On September 11, 2025, U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers from the 307th Bomb Wing landed at RAF Fairford in England to take part in NATO’s Cobra Warrior 2025 (CW 25-2) exercise. Organized twice a year by the Royal Air Force, Cobra Warrior brings together aircraft and crews from NATO members and partners to train under demanding conditions such as degraded communications, contested airspace, and limited resources.
This year’s iteration is being conducted across multiple air bases in England, making it one of the largest multinational air drills hosted by the UK. First held in its current format in 2019, Cobra Warrior serves as both a multinational exercise and the capstone event for several UK Qualified Weapons Instructor courses.
The presence of B-52 bombers provides allies with hands-on integration experience for heavy bomber platforms, enhancing interoperability in coalition mission planning and execution. Training scenarios include multi-domain operations, high-tempo mission planning, logistics, command-and-control, and electronic warfare, replicating near-peer conflict environments.
For the 307th Bomb Wing, this is its second Cobra Warrior deployment since 2019 and part of its mission to sharpen coalition readiness in Europe. The wing operates 20 B-52H Stratofortress bombers, supporting nuclear deterrence, global strike, and conventional missions worldwide.
Participating forces also include Canadian CF-188 Hornets and C-130Js, Italian Eurofighter Typhoons with G550 CAEW, German Typhoons, and multiple RAF aircraft such as Voyagers and Atlas transports. Together, they focus on perfecting combined air operations and strengthening multinational combat readiness.
