The Pentagon is increasing military cooperation with long-time partner Sweden as the Nordic country is about to officially join the NATO military alliance.
Recent drills concluding on 29 February paired American long-range bombers with Swedish fighters for a simulated combat deployment meant to demonstrate collective deterrence and test air defence capabilities, according to the US Air Force (USAF).
Two USAF Boeing B-1B supersonic heavy-bombers deployed from North America to Sweden for the multi-national event. The long-range jets arrived at Lulea-Kallax air base in northern Sweden on 23 February.
The pair of bombers were teamed with Saab Gripen fighters from the Swedish air force and with ground-based joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) operating in the country’s Arctic and Baltic regions.
JTACs are specialised personnel embedded with ground forces to communicate with pilots and direct air-to-ground strikes.
Dubbed Vanguard Adler, the week-long exercise included surface attack, air interdiction and close-air-support scenarios, according to the USAF, which says the missions were aimed at improving readiness and building partnerships between US and Swedish forces.
“The capability to generate sorties from locations like Lulea is a key focus area,” says the USAF headquarters for Europe and Africa.
Photos of the drills illustrate challenges of operating during the far northern winter, showing ground crews de-icing a B-1B. The crew’s home station of Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota boasts a similar winter climate.
Vanguard Adler also served as an opportunity to test NATO air defences elsewhere in the alliance’s territory. As they transited to Sweden from the USA, the two B-1Bs posed as a flight of enemy bombers attempting to penetrate NATO airspace.
The USAF says the flight was intercepted by “various NATO fighter aircraft” at multiple locations along the route, including over the strategic Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, the North Sea and the Arctic Sea.
“All training objectives were met”, the USAF says of the interdiction drills.
B-1B Lancers have become the Pentagon’s platform of choice for ultra-long endurance flights. The Pentagon recently deployed the type on a transcontinental combat mission from the continental US to the Middle East.
Washington now regularly deploys long-range attack aircraft to Europe under so-called “Bomber Task Forces”. It sent three of the USA’s nuclear-capable Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to Iceland in 2023.
But the Vanguard Adler deployment to Sweden is being especially emphasised, as Stockholm cleared its last major obstacle to NATO membership while the exercise was underway. Stockholm on 26 February received endorsement from the parliament in Hungary – the last remaining holdout among existing NATO members – cementing the unanimous approval needed to join the alliance. Hungary’s president signed the document approving NATO membership for Sweden on 5 March.
Sweden is expected to formally complete the accession process into the Euro-Atlantic mutual defence organisation as soon as 6 March.
To mark the milestone, the USAF is planning a show of force over the Swedish capital – which Washington and it allies will soon be obligated to defend under the North Atlantic Treaty.
The USAF says two of the service’s bombers – a B-1B and Boeing B-52H – will join Swedish Gripen fighters in a joint formation over Stockholm just before 13:00 local time on 6 March.
“The strong and enduring bond between the United States and Sweden, rooted in mutual interests and shared values, is poised to reach new heights,” says General James Hecker, the top USAF officer in Europe and commander of NATO’s Allied Air Command. “Initiatives like this joint flyover are just the beginning, as we work together to advance international stability and security.”
Sweden’s entrance into NATO delivers a significant increase in combat air power to bloc, including 71 Gripen C multi-role fighters, two Saab 340 airborne early warning and control aircraft and a single Lockheed Martin KC-130H tanker, according to Cirium data.
The country also is acquiring 60 of Saab’s latest Gripen E variant.
