finnish F/A-18 Hornets.
Bomber Task Force 25-2
Two U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base touched down in the UK on Feb. 11, 2025 to kick off the Bomber Task Force 25-2 deployment. The first two airframes are 60-0007 and 60-0023, followed on Feb. 13 by 60-0044 and on Feb. 15 by 60-0037.
The first sortie flown by this detachment saw two of the bombers depart Fairford in the very early hours of Feb. 17, 2025, on a 24-hour flight that took them in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. The B-52s integrated with four partner nations, who provided fighter support at various stages of the sortie, and conducted live weapon drops at multiple ranges in undisclosed countries.
The bombers have been very active, with multiple missions where they worked with NATO Allies and partner nations, conducting joint training missions designed to enhance interoperability and readiness. Among these missions are “Spartan Mace” over Italy, “Spartan Sword” over Türkiye, “Fortress Hail” over the Baltic Sea, and “Onyx Cross” over Eastern Europe.
“Bomber Task Force missions reinforce our ability to rapidly project combat power, demonstrating U.S. lethality and readiness in a dynamic security environment,” said Major General Joseph Campo, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. “Training alongside our Allies and partners ensures seamless integration, enhancing our collective deterrence and warfighting capability across Europe and Africa” he added.
