On Monday, May 31, a US strategic B-52 bomber flew over Thessaloniki, the Northern Sporades, Athens, the Cyclades, and then over Crete, accompanied by two Greek F-16 fighter jets.

The two Greek fighter jets escorted the US B-52 bomber from the moment it entered the Skopje FIR and accompanied it until the moment it left the Athens FIR, at its southeastern border. The flight of the Greek F-16s to the Skopje FIR took place in the framework of the Greek Air Patrol agreement with Skopje.

The flight of the American strategic B-52 bomber of the Bomber Task Force was carried out in the framework of Operation “Allied Sky” and the request for an escort by a pair of Greek F-16 aircraft was made by the US European Command.

The US strategic bomber flew over Europe escorted by aircraft from Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.