With considerable buzz being generated by the presence of the two United States Air Force (USAF) cutting-edge F-35 stealth combat fighters and the B-1 strategic bombers at Asia’s biggest air show being held at Bengaluru’s Yelahanka IAF base, the question among the public at large was where was the B-1 bomber parked?
While two variants of the F-35 fighter were put on full display at the tarmac of the air base, the B-1 bombers were nowhere to be seen.
Sources in India’s military establishment told THE WEEK that the B-1B ’Lancers’ had flown from much far away with the prime intent of showcasing its long-range capabilities.
A US embassy release had quoted Rear Admiral Michael Baker, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the US Embassy in New Delhi: “These bombers made the journey from South Dakota to Guam and then to India just to add another exciting dimension to Aero India ‘23. It’s a long mission to travel from the continental US to the Indian Ocean; but it was worth it to be part of the biggest air show in the region hosted by our Major Defense Partner, India.”
Located in the Western Pacific, Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia. The other major military base of the US is at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean which is located at an aerial distance of about 2,326 km from Bengaluru.
The Guam military base is called the Andersen Air Force Base while the one in Diego Garcia is called the Naval Support Facility.
With no expeditionary intent, India doesn’t really require a bomber in its IAF fleet.
Considered the backbone of the US long-range bombing capabilities, the B-1 heavy bomber can undertake missions all across the globe from its homebases in the US. The B-1 bomber carries the largest conventional payload of guided and unguided weapons in the USAF.
It is for the second time that the B-1 has made a recorded appearance in Indian skies. The first time was on February 3, 2021, during the last Aero India show.
On the other hand, the F-35 has landed on Indian soil for the first-ever time.
The B-1 has the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the US Air Force.
A US embassy release had indicated that the B-1’s appearance over Indian skies would imply “greater integration with our Allies and partners throughout the region is a positive step towards greater interoperability.”
Significantly, the US had deployed B-1 bombers along with about 200 airmen in Diego Garcia in August 2020 amid escalating tensions between India and China over the border dispute along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
The US air force mainly operates three bombers—the B-1B ‘Lancer’, the B-2 ‘Spirit’, and the B-52 ‘Stratofortress’. A new strategic bomber B-21 is believed to be undergoing production.
