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A B-1B Lancer from the 28th Bomb Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, May 5, 2020.

A B-1B Lancer from the 28th Bomb Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, May 5, 2020. (Kelly O'Connor/U.S. Air Force)

A B-1B Lancer from the 28th Bomb Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, May 5, 2020.

A B-1B Lancer from the 28th Bomb Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, May 5, 2020. (Kelly O'Connor/U.S. Air Force)

A B-1B Lancer flies with a Danish F-16 during a training mission for Bomber Task Force Europe, May 5, 2020.

A B-1B Lancer flies with a Danish F-16 during a training mission for Bomber Task Force Europe, May 5, 2020. (Danish air force)

Two B-1B Lancers arrived in the Baltics to work with NATO allies this week, marking the heavy bombers’ first flights to Europe in about 18 months.

After crossing the Atlantic, the Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.-based bombers flew with Danish F-16s over Bornholm Island, east of mainland Denmark, and worked with Estonian ground forces to provide close air support training, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa said in a statement Wednesday.

The training also included overflights of Lithuania and Latvia.

“Integrating bomber missions with our NATO allies and partners build enduring relationships that are capable of confronting a broad range of global challenges,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, USAFE-AFAFRICA commander.

The strategic bombers participated in the “Spring Storm” military exercise, the Estonian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“It is important that our allies understand that security cannot be put on pause for the duration of the pandemic,” Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik said Tuesday, the Baltic Times newspaper reported.

The Lancers were last in Europe in November 2018 supporting NATO’s Trident Juncture exercise.

Strategic bomber deployments to Europe have become more frequent in recent years, amid U.S. and European concerns about potential Russian aggression. In March, a flight of B-2 stealth bombers participated in a series of training operations on the Continent. And last August, the Air Force deployed a similar B-2 bomber task force to Europe.

The Air Force did not say how long the Lancers would remain in Europe.

The Europe mission for the variable-wing Rockwell jets came just after B-1B bombers from Texas flew to the Western Pacific region.

Four B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base arrived in Guam on Friday to conduct training and operations with allies and partners, the Air Force said.

svan.jennifer@stripes.com Twitter: @stripesktown

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Jennifer reports on the U.S. military from Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she writes about the Air Force, Army and DODEA schools. She’s had previous assignments for Stars and Stripes in Japan, reporting from Yokota and Misawa air bases. Before Stripes, she worked for daily newspapers in Wyoming and Colorado. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

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