Message to Maduro: US B-1B Lancer bombers fly within 50 miles of Venezuela in new show of force
October 24, 2025
As the Trump administration continues to ramp up the pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro over claims of facilitating illegal drug trafficking, the US Air Force (USAF) again demonstrated its long-range strike capabilities by dispatching two supersonic-capable B-1B Lancer strategic heavy bombers to the region on October 23.
The move marked the second deliberate ‘show of force’ against the Maduro regime by US-operated bombers in less than ten days. Combined with the US military’s growing multi-domain presence in the Caribbean region, these two recent demonstrations signal a possible expansion of Washington’s ongoing campaign against Latin American drug cartels and traffickers as it pushes to stem the northern flow of illegal narcotics into the Continental US (CONUS).
Confirmation of the B-1B callsign BARB via @flightradar24 now heading back to CONUS after seen off the coast of Venezuela. Their ADSB/Mode-S was turned on intentionally. CURIE? 91 (RC-135) is also in the vicinity after refueling with DREW 14 (KC-135). There are so many aircraft… https://t.co/qcNWi8c6O5 pic.twitter.com/Zb9bzCkyDS
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) October 23, 2025
According to open-source data from public flight tracking websites, two B-1Bs (callsigns ‘BARB21’ and ‘BARB22’) from the USAF’s 7th Bomb Wing (BW) departed Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas to conduct this latest demonstration at approximately 0830hrs (local time) on October 23.
The bombers subsequently flew south towards Venezuela, where they are believed to have flown within 50 miles (80km) of the Venezuelan coast and roughly 6 miles (9.6km) of the Los Testigos islands before heading home – though this tracking data may not be completely accurate.
Breaking today: The U.S. carried out a 2nd bomber demo in the Caribbean, sending two USAF B-1B Lancer bombers ~50 miles off the coast of Venezuela.
— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) October 24, 2025
The pair of Bones came within ~6 miles of Los Testigos, a Venezuelan island group (with a coast guard station). Via @flightradar24: pic.twitter.com/Nq3C6ktNSy
This mission was supported by several air-to-air refuelling (AAR) assets, including KC-135R Stratotankers that were observed departing MacDill AFB in Florida some 90 minutes after the B-1Bs had left Dyess. These would have been from either the active-duty 6th Air Refuelling Wing (ARW) or its associate reserve unit, the 927th ARW.
Notably, a USAF-operated RC-135V/W Rivet Joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft was also present over the region as this mission was underway.
Confirmation of the B-1B callsign BARB via @flightradar24 now heading back to CONUS after seen off the coast of Venezuela. Their ADSB/Mode-S was turned on intentionally. CURIE? 91 (RC-135) is also in the vicinity after refueling with DREW 14 (KC-135). There are so many aircraft… https://t.co/qcNWi8c6O5 pic.twitter.com/Zb9bzCkyDS
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) October 23, 2025
The Wall Street Journal reported that anonymous US officials confirmed the B-1Bs did conduct a training flight over the region. However, this was quickly dismissed by President Donald Trump, who called the reports of more bombers being used to increase pressure against Venezuela “not accurate” and “false”, while reiterating that his administration is “not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons.”
US bombers show off long-range strike capabilities against Venezuela
This B-1B mission comes less than ten days after the USAF dispatched three Cold War-era B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, to conduct what Air Force Southern Command (AFSOUTH) later described to be a “bomber attack demonstration” off the coast of Venezuela on October 15. Like this latest sortie, this earlier mission was observable on open-source flight tracking platforms.
While the B-52Hs flew in close proximity to Venezuela, they did not fly as close to the nation’s coastline as the B-1Bs did. They were noted to be orbiting within the Venezuelan-controlled Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR), near Los Roques, and later confirmed to have been escorted by US Marine Corps (USMC)-operated F-35B Lightning II fighter jets that are currently forward-deployed in Puerto Rico.
Although the B-1B and B-52H do not regularly contribute to counter-narcotics operations, their targeting capabilities can be used to help detect and track vessels suspected of drug smuggling.
With Maduro very much in Trump’s crosshairs, these recent bomber missions clearly serve as a ‘show of force’ to Venezuela, demonstrating the stand-off strike capabilities of the B-1B and B-52H, which may be employed if tensions escalate into direct military action being taken against the Latin American nation.
US and Venezuela: An escalating conflict?
Since September, the US military has built up a large multi-domain force in the Caribbean Sea – with Puerto Rico serving as a key staging area for many airborne assets – to ostensibly combat the flow of drugs into CONUS from Latin America. However, the Trump administration is applying heavy pressure on Maduro, who faces narcoterrorism charges in the US, leading to rising speculation that Washington may take direct military action against Caracas in an attempt to topple the incumbent dictator.
Adding to this speculation, the US has conducted several lethal strikes against small boats in international waters off Venezuela that the Trump administration claims were trafficking drugs into the US. As of 22 October, the US military had conducted nine strikes on suspected drug smuggling vessels since September 2, killing at least 34 people.
Just hours ago, 24 October, Hegseth posted again that another boat had been struck overnight. Six people onboard, he said, had been killed, taking the toll to 40 to date.
Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025
The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4
With some 10,000 personnel and a variety of assets now forward-deployed to the Caribbean region – including the US Navy’s Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and USMC-operated F-35Bs – Trump has not ruled out the possibility of expanding the ongoing counter-narcotics effort to include striking land-based targets.
On October 22, he told reporters that his administration was “totally prepared” to expand the operation, which would mark a severe escalation.
