Increasing Interoperability: B-2s, B-1s Join US Marine Corps, Australian Defence Forces in

B-2 Spirits and B-1 Lancers participated in a combined United States-Australia exercise in Australia’s Northern Territory by providing long-distance air strikes as part of a combined task force with the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin and Australian Defence Forces (ADF) in August.

B-2s of the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS), deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, flew roughly 3,991 miles, or 6,424 km, during multiple sorties to operate over Delamere, Bradshaw and Mount Bundley training areas in Australia. Additionally, a squadron of KC-135s from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan flew to Darwin, Australia to support the bomber presence.

The exercise focused on a small naval expeditionary force’s ability to rapidly deploy, integrate with allies, coordinate airstrikes and call for close air support on targets within a contested environments.

During this combined exercise, MRF-D and ADF joint terminal air controllers (JTACs) coordinated airstrikes with U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the B-2s before passing those same aircraft to tactical units to conducting dynamic targeting, which is striking unplanned and unanticipated targets.

“It’s imperative that the U.S. Marine Corps and Australian Army work together,” said Australian Army Sgt. Aaron Costes, a JTAC with 102nd Coral Battery. “It’s such a feat that we can infill and have an aircraft come in from such long distances.”