The US has sent B-1B Lancer strategic bombers to Japan, following the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter jets

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 12.07.2023, 16:38
The US has sent B-1B Lancer strategic bombers to Japan, following the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter jets

In early July, the US Air Force deployed a group of fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters to Japan. Following them, B-1B Lancer strategic bombers arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Here's What We Know

The fighter jets landed at Kadena Air Base (Kadena), located on the island of Okinawa. The bombers arrived at Misawa Base, which is located in the north of Honshu Island.

The B-1B Lancer will take part in the Northern Edge 2023 multinational military exercise, which will run until 21 July 2023. Also, the arrival of the strategic bombers is a signal to China and Russia that the US is in control of the world.

The B-1 Lancer is a supersonic strategic aircraft that was created as a replacement for the B-52 Stratofortress. However, it will be retired earlier than Boeing's bomber, which will continue to fly until the middle of this decade due to modernisation. In addition, the B-1Bs ceased to be nuclear weapons carriers many years ago.