US to deploy B-52 long range bombers at TIndal Airbase in the NT

The United States and Australia are expected to expand the facilities of the Tindal airbase, in the Northern Territory, south of Darwin. The expansion should allow the American forces to deploy the B-52, a long-range bomber that has been called the work-force of the US Air Force.

B-52 Bomber Airplanes flying at sunset Source: Getty / guvendemir/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Australia's top end is a remote but increasingly strategic hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

United States forces already have a presence in the Northern Territory, but at the last Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations meeting, the allies hinted this would increase.

Now the US Air Force is expected to build facilities for B52-bombers at the Tindal airbase, south of Darwin.

The B-52 is not the most advanced aircraft ever; the Americans have been using it for seventy years, making it one of the longest-serving kind of planes in history.

They are not able to reach supersonic speed, but they are a reliable and proven design, created to fly a long range.

They can carry certain types of nuclear missiles, but they have also been used for air support, reconnaissance, and conventional bombings, making it a versatile weapon.

The deployment of the bombers has been commented as a sign of deterrence, trying to signal to China that the United States are determined to play a role in the Asia-Pacific region.

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