Let’s Talk About the U.S. Air Force’s ‘Operation Polar Vortex’ With B-52s Over Alaska | Aviation

Operation Polar Vortex demonstrated the ability to rapidly deploy forces to the Arctic in defense of the homelands,  validating operational capabilities from strategic locations in the region and expanding multi-domain awareness.

Eielson Air Force Base, together with the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and the U.S. STRATCOM (Strategic Command), undertook what appears to be a first-of-its-kind “Operation Polar Vortex” on Sep. 11, 2024, over the skies of Alaska.

Based on officially released images, we could count four F-16Cs from the 18th FIS (Fighter Interceptor Squadron), two B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, an E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) and two KC-135 aerial refueling tankers. The captions also indicated the presence of unspecified U.S. Navy assets.

Such an exercise, which Eielson AFB mentioned was aimed to demonstrate the ability to rapidly deploy forces to the Arctic, does not appear to have been reported before. It’s unknown if this represents some kind of response to Russia’s massive…