A B-2 stealth bomber escorted by four F-35 fighter jets welcomed Russian President at Elmendorf Air Force Base.
After leaving his Il-96-300 (registration RA-96024) Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska with a high-profile military display.
The two leaders walked a red carpet when four F-35s and a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flew overhead. According to U.S. officials, two B-2 bombers had been flown in ahead of the summit, while the F-35s arrived from Eielson Air Force Base and the F-22s were drawn from Elmendorf’s own fleet.
The aircraft on display included the same type of bombers used during Operation Midnight Hammer last June, when seven B-2s flew a 36-hour mission from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to strike Iranian nuclear facilities with more than a dozen bunker-buster bombs.
