B-1 bombers from Texas flexed on Venezuela this week, with an offshore flyby no doubt intended to get Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro‘s attention.
The pair of supersonic bombers, call signs Barb21 and Barb22, came within about 50 miles of the Venezuelan coast on Oct 23. They kept their ADSB on too. The bombers from Dyess AFB can carry upwards of 75,000 pounds of bombs each, and they wanted to be seen.
Numerous Air Force assets involved
A KC-135 Stratotanker from MacDill AFB provided the aerial refueling, linking up with the bombers as needed. An RC-135 was also airborne, picking up signals and scooping up intelligence.
An E-11A aircraft known as ‘Wi-Fi in the sky’ was also behind the scenes, supporting communications and probably connecting the data from the RC-135 to Washington.
Venezuela does have Russian and Chinese surface-to-air missiles, and F-16 fighter jets, but they know any move they make will be met with fatal force, following their own F-16 flyby of a Navy warship recently.
The U.S. basically responded by saying if Venezuela did it again, they would be shot down.
World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier is headed to Venezuela
Eight U.S. warships, a nuclear sub and squadron of F-35 fighter jets are positioned within easy striking distance. The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is currently sailing towards Venezuela from the Mediterranean.
It’s the latest escalation by President Donald Trump and his administration to stop Venezuelan drug trafficking into the U.S., funding Maduro’s regime.
The U.S. government has a $50 million bounty out for his arrest.
So far, the U.S. military has carried out 10 strikes on drug vessels transporting large quantities of drugs, killing 40 people.
