Flight Data Show U.S. B-1 Bombers Flew 6 Miles From…

Flight Data Show U.S. B-1 Bombers Flew 6 Miles From Venezuelan Coast Despite Trump's Denial

Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber (Credit: Creative Commons)

Flight-tracking data show two U.S. B-1 Lancer bombers flew to within six nautical miles of Venezuela on Thursday, records that contradict President Donald Trump denial that U.S. bombers had been sent near the country's shores. The B-1 is a supersonic heavy bomber capable of carrying cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions.

FlightRadar24 data indicate two B-1s operating under the callsign BARB21 departed Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew east through the Caribbean to areas off Venezuela's Isla de Margarita and Los Testigos islands before turning north.

📍Caribbean Sea

The pair of @usairforce (🇺🇸) B-1B Lancers has finally appeared on radar hours after leaving Dyess AFB in Texas.

Located at 12.07718, -63.48111, they are within 100 miles (160 Km) from the #Venezuelan (🇻🇪) mainland and are continuing south. https://t.co/KzdLSI87RT pic.twitter.com/uAIZY7KZXS
— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) October 23, 2025

When asked about the flights, Trump told reporters, "no, it's false," adding that the United States was "very unhappy with Venezuela" and citing drug trafficking as one reason. The president has in recent days suggested he has the authority to extend strikes on drug-trafficking vessels to actions on land.

The flight came about a week after B-52s flew a similar maritime corridor during a Pentagon-described "bomber attack demo" that included Marine F-35s. The U.S. military has concentrated an unusually large force in the Caribbean and off South America, including eight warships, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9 drones, an F-35 squadron and at least one submarine.

Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out lethal strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, actions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has framed as part of a counter-narcotics campaign. "We will find you, we will map your networks, we will hunt you down, and we will kill you," Hegseth said at the White House, likening the campaign to the post-9/11 fight against al-Qaeda.

“So our message to these foreign terrorist organizations is we will treat you like we have treated Al-Qaeda. We will find you, we will map your networks, we will hunt you down and we will kill you.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issues stern warning to cartels smuggling drugs… pic.twitter.com/K7ZVhk5WHr
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 23, 2025

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