An American strategic bomber, the B-52H Stratofortress, flew over the Estonian capital during the country’s Independence Day celebrations.

The video was released by the Finnish Air Force.

The Stratofortress flew over Tallinn accompanied by two F/A-18 Hornet fighters and four Dutch F-35As.

Dutch fighters are involved in two NATO operations in the region: patrolling Baltic airspace as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission and protecting maritime infrastructure as part of Baltic Sentry.

Today, the Finnish Air Force, along with its allies, participated in the Estonian Independence Day parade in Tallinn with two F/A-18 Hornets. Elagu Eesti Vabariik!??#ilmavoimat #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/twsEAeLbrS

— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) February 24, 2025

After flying over the Estonian capital, the B-52H headed east toward St. Petersburg. Reaching the 80-kilometer mark before the Russian border, it changed course to the south.

On the way back, the bomber flew over Latvia and Lithuania, and then crossed Polish airspace through the so-called Suwalki Gap.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time the B-52H has flown over Tallinn as part of the Independence Day celebrations.

In general, Stratofortress activity in the region is a regular occurrence, as the aircraft frequently carry out exercises and missions.

NATO activity in the Baltic States

Recently, it was reported that the North Atlantic Alliance deployed surface drones in the Baltic Sea as part of the Task Force X program.

The deployment took place off the coast of Denmark from February 17 to 20 and was aimed at testing NATO’s ability to integrate maritime drones into naval task forces.

The operation involved joint maneuvers and firing, as well as enhancing the situational awareness of the forces involved in the Baltic Sentry mission.

Previously, on February 21, the Latvian military airfield in Lielvarde received Dutch F-35 fighters.

The Latvian Air Force itself does not have its own fighters in service, but it has 3 air bases that are capable of receiving them.