The planned flight over Riga will come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The Latvian Ministry of Defense announced that a US Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer that was deployed to Ørland Air Base, Norway, in the latest Bomber Task Force (BTF) Europe mission, will make a “low-level” flyover of Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday.
The American bomber will be escorted by Swedish-made Saab JAS-39 Gripen multirole fighters that are in service with the Hungarian and Swedish Air Forces.
Hungary deployed four of its JAS-349C aircraft to Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania in late July, as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. This is Budapest’s “fourth time leading the air policing mission in the Baltics, a region considered highly sensitive due to historical tensions and the proximity to the Russian border,” the Hungarian Conservative news outlet explained.
“The security of the Baltic States and NATO’s eastern flank is a cornerstone of the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region. Such overflights by the US and allies clearly demonstrate NATO’s presence in the region, transatlantic unity, as well as the commitment to collectively strengthen the security of the Baltic States,” Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds told Latvian Public Media.
The Flyover by the US Air Force Is Symbolic
None of the three Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania—have any fighter aircraft in service. Instead, NATO members regularly rotate their respective warplanes to carry out the BAP duties. Hungary, along with Spain, assumed the mission from Poland and Romania.
“This multinational flyover emphasizes Allied cohesion and the coordination of mutual air force operations to ensure regional security,” the Latvian Ministry of Defence explained. “At the same time, the flight demonstrates NATO’s unity and readiness to respond to any challenge.”
The low-level flyover of Riga, which will reportedly be visible from the city’s Freedom Monument, is dependent on weather conditions. A previously planned fight of US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers over the Latvian capital and the monument in May was canceled due to inclement weather.
The Monument of Freedom, which was installed in November 1935, honors the soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence, which was fought against the Red Army of the Soviet Union from November 1918 to August 1920. Today, the monument is meant to symbolize “Latvian statehood, national unity, independence, and freedom.”
The B-1B Flyover Is a Message to Russia
The B-1B was deployed to Norway as the fifth BTF Europe deployment in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). The stealth bomber was escorted to Norway by Spanish Air and Space Force EF/A-18M Hornets (the Spanish variant of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet), which were deployed to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, as part of a NATO air policing mission earlier this month.
If it goes on as planned, the Lancers’ flight over Riga would come only days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. As Trump greeted the Russian leader, four Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs and a Northrop B-2 Spirit took part in a flyover. That was likely to send as much of a message to the Russian president as the coming B-1B flight.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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