The U.S. Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force conducted a recent joint training focused on interoperability for find, fix, target and track threats. The exercise in Ørland, Norway, involved three B-1B Lancer bombers from USAF’s 345th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and F-35 aircraft from the Norwegian air force.
The U.S. Air Force Command said the participating aircraft’s F2T2 drill aims to sharpen allied capabilities to counter adversaries’ anti-access/area denial strategy.
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Advantages of F2T2 Capability
The command says the joint F2T2 training enhances the survivability of U.S. and allied aircraft and improves their operational and targeting capability within complex, high-risk airspace.
Lt. Col. Eric Alvarez, commander of the 345th Bomb Squadron, stressed that they are training to be “resilient and postured” for modern warfare’s land-based or airborne challenges. “This training is vital not only for refining our skills, tactics and procedures but also for strengthening our relationships with allied partners,” he said.
The B-1Bs arrived in Norway on Aug. 9 from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, partly manned by active-duty personnel and mainly by Reserve Airmen under the 489th Bomb Group.
The Lancer bombers’ Norwegian mission followed the BTF Europe deployment of two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers at the Spartan Sword mission in Turkey for a joint exercise with Turkish F-16s in an inert weapons drop exercise.