On Trump’s election day, a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber flew over northern Norway into Finland for training

As the Americans voted in the presidential elections on November 5, several long-range B-52 strategic bombers from Barksdale air force base in Louisiana were deployed to Europe.

One of them conducted a training mission over northern Finland, NATO Air Command reports on X. The Finnish Air Force posted photos of one of their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets flying together with the American bomber.

“The bomber entered Finnish airspace from the north and exited via the Gulf of Bothnia,” Finnish Air Force said. 

Norwegian military confirms to the Barents Observer that the flight path included northernmost Norway.

"We can confirm that the American B-52 flew through Norwegian airspace on its way to Finland on Tuesday," says spokesperson Henrik Omtvedt Jenssen with the Joint Headquarters. 

"The USA is Norway's most important ally and their presence, including the B-52, is an important contribution to the security of Norway and the Nordic region. Exercise and training from NATO in Norway and the Nordic countries is of great importance for Norway's defense capability," he said 

There were no Norwegian fighter jets following the B-52 while inside the country's airspace.  

Finland has not made public information about how close to the Russian border in the north the training took place. 

Both Finland and Sweden joined NATO after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The flight on Tuesday is the second time U.S. strategic bombers train together with the Finnish Air Force.

The B-52 aircraft was the 60-0008, which is one of the 46 operative nuclear-capable bombers. 

The two first B-52 bombers on mission over Lapland in July this year were not nuclear-capable. 

"Capable" does not mean that the aircraft carries nuclear weapons.

Finnish air force says the plane exited Finnish airspace out over the Bay of Bothnia, the northern arm of the Baltic Sea. From there, the flight likely continued into Sweden and possible Norway/Denmark in the south before arriving returning to a British airbase.

A U.S RC-135 signal intelligence plane were also on November 5 flying Norwegian and Finnish airspace, north to the Barents Sea and returning south over Lapland to the Baltics. 

Also on November 7, a B-52 bomber conducted training over Finnish air space. The plane flew together with both Finnish and Swedish fighter jets to the northern region. 

At the same time, both a Swedish and an American signal intelligence planes conducted sorties from the south to the north in Nordic and international air space.  

The Swedish Gulfstream IV turned around north of Lake Inari in Finnish Lapland.

Over Norway, the U.S. plane continued out over the Barents Sea, made a mission outside Russia's submarine bases on the Kola Peninsula, before returning back over Finnmark and into Finland. 

Neither Swedish, nor American military intelligence planes are allowed to fly over east-Finnmark region as Norway maintain its self-imposed restrictions on NATO flights near its border with Russia. 

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