Historic Visit: B-1B Bombers Land in Turkey

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers made a historic visit to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, marking the first-ever visit of this aircraft type to the base. The visit included a "hot-pit" refueling, where the engines remain running during refueling, to increase training sortie rates and operational readiness. The B-1s, assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, conducted training missions with the Turkish Air Force, integrating with KC-135R tankers and F-16 Vipers. The visit highlights the U.S. Air Force's ability to deploy its B-1s globally and demonstrates close cooperation with Turkey, despite tensions between Turkey and Israel and Ankara's opposition to Sweden's NATO membership.