on Sept. 5, 2019, U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, flies a +30 Hour Nonstop Mission To Perform A Show Of Force During Ex Eager Lion 19 in Jordan.
Several interesting details about this year’s show of force mission could be gathered online using OSINT (Open Sources Intelligence) tools, such as flight tracking websites and applications and web-based radios.
The first interesting thing is that this time, just one of the B-52s which were tasked with the EL19 mission eventually crossed the Pond since the other one had to return home (for unknown reasons):
Looks like two anyway pic.twitter.com/W3p5cKIzsy
— qooᴎꙄʏqooᴎꙄɘʜT (@TheSnoopySnoop) September 4, 2019
The remaining B-52, flying as MYTEE 51, continued its mission, took part in the live-fire exercise (during which it most probably integrated with Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s (as happened in the past years) and returned home.
Interestingly, the aircraft could also be tracked as it was refueled over Jordan, south of Amman, by two KC-10 tankers, MOJO98 (791712) and MOJO97 (840185), before taking the way back home via the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The AAR (Air-to-Air Refueling) operation took place in the FL220-250 block, between 09.15Z and 10.10Z, when the three aircraft declared MARSA (military assumes responsibility separation aircraft).
It’s not the first time B-52s could be tracked during long-range missions.
