U.S. and Partner Aircrews Conduct Presence Patrol

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers flew a presence patrol mission in the Central Region that included several coalition and partner nation air forces today.

The bomber task force mission – the sixth in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility this year – represented the U.S. led coalition’s commitment to promoting regional stability through partnership.

“Today’s presence patrol mission was an impressive demonstration of our combined power projection capabilities,” said Lt. Gen. Greg Guillot, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) commander. “Simply put, each of our air forces is strong, and we are even stronger together.”

Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined the patrol over their respective airspaces, while U.S. fighter jets provided escort. The two-hour presence patrol flew into the CENTCOM AOR over the Red Sea and conducted rejoins with partner nations along the flight path before departing the region.

CENTCOM has coordinated five similar patrols – three in January, one in March and one in October – since the beginning of the year.