The United States is planning to deploy up to six B-52 bombers to Australia. This is as China continues to encroach on Taiwan.
According to a new report from ABC News, the B-52s are nuclear-capable. Australian officials are planning to host the massive airship in the northern part of the country.
The news of the plane’s deployment is being interpreted internationally as a strong warning to China. The communist country has escalated rhetoric suggesting it may move to retake Taiwan at any time.
“Having bombers that could range and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a signal to China that any of its actions over Taiwan could also expand further,” said the Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, Becca Wasser.
According to its manufacturer Boeing, the B-52 bomber in Stanley Kubrick’s classic Cold War film Dr. Strangelove is the most combat-capable bomber in the entire U.S. inventory. It is 185-feet-wide, 159-feet-long can fly at an altitude of 50,000 feet. It also has a range of 8,800 miles.
Tindal air base is being expanded to include parking for the six bombers. Reports say the cost of the project is up to $100 million. The U.S. Air Force expects the parking area to be completed by 2026.
China responded to the news of the deployment by cryptically urging Western forces to stop harming the interests of third parties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters “the US’s move escalates regional tensions, gravely undermines regional peace and stability and may trigger an arms race in the region.”
“China urges the parties concerned to abandon the outdated Cold War and zero-sum mentality and narrowminded geopolitical thinking, and to do something conducive to regional peace and stability and enhancing mutual trust between the countries,” he added.
The news of the deployment comes weeks after China’s state media called reunification with Taiwan “inevitable and necessary.” Afterward, a senior U.S. Navy official warned China could move by the end of 2022 to retake Taiwan.
“It’s not just what Chinese President Xi Jinping says, but it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do. And what we’ve seen over the last 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it,” said Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of U.S. naval operations.
