The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command recently released images of its strategic bombers B-52H Stratofortress flying a few kilometers off the coast of Venezuela, in what was one of the latest missions of these aircraft amid the tense relationship between Washington and Caracas.
In the images, the U.S. bombers can be seen flying over the waters of the Paraguaná Peninsula, with some geographical landmarks of the region also identified, such as Cerro Santa Ana, for example. On November 6, a pair of B-52H Stratofortress took off from Minot Air Force Base and then headed south. During this high-profile mission, which could be tracked through various open flight-tracking applications, the U.S. Air Force bombers flew just a few kilometers off the Venezuelan coastline, near Punto Fijo, Coro, and Maiquetía.
Military sources indicated that the activity of the U.S. Air Force B-52H bombers took place within the framework of the air patrol and surveillance operations that the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) has coordinated since September, in support of the campaign against transnational criminal organizations and the fight against drug trafficking. This initiative has seen the deployment of considerable air and naval assets in the Caribbean, such as amphibious assault ships, destroyers, and even the presence of fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II fighters in Puerto Rico.
The recent mission of the U.S. Air Force B-52Hs adds to a series of similar aerial deployments carried out in recent weeks. These missions are classified as high-profile, not only because of the type of assets used—such as strategic bombers—but also because their presence is made openly public by turning on their identification systems, which allows applications like Flightradar24 to track the flight. A similar action was carried out a week ago by a pair of B-1B Lancer bombers.
Awaiting the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
One of the most significant points of this U.S. deployment in the Caribbean was Washington’s decision to deploy the strike group of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in support of the Southern Command’s activities. The capital ship, along with its escort of destroyers, was in Mediterranean waters when it received the order to head west, generating all kinds of speculation about whether the vessel’s presence would mean an escalation of actions against Venezuela.
For the moment, U.S. Armed Forces have limited themselves to intercepting and destroying vessels used for drug trafficking, both in Caribbean and Pacific waters. For its part, the Bolivarian National Armed Force went on alert, carrying out various deployments of assets and personnel near strategic points.
However, various sources have indicated that the Ford aircraft carrier has slowed its course toward the Caribbean, in what would be a signal from the U.S. North American media recently reported that President Donald Trump has not yet decided to take direct action against Venezuela, a situation that explains the slowing down of the Ford strike group’s deployment to the Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
The latest update on the Ford aircraft carrier was reported by the Spanish Navy yesterday, when the U.S. Navy’s strike group crossed the Strait of Gibraltar. During the transit, Spain escorted the USS Gerald R. Ford with the frigate Numancia, as part of the good relations maintained between both forces.
You may also like: Venezuela claims to have detected the deployment of U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighters near its coasts
