US B-2 bomber conducts tests in Norway near Russian Arctic waters

A United States B-2 stealth bomber conducted an anti-ship weapon test on September 3 in the Norwegian Sea near Andøya Island, northern Norway, demonstrating its precision maritime strike capabilities.

The test comes amid growing maritime threats from countries including China and Russia, prompting the US to enhance its ship-sinking capabilities with weapons such as the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and modified precision-guided bombs known as QUICKSINK, Newsweek writes. 

The bomber carried out a long-range strike scenario using the QUICKSINK maritime weapon to defeat a surface vessel, according to the US Air Force. The weapons prepared for the mission included the 500-pound GBU-38 and the 2,000-pound GBU-31, both part of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) family.

"QUICKSINK is an answer to the need to quickly neutralise menacing maritime threats over vast areas around the world," the US Air Force Research Laboratory said.

The test involved coordination with Norwegian forces, which deployed four F-35 stealth fighter jets and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. This marks at least the third time the QUICKSINK weapon has been tested with the B-2, following previous trials in Hawaii and Florida.

The B-2, with a payload capacity of 40,000 pounds, can carry up to 80 500-pound bombs or 20 2,000-pound bombs, and is designed to penetrate advanced air defenses to strike heavily defended targets.

The test coincided with the deployment of a U-Sled NATO naval task group in the nearby Barents Sea, which Russian forces were observed monitoring. Andøya Island is approximately 366 miles west of the Norway-Russia border.

By Sabina Mammadli