Aaron Spray

At the peak of Operation Epic Fury (around late March 2026), the US Air Force deployed around 15 B-1B Lancers and around six B-52H Stratofortresses at the UK's RAF Fairford airbase. The initial wave of B-1Bs arrived on or after March 6, with B-52s arriving soon after. As of the time of writing (late July), a large share of the Air Force's operational Rockwell B-1 Lancer fleet remains deployed at RAF Fairford.

Lockheed Martin is a military contractor that has long since left the commercial aviation market, at least with designing and manufacturing airliners. It was once one of the major US-based aerospace companies designing and building commercial aircraft, with the others being Boeing and Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas).

While most older fourth-generation fighter jets are able to fly at supersonic speeds, they have to engage their afterburners, which reduces their range. Not only do afterburners use an incredible amount of limited fuel, but they also place enormous thermal stress on the engines, accelerating wear and increasing maintenance requirements.