The deployment of three B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the coast of Venezuela comes amid a US bombing campaign against Venezuelan vessels allegedly involved in the drug trade.

A trio of United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers was tracked flying off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, the latest escalation in the White House’s ongoing “armed conflict” with South American drug cartels. The aircraft, with callsigns BUNNY01, BUNNY02, and BUNNY03, took off from Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), Louisiana, and flew towards Venezuelan airspace.

According to a report from The War Zone, the bombers even entered “a patch of international airspace within what Venezuela refers to as the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR).” The bombers remained in the area for nearly two hours before returning home.

The bombers’ deployment appears to be the latest in an escalation that has seen the United States Air Force previously deploy nearly a dozen Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation multirole fighters and MQ-9 Reaper drones to Puerto Rico. The United States Navy has also dispatched multiple warships, including three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers and an Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship, with as many as 2,500 United States Marines onboard, to the region.

The B-52 Stratofortress’ Specifications

• Year Introduced: 1955 (B-52 entered USAF service in February 1955)
• Number Built: 744 (all variants produced); 76 B-52H airframes remain in USAF service (approx.)
• Length: 159 ft 4 in (48.5 m)
• Wingspan: 185 ft 0 in (56.4 m)
• Weight (MTOW): ~488,000 lb (221,000 kg)

• Engine: Eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines (~17,000 lbf / ~76 kN thrust each); planned/announced re-engining programs (e.g., Rolls-Royce F130/BR700 family derivatives) for future service life extension
• Top Speed: ~650 mph (1,046 km/h); about Mach 0.86 at altitude (approx.)
• Combat Radius: Mission- and load-dependent; typical practical combat radii vary widely (roughly several thousand miles / ~3,000–7,000 km depending on payload, routing, and aerial refueling)
• Service Ceiling: ~50,000 ft (15,240 m); varies depending on loadout
• Loadout: ~70,000 lb (≈31,500 kg) of mixed ordnance
• Aircrew: 5 (pilot, co-pilot, weapon systems officer, navigator, electronic warfare officer); varies based on loadout / mission parameters

The US Air Force Is No Stranger to “Bomber Diplomacy”

The United States Air Force regularly deploys the B-52 in Bomber Task Force (BTF) missions around the world as a show of force. The aircraft has racked up countless combat hours in conflicts around the globe, proving its track record of striking targets on land and at sea.

Beyond its offensive capabilities, the B-52 can also be outfitted with sensors and targeting pods that can spot and track suspected drug smuggling vessels and aircraft, with information relayed to other US forces in the region. The Air Force has previously deployed B-52s, along with Rockwell B-1B Lancer bombers, and Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) to test joint interdiction tactics to counter drug trafficking.

This is the first time, however, that the long-range bombers have been used in such a saber-rattling exercise—one that is comparable to the “gunboat diplomacy” of the 19th century, in which powerful American naval vessels would make conspicuous appearances around weaker nations with the implicit threat of violence if those nations refused to adopt favorable policies toward the United States.

CIA Operations Underway in Venezuela, Trump Says

This week’s deployment of the long-range strategic bombers came as President Donald Trump told reporters he was “certainly looking at” striking land targets in the South American country, which the administration claims is a “narco-terrorist regime.”

Trump also acknowledged that he had authorized the use of “lethal force” by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

“I authorized for two reasons, really,” Trump explained. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And the other thing, the drugs, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.”

Washington has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ties to the Cártel de los Soles cartel, and early this year placed a $50 million bounty on the South American strongman.

Another Venezuelan Speed Boat Destroyed

Early this week, the United States also destroyed a fifth speedboat in the Caribbean Sea, killing the six people on board—bringing the total number of people killed in the bombing campaign to at least 27.

“They have faster boats. Some of these boats are seriously, I mean, they’re world-class speedboats,” Trump said. “But they’re not faster than missiles.”

Trump justified the destruction of the most recent boat, alleging that it was being used to carry narcotics. According to the president, each boat carried enough illicit drugs to kill 25,000 Americans.

When asked why the United States Coast Guard isn’t intercepting the boats, Trump stated, “We’ve been trying to do that for years,” and added, “We’ve been doing that for 30 years, and it has been totally ineffective.”

Is Trump Preparing to Invade Venezuela?

Venezuela has condemned the attacks, describing them as violations of its sovereignty as well as international Law. Maduro’s government has further accused the United States of creating the narco-terrorist narrative as a pretext for further aggression, including potentially an attack on Venezuela itself.

Even as the fifth boat was destroyed, Trump said the conflict with the narco-terrorists could enter a new phase.

“We’ve had a couple of days without a boat to be found,” the president explained. “We’ve almost totally stopped it by sea. Now we’ll stop it by land.”

That could include strikes on land targets, but Trump wouldn’t provide additional details, stating, “I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly looking at land now because we have the sea very well under control.” 

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Shutterstock / BeAvPhoto.

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