Two American bombers flew south from Norway into Lapland in Finland on Sunday. Three tankers followed them, writes Yle. According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence, it was a training exercise coordinated with allied countries. Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen has referred to the incident at X. He calls it “normal activity carried out on the territory of a NATO country”. And that it is about deterrence and defense. Two Russian fighter jets took to the wings, as the two B-52 aircraft were about to cross the border into Russian airspace over the Barents Sea, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence. According to Russia, the bomber changed course when it caught sight of the approaching plane, writes NTB. The American planes did not violate Russian airspace, writes Yle. B-52 bomber The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, eight-engine, jet-powered, heavy bomber. They were used a lot during the Vietnam War and during the Gulf War in 1991, according to Store norske lexikon. The bomber can carry a heavy load of air-launched cruise missiles. Some of the planes are also equipped to carry nuclear weapons, although such weapons are not loaded on patrol flights like the one over Finland on Sunday, writes the Barents observer. Finland new NATO member This is far from normal, writes the Barents Observer. American B-52 aircraft have never flown over Finland before, explains defense analyst at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute, Per Erik Solli to news. But they have practiced over Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden for several years, says Solli. Now that Finland has become a member of NATO, it was expected that American B-52s would also practice there. – They have practiced for many years here in the north. It has become routine, says Solli. Defense analyst, Per Erik Solli, NUPI, Nord University Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news Raudt: – Contributes to increased tension with Russia Foreign and defense policy spokesperson in Raudt, Bjørnar Moxnes believes the trip contributes to increased tension with Russia. – Flying strategic bombers with nuclear capability over Norway and Finland helps make our area, the Nordic region, into an area of higher tension, he says. Raudt also believes that flights such as this one contribute to making Northern Norway an area of advancement between the great powers. – Which is contrary to what has been in Norwegian interest for many decades, namely to have low voltage in the high north, says Moxnes. He refers to the base declaration from 1949 and other earlier self-imposed Norwegian restrictions on exercises and allied presence east of the Porsangerfjord. – Now we are moving away from mitigation and “driving on” with deterrence and an increasing spiral of tension between the USA and Russia, right outside our own living room door. It will only weaken our security. In the short and long term, Moxnes believes. Bjørnar Moxnes in Raudt. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich The armed forces: – Not directly involved – The armed forces were not directly involved in this flight, apart from the fact that they were flying in Norwegian airspace, says Henrik Omtvedt Jenssen, spokesperson for the armed forces’ operational headquarters. No Norwegian planes or airports were hit by the flight, he wrote in an e-mail to news. The defense emphasizes that American activity has not increased recently. After the invasion of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, activity in the northern area has increased. – Norway carries out ongoing joint training with American forces through the so-called “Bomber Task Force”. The joint training gives us the opportunity to further develop and strengthen a joint approach to deterrence and security for the region. The Ministry of Defense refers to the Defense Ministry’s response above. Defense analyst: Routine The defense analyst says that it is easier for Norway, than Finland, to have a geographical buffer zone against Russia. – Because we only border Russia in Finnmark. Finland has a border with Russia all the way from the Gulf of Finland to the national border. There are only a few hundred kilometers between the border with Russia and the Baltic Sea, says Per Erik Solli. – Is this normal NATO activity? – Yes. Since 2018, it has been routine for American bombers to practice together with local European air forces. It has happened both in Southern, Central and Northern Europe. In all countries, except Finland, until this flight, Solli answers. – Is this flight a step towards increasing the American presence on Norwegian territory? – No. In no way. Flew close to the kola peninsula The American planes turned close to Saariselkä. About as close to the Russian Kola Peninsula as it is possible to get from the southwest, writes Barents observer. International airspace starts twelve nautical miles from Russian territory. So it is allowed to fly closer to the Kola Peninsula. But no NATO aircraft does that, explains Solli. – The monitoring and exercises in the area allow for greater margins, he says. In Norwegian airspace, Norwegian and allied fighter planes do not fly closer to the Russian border than 28 degrees east. It will say above Mehamn on the coast of Finnmark. – Neither do American surveillance planes. We take care that the Russians have the largest military complex outside the West in our immediate area. Russia also has important test areas for new weapons in the Barents Sea, says Solli. The American bombers usually operate from bases in Great Britain when they practice in the Nordic countries, he says. Published 22.07.2024, at 13.09
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American B-52 Stratofortress bombers flew over Norway and Finland on Sunday – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
