A US Air Force (USAF) Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber has successfully sunk a maritime target in the Norwegian Sea in cooperation with Norway.

The work involved a long-range flight from Whiteman AFB, Missouri to the Norwegian Sea, where the B-2 teamed with Lockheed Martin F-35As to successfully engage the target, according to the USAF’s Global Strike Command.

While the USAF did not offer details, the activity appears to have involved a kill chain, with the F-35As and maybe other platforms providing targeting information to the B-2. The American bomber then delivered an unspecified number of the QUICKSINK munition, which is still in its prototype phase.

In an image, a B-2 is shown flying in formation with five Norwegian aircraft: four F-35As and a single Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

The exercise was supported by USAF Boeing KC-135 tankers, which provided fuel to both the F-35As and B-2s.

“In addition to Norwegian F-35s and personnel who participated in the strike, support from Norway enabled US forces to gain access to critical infrastructure and airspace, allowing the test to be conducted in a strategically relevant and operationally challenging environment,” says the USAF.

“The event advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures for long-range sensor-to-shooter operations. These included integrating beyond-line-of-sight communications and multi-domain targeting, both crucial capabilities in highly contested environments.”

The test is notable because it involved a B-2 networking with allies in the anti-shipping role. In the event of a conflict in Europe or the western Pacific, the ability of the B-2 to team with international partners should enhance the effectiveness of QUICKSINK against enemy ships.

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has said that the goal of QUICKSINK is to replicate the ship-killing capability of the US Navy’s Mk48 torpedo in a cheaper and more-flexible air-delivered platform.

The weapon sees a guidance kit mounted on two common US military bombs: the 907kg (2,000lb) Mk84 and the 226kg Mk82.

The USAF says that the Norwegian work “advanced the development” of both variants.

The test marks the first long-range deployment of the system, which has previously been tested closer to the USA.

During the 2024 Rim of the Pacific exercise a B-2 used a 907kg QUICKSINK weapon. Shortly after this, in August 2024, a B-2 used the same weapon variant to sink a retired roll-on/roll-off vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.

In June, the AFRL announced that a B-2 had successfully used a 226kg QUICKSINK to engage a target, also in the Gulf of Mexico.

The B-2 can carry up to 16 Mk84 907kg bombs or up to 80 Mk82 226kg bombs.