{"id":15622,"date":"2020-09-04T20:32:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T20:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/09\/04\/b-52s-fly-to-ukraine-to-train-with-troops-there\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:20:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:20:25","slug":"b-52s-fly-to-ukraine-to-train-with-troops-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/09\/04\/b-52s-fly-to-ukraine-to-train-with-troops-there\/","title":{"rendered":"B-52s fly to Ukraine to train with fighters there"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three B-52 Stratofortress<\/a> bombers from RAF Fairford in England flew to Ukraine Friday to train with the nation\u2019s military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. European Command said in a release that the mission provided the B-52s, which are deployed to England from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, \u201cvaluable midair training.\u201d They also practiced working with Ukrainian fighters inside Ukraine\u2019s airspace, and showed how aircraft such as the B-52 could deter Russian aggression<\/a>, EUCOM said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training flight is the latest in a series of missions the Air Force has flown over the past year in the tense area bordering Russia. In 2014, Russian forces occupied the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea<\/a> and claimed it as part of Russia. The U.S. military in recent years has shifted its primary focus toward preparing for a possible conflict with major adversary nations such as China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\t