U.S. Air Force, NATO. B-1B Lancer bombers fly combat missions from the UK.Posted 1 November 2023.

RAF base or bases were not disclosed.Combat mission:a mission to capture or defend something.

Operation NOBLE DEFENDER:Defending North America's Approaches - intercepting cruise missiles

From 12-14 September 2022,Operation NOBLE DEFENDER (OND) was executed by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Alaska and the Northwest Territories.Mainly carried out over sparsely populated Arctic and Pacific areas at high altitude,there was little chance of the public noticing the drills.Areas traversed include Inuvik,Yellowknife,St.Lawrence Island,King Salmon,Ketchikan and west of Vancouver.OND was intended to validate NORAD'S ability to defend Canada and the US from every avenue of approach,demonstrating the capability to integrate with defence and security partners for a holistic,360-degree defence of the continent.* OND,a recurring series of drills,tested the ability to rapidly deploy military assets and carry out tactics,techniques and procedures in the designated areas.It demonstrated NORAD'S ability to quickly deter,defend and,if necessary,defeat adversaries of North America such as Russia,China and North Korea.Defensive manoeuvres were practised along the Northern and Western approaches to North America by all three NORAD Regions:Alaska NORAD Region (ANR);Canadian NORAD Region (CANR);and Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR).OND drew on military personnel and equipment support from Portland,Oregon;Cold Lake,Alberta;Colorado Springs,Colorado;Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base,Alaska.* On 14 September,US Air Force F-15C Eagle fighters from the Oregon Air National Guard's 142d Wing took off from Portland ANG Base.There the operation exhibited the ability to launch at short notice from dispersed air and maritime locations to defend Northern approaches in multiple regions across all domains,displaying resiliance in the face of multiple and complex threats.During the drills,CONR also coordinated and conducted joint operations with the US Navy while concurrently launching jets from various locations across the US Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico.This phase of OND featured manoeuvres for defending the Southern approach to the US from simulated cruise missile threats.F-15C Eagles took off from Muniz ANG Base in Carolina,Puerto Rico.The OND addressed both current and evolving threats to North American defence and security.* An F-15E Strike Eagle can actually launch a cruise missile,the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER),from a center pylon.This type of launch was simulated over the highly strategic Baltic Sea Region in 2021.* To shoot down a cruise missile,you have to know the missile's course and speed so you can intercept and destroy it.A heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile can destroy a cruise missile.So can an aircraft's cannon.As long as an aircraft has look-down-shoot-down capability,it can destroy a cruise missile,but it is very difficult to execute such a mission against the terrain-following,low-IR emission cruise missiles.

Pacific Perspective:North Korea Tests New Threat to Allied Forces

On 11-12 September 2021,North Korea sucessfully tested a new long-range cruise missile.The missiles flew a figure 8 pattern and crashed into the sea after about a two-hour flight.The state news agency article appered on page 2 and included photos.Pyongyang claims the missiles can hit targets more than 930 miles away,putting US and South Korean troops well within range of the new weapon.North Korea is allowed to develop such jet-powered missiles by the UN,which only forbids the hostile regime of Kim Jong Un to conduct ballistic missile development. The missile has been in development for two years,and South Korea believes the story about it was credible.As for South Korea,it recently tested a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The North Korean cruise missile,which is possibly nuclear capable,was depicted launching from a truck.It could pose a complex threat to Allied Forces,enabling the North to conduct an attack on them from all directions with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as substantial artillery assets. The US has about 28,000 troops in South Korea and conducts periodic wargames with South Korean forces.

Coast Guard and Navy Confront Arctic Challenges

In light of increasing competition in an Arctic Region undergoing environmental change, the US Coast Guard and Navy are determined to up their capability in the austere area.The Coast Guard has just published its Arctic Strategic Outlook:
Actions by strategic competitors will challenge the long-standing norms that have made the Arctic an area of peace and low tension.The institutions contributing to a conflict-free Arctic will face new challenges requiring active and committed American leadership.*
While Russia has been refurbishing military bases above the Arctic Circle,China has sent warships on patrol near Alaska and says it is a near-Arctic state.It also aspires to establish a Polar Silk Road to further its commercial and strategic profile.*
The US Coast Guard goes on to promise:
The Service will make integrated operations with joint service, interagency and allied partners a critical element of current and future strategic and operations plans.*
Congress has just appropriated 655 million dollars to start work on the first of up to six Polar Security Cutters,a new class of cutter with the size, strength and electrical capacity to support cruise missile emplacement while breaking ice.*
In its analysis, the Coast Guard found that:
A key element of the strategies of our competitors is to engage in activities that weaken the international order that underpins a free and open maritime domain.They do so under a cloud of ambiguity that makes it difficult to mount an effective or timely response to such activities.*
According to the US Navy in its Arctic Roadmap for 2014 to 2030:
The Navy and Coast Guard have a decades-long history of cooperation and collaboration... The combined efforts of the Navy and the Coast Guard in the Arctic Ocean will reflect this historic relationship.The Coast Guard and the Navy are committed to ensuring safe, secure and environmentally responsible maritime activity in Arctic Ocean waters and to promoting our other national interests in the region.*
The Navy explains that:
The Navy's submarine fleet has decades of experience performing missions and exercises under the sea ice.On the other hand, the Navy's surface and air forces have limited operational experience in the region.The Navy will need to periodically evaluate preparedness for operations and conduct training exercises in harsh conditions as changes occur over time in order to assure the Navy can operate in a more accessible Arctic Ocean.
The Navy will protect American sovereign rights and jurisdiction through flexible, periodic presence, and contribute to homeland defense in conjunction with the Joint Force.The Navy will ensure it remains prepared to operate in the Arctic Region to​ counter any threat that may arise.
The Navy will continue to operate in the Arctic Region and be ready to conduct maritime patrol operations and maritime interception operations, and support Coast Guard operations as required.
The Navy's unique capabilities allow it to rapidly and effectively deploy and sustain forces in and from multiple dispersed locations to respond to crises, contribute to deterrence, and to enhance regional stability.
During shoulder​ seasons, the Navy may employ ice strengthened Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships to conduct Navy missions.
By 2030, the Navy will have the necessary training and personnel to respond to contingencies and emergencies affecting national security... The Navy will work to mitigate the gaps and seams and transition its Arctic Ocean operations from a capability to provide periodic presence to a capability to operate deliberately for sustained​ periods when needed.

SLQ-32 Is Electronic Armor

The SLQ-32 has been part of the Navy's shipboard electronic armor for nearly three decades.The system's display console allows crewmembers to detect and classify hostile radar emissions-especially from anti-ship cruise missiles.As well,many of these electronic warfare sets have an integrated jamming capability to divert incoming threats.An upgrade cycle for the system is currently underway-the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program.
The upgrades consist of replacing the signal processor and display console,and integrating them with better control and display software.Specific emitter ID capability is also included in the upgrade.Future upgrades are already being designed and conceptualized,with the goals of providing a new receiver and jamming improvements.
The SLQ-32's contractors are Raytheon,Northrop Grumman,General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.
Raytheon(RTN),Northrop Grumman(NOC),General Dynamics(GD),Lockheed Martin(LMT)

China Builds Navy Base

China is building a navy base on its southern island of Hainan,according to a Pentagon assessment.The base appears large enough to accommodate a mix of attack and ballistic missile submarines,as well as advanced surface combatant ships,the report states.It goes on to say that the port has underground facilities and would provide the Chinese navy with direct access to vital international sea lanes,and offers the potential for stealthy deployment of the submarines into the deep waters of the South China Sea.China is working toward building its first aircraft carrier,and is augmenting its fleet of attack submarines.China is also building up its stock of highly accurate cruise missiles.This military expansion is regarded as curious,since no one is directly threatening China at the moment.Just what these programs are for remains a puzzle to the Defense Department analysts.

Cruise Missile Retrofitted

The Navy has retrofitted hundreds of cruise missiles with an upgrade that makes them a more precise and effective weapon.The AGM-84k Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response,or SLAM-ER,is launched against land or sea targets from F/A-18,P3C and S3B aircraft,as well as South Korea's F15K.The 1463 pound weapon has been utilized in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.It matches its Imaging Infrared seeker's target image with a reference photographic target image.The aim may be further refined by the pilot of the launching aircraft.SLAM-ERs have a range of over 150 nautical miles.They are manufactured by Boeing(BA).