The mighty swing-wing heavy bomber of the US Air Force (USAF) B-1B Lancer—one of the three strategic bomber types of the USAF alongside the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress—was spotted at the Kempegowda International Airport's Terminal 2 recently.
Pictures and videos of the B-1B Lancer, hailed as the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, as it can "deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time," have gone viral on social media, with many wondering why the bomber has landed in India.
So, what's it doing in India?
The mighty bomber has arrived in India as part of the joint four-day exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and USAF. The joint wargame is being held from November 10 to 13.
"The Indian Air Force and United States Air Force are engaged in a bilateral exercise from 10–13 Nov 25, aimed at fostering mutual learning and enhancing interoperability.
USAF is participating with the B-1B Lancer," the IAF said in a tweet.
The IAF jets participating in the exercise include Sukhoi-30 MKIs and Dassault Mirage-2000s.
The joint exercise is taking place amid continuing strain in ties between India and the US after US President Donald Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods in August.
The long-range, multi-mission, supersonic conventional bomber, which carries the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, has been serving the US since 1985. Originally designed for nuclear capabilities, the B-1 switched to an exclusively conventional combat role in the mid-1990s, according to Boeing.
