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• Sailboat Guide

Baltic 52 is a 52 ′ 5 ″ / 16 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Baltic Yachts starting in 1990.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Baltic 52 - Sailboat Data, Parts & Rigging

Sailboat data, rig dimensions and recommended sail areas for Baltic 52 sailboat. Tech info about rigging, halyards, sheets, mainsail covers and more.

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BALTIC 52 similar search results:

HALLBERG RASSY 42 F SCANDINAVIA

HINCKLEY SOU'WESTER 43

BENETEAU OCEANIS 45

The baltic 52 shown below has been sold:.

Sales information

• De Valk Corfu Greece
• (+30) 266 111 8095
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Broker's comments.

This excellent Baltic 52 is one of the very successful 52 series with two cockpits. It was designed by Sparkman & Stephens & built in 1990 by the quality shipyard BALTIC YACHTS Finland, The 2-cockpit arrangement enables the racing sailor to effectively delegate and spread out crew tasks. When cruising shorthanded, the boat can easily be sailed from the aft cockpit where all the main functions are close at hand to the helmsman and where the genoa sheets are led to the secondary winches.The hull was given long sailing lines for high speeds and a keel with a low centre of gravity for stability

General - BALTIC 52

Accommodation

SWAN 44 MKII

BENETEAU OCEANIS 50 FAMILY

DUFOUR 525 GRAND LARGE

COLVIC VICTOR 54

WAUQUIEZ PILOT SALOON 43

JEANNEAU 54

HALLBERG RASSY 45

Review of Baltic 52

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

The Baltic 52 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.80 - 2.90 meter (9.19 - 9.49 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Baltic 52 is 1.94, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Baltic 52 is about 414 kg/cm, alternatively 2318 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 414 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2318 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 74m 2 (796 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Baltic 52 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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Baltic 51' from Finland

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Saw this beautiful 1982 Baltic 51 at the show in Miami this weekend. 1982 Baltic Yachts 51 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com Does anyone have any experience firsthand or otherwise with these boats? 199K seems way low for such a nicely spec'd 51' sailboat. Just the sails, rigging, deck hardware and electronics alone would seem to be worth more than the asking price. It had a hydraulic centerboard (11'draft) that I'm a little skeptical about. Also, I get a little nervous when I see an older mast with paint. Any input would be greatly appreciated! ~doo  

Beautiful boat. The cost to maintain will be in the neighborhood of 1~2% of "new replacement cost" of maybe $1.2 million so $12~24,000 annually IF there is no deferred maintenance. That scares many away, that plus sailing a boat with a big rig...  

My wife and I had a look at that boat as well. It was quite lovely. My wife got a kick out of the fact that she couldn't see over the top of the very giant steering wheel! I told her we'd get her a milk crate to stand on. It's a C & C design, and I very much got a sense of being aboard a very fast boat. I with you, though, on the mast. Painted is bad enough, painted black troubled me greatly. Hiding something? Ignorant of thermal expansion? I couldn't tell. Mostly we were spoiled by the new boats. The Baltic had a near-vertical companionway ladder, and the new boats had shallower steps that were more like stairs. It just seemed, I dunno, difficult. In my humble opinion, the ask price was pretty spot on. I suspect it will eventually sell for around $160-170K. There are lots of old boats on this very-much-a-buyer's-market, and even ones in this most excellent condition languish if they're aren't marked to the market. The wife loved the Cheoy Lee/Wittholz 53 a couple of slips down from the Baltic. Dunno why, it also had a steep ladder and big wheel. But the yellow cushions were cool... Had a blast at the boat show, already plotting a trip to Annapolis. PS We are both not catamaran people, but we both fell hard for the Outremer 45 (even though we both thought the tillers and tiller seats were silly affectations, who wants to hand steer?)  

Baltics are essentially very nice C&C boats. This one, though perhaps built in '82, looks like an IOR design from the '70's, with a large foretriangle and small main. This works well for racing around the buoys with a crew of perhaps 8 or 10 or more, so you can change the jib to match the wind conditions. While r/f makes it easy to roll up a sail, sailing with a partially rolled sail is not the same as reefing or changing headsails. It can ruin the sail and can make the boat harder to handle because the furled sail will be baggier than it should be for the increasing breeze (which is why you want a smaller headsail up.) A large crew is also needed to handle the rather huge spinnaker. IOR designs are notorious for squirrelly behavior downwind. The moveable keel on this one may help in that regard... or it may not. Systems on a boat that old may be subject to replacement. (We have a 1981 J/36; ask how I know this.) While this is likely a nice boat, it looks like a lot to handle and doesn't seem like a great deal at the asking price.  

Looks like a very nice boat. Assuming that the centreboard has been properly looked after it would be a real plus to me (we have a non-hydraulic c/b). Not a fan of IOR dynamics. I would want a comment from someone more knowledgeable about design than me about how extreme a design this might me. It certainly would be a very powerful boat and might be too much for a couple to handle cruising.  

Thanks for all the input! No doubt, she would be a handful to maintain and to sail at the top of her game. SW, I think you are spot on to expect an annual maintenance budget of 20k +/-. Could have sworn I saw a staysail attachment point on the foredeck, but looking at the photos, I don’t see it….must have been imagining things! How about Baltic’s reputation as a builder….I hadn’t heard of them before and am now just starting to do a little research. The interior joinery seemed nice, the electronics well thought out….I think the panel must have been recently replaced. The hull, deck and hardware also seemed very nice….its all those little unseen things like…..the rudder (and associated cables!)....through hulls, stern tube, bulkhead tabbing, mast step, thin/thick areas of the layup..…. Of course a survey should disclose trouble areas, but were there any inherit design (or engineering) flaws? Best! doo  

scubadoo said: ... Could have sworn I saw a staysail attachment point on the foredeck, but looking at the photos, I don't see it….must have been imagining things! Click to expand...

I think Baltic is right up there with Nautor and HR. They made some damn sexy looking boats - though, like some Swans, perhaps a bit busy below. I think they used lighter woods to avoid the 'teak cavern' look.. they tended to have low cabin houses and smallish ports so natural light might be lacking - but good use of deck prisms probably helps with that.  

It's going to cost you $20K / year just to maintain the 21 winches ;-)  

The annual maintenance cost, assuming you do most/all of the works yourself and the boat is in good shape to start, would be much less than $20k. Our boat is smaller than this one, but not that much smaller and is typically used a lot (36k nm in four years) and we spend much less than that. We might spend that much now that we have returned but we are doing things like Awlgrip on the hull and rechroming winches - I guess these are maintenance things, but very long term ones.  

I don't know the 51, but did commission the first 48 to arrive in the States sometime in the early 80's. Took her right from the ship to a yard in Lauderdale to prep her for SORC racing. On the first voyage to St. Pete for the first race, she kept leaking forward at the stem. It turned out she had a crack in the stem that would only leak under sail, and the repair cost was staggering. Otherwise a pretty nice boat and a fair racer/cruiser. As for the 51', being Italian flagged, import duty might be one reason for the low price.  

Wow! As always, you all are awesome! Thank you for your input, critiques and beautiful photos! Thanks Caribbeachbum…..good to know the stay is there…..thought it was my over active imagination for sure! The broker said the duty has been paid, would just have to pay Florida sales tax. Didn’t appear to be too much deferred maintenance, but won’t know for sure until she’s surveyed. It’s hard to imagine an average annual maintenance budget of less than 20k….I’d do a lot of the work myself, but it’s a lot of boat and I’m sure I’d hire out over 50% of the labor. Going to be keeping a close eye on this one as it’s moored in Ft Lauderdale…..my back yard…. Best - doo  

The early Baltics were designed by C&C. The guys that started the company came from Swan and they built boats equal to or better than Swan. Baltic yachts were cored hulls while the Swans were solid. World class builders in every way. Used to build smaller cruiser racer types but now only do the really large stuff.  

Photos 18 and 19 show the inner forestay for a staysail the best. A boat like this is easily driven and can make miles in a breeze with just the staysail, we'll do that when being lazy and the breeze is on. The only thing that would scare me about the boat is the teak deck, they are hot and expensive if replacement is required. Sailing it would be a joy and making 175 miles a day would not be too difficult for a husband and wife.  

Hi! This is Mike from Italy. A dear friend of mine, Italian guy working and based in Panama, was looking for a boat of "that kind" in the US or Caribbean and after more or less 5 months of search and a lot of surveys (and wasted money) the choice landed on the boat you are talking about. A Baltic 51 named Templars'f. I helped him during the whole process. The funny thing is that she was the only one with an Italian flag (ehh.... the destiny...). I can't disclosure the purchasing price. There were some small ordinary works needed and we took her from Ft. Lauderdale to Cuba - Cayo Largo during the last week of May as her "first trip" (with the new owner). Well... if you like that kind of design and you search a boat for a round the world, the B51 is really fantastic. I have read every post in this thread and I do agree with 100% of them. A modern 40 feet is absoluely more confortable than a 35 years old 51'. But the sensations that you have when you are onboard, specially if you are in the middle of the ocean, are different. Hard to explain. You feel the construction solidity and quality in every detail. In that range/years you have Swan, Baltic and Vauquiez. Also Frers for Beneateau and Farr for Jeanneau designed 2 very good 51'-52' in first 80s, but the overall quality of construction is different. She is also an "easy" boat. Ok there is a ridiculous number of winches (but you will use them sooner or later!) but she is easy to setup and REALLY a pleasure while sailing. She also forgives a lot of mistakes. There are some other Baltic 51 for sale in the US which seem to be really well mantained. We decided for this one (after 2 independent surveys) for the following reasons: - I've been in contact with a guy who worked on that boat as a captain for 5 years - She did 2 main refittings in 2007 and 2013 (deck in perfect shape and very good inside) - Very good brand new electronics (a lot of redundancy) - New engine with few hours - New standing rigging and almost new sails - Model with retractable center board (this is good for Caribbean) - Genset and watermaker. Price was good (at the end) because the owners are buying a new Baltic in Italy and they didn't want to take her back to Italy. I attach a pic I did in Cuba 2 weeks ago. For what concerns some of the questions: - black mast and boom: don't ask my why... a lot of Baltic has black bast and boom. Also, for example, the Baltic 51 Skopbank of Finland which did the whitbread in '81 came out of the boatyard with black mast and boom. I must admit that this is "nice". Anyway the mast was/is in perfect shape. I can say to know pros and cons of that specific boat (I did also a lot of regattas on a sister boat in Italy in the 90s) so please feel free to contact me if I can help you somehow. Michele  

Attachments

Michele Trotta said: Hi! This is Mike from Italy. A dear friend of mine, Italian guy working and based in Panama, was looking for a boat of "that kind" in the US or Caribbean and after more or less 5 months of search and a lot of surveys (and wasted money) the choice landed on the boat you are talking about. A Baltic 51 named Templars'f. I helped him during the whole process. The funny thing is that she was the only one with an Italian flag (ehh.... the destiny...). I can't disclosure the purchasing price. There were some small ordinary works needed and we took her from Ft. Lauderdale to Cuba - Cayo Largo during the last week of May as her "first trip" (with the new owner). Well... if you like that kind of design and you search a boat for a round the world, the B51 is really fantastic. I have read every post in this thread and I do agree with 100% of them. A modern 40 feet is absoluely more confortable than a 35 years old 51'. But the sensations that you have when you are onboard, specially if you are in the middle of the ocean, are different. Hard to explain. You feel the construction solidity and quality in every detail. In that range/years you have Swan, Baltic and Vauquiez. Also Frers for Beneateau and Farr for Jeanneau designed 2 very good 51'-52' in first 80s, but the overall quality of construction is different. She is also an "easy" boat. Ok there is a ridiculous number of winches (but you will use them sooner or later!) but she is easy to setup and REALLY a pleasure while sailing. She also forgives a lot of mistakes. There are some other Baltic 51 for sale in the US which seem to be really well mantained. We decided for this one (after 2 independent surveys) for the following reasons: - I've been in contact with a guy who worked on that boat as a captain for 5 years - She did 2 main refittings in 2007 and 2013 (deck in perfect shape and very good inside) - Very good brand new electronics (a lot of redundancy) - New engine with few hours - New standing rigging and almost new sails - Model with retractable center board (this is good for Caribbean) - Genset and watermaker. Price was good (at the end) because the owners are buying a new Baltic in Italy and they didn't want to take her back to Italy. I attach a pic I did in Cuba 2 weeks ago. For what concerns some of the questions: - black mast and boom: don't ask my why... a lot of Baltic has black bast and boom. Also, for example, the Baltic 51 Skopbank of Finland which did the whitbread in '81 came out of the boatyard with black mast and boom. I must admit that this is "nice". Anyway the mast was/is in perfect shape. I can say to know pros and cons of that specific boat (I did also a lot of regattas on a sister boat in Italy in the 90s) so please feel free to contact me if I can help you somehow. Michele Click to expand...

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The Baltic 51 was a high performance, easily handled yacht with a functional deck layout which was equally suited for safe family cruising and fast IOR racing. This was the 5th serial production yacht in cooperation with C&C Design, and as with the previous Baltic 39 and Baltic 37, detailed comprehensive computer performance studies were used in the design evaluation. C&C Design´s chef designer Rob Ball and his team put in a lot of effort into the pre-studies for this design again resulting also in polars and performance numbers that could be used as targets for the racing owners. The computer studies carried out exceeded in details and volume that used even in many of today´s projects, and this design was developed in 1979 when most of the competitors still had their designs made “by hand”.

Another groundbreaking feature on the Baltic 51 was the interior layout. The interior layout designed by our in-house design had the owners cabin aft with 2 guest cabins forward of the owners´ cabin, and this unique feature created a very comfortable interior for long ocean racing or/and cruising. However, the most unique feature was the owners’ cabins centre double berth under the aft cockpit. This was our creation and was first criticized by competitors, but later became one of the most copied interior features in our business.

DELIVERY YEAR

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS

• L.O.A. 15.54 m
• L.W.L. 12.48 m
• BEAM 4.66 m
• DISPLACEMENT 15.6 tons
• BALLAST 6.14 tons
• UNITS BUILT 24
• NAVAL ARCHITECT C & C Design

We’re constantly updating our website to bring you news of launchings, new commissions and Baltic inspired innovation.

U.S. Air Force B-52 Bombers Just Flew Right to Russia's Doorstep

Summary: Two U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers from the 5th Bomb Wing, deployed to RAF Fairford in the UK, conducted an aerial sortie over the Baltic Sea, encircling the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

-This maneuver, part of Bomber Task Force Europe 24-3, was a clear message to Moscow amid heightened tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

-Kaliningrad, historically known as Krolewiec and Koeningsberg, is strategically important to Russia for its ice-free port and potential nuclear capabilities.

-The exclave, ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union post-WWII, also has a contentious history due to the Soviet-ordered Katyn massacre.

U.S. B-52 Bombers Send Strong Message to Russia with Baltic Sortie

A pair of United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers deployed to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in the UK took part in an aerial sortie – flying over the Baltic Sea and then literally around the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad . The deployment of the bombers over the Russian-controlled territory – the home of the headquarters of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet – was clearly meant to send a strong message to Moscow.

The two B-52s are from the Air Force Global Strike Command's 5th Bomb Wing, based out of Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota, and had been deployed to the UK as part of a four-aircraft Bomber Task Force (BTF) mission . During BTF Europe 24-3, the long-range strategic bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, have been training with allied and partner aircraft throughout Europe. The United States Air Force has increased the BTF deployments following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to open source public flight track data , the bombers reported department from RAF Fairford, flew across the North Sea, the Netherlands, and Germany, and then across the Baltic Sea, before flying over NATO and EU member states Lithuania and Poland – literally flying a circle over Kaliningrad as the bombers then returned to the UK.

From Krolewice to Koenigsberg to Kaliningrad

This week's flight of the B-52s comes just weeks after Poland began to revert to the traditional Polish name for the city of Kaliningrad, which was never historically Russian territory. For centuries, the coastal city and surrounding land on the Baltic Sea was known as Krolewiec , but under Prussian/German control it became known as Koeningsberg.

It was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War – and named to honor Mikhail Kalinin, a leader of the Bolshevik Revolution. The German and Polish populations were forcibly evicted from the territory and ethnic Russians moved in, despite never previously living there in large numbers. At the time, Moscow also controlled the now three independent Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and had direct land access to Kaliningrad.

Despite only having access by air and sea today, the exclave is strategically important for the Kremlin as it is home to Russia's only ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. Though Moscow has never confirmed it, Kaliningrad is also believed to host Iskander missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

Moreover, the name also remains contentious as Mikhail Kalinin was one of the Soviet officials who ordered the execution of more than 21,000 Polish prisoners after the Soviet Red Army invaded Poland at the start of World War II. Known as the Katyn massacre , it was carried out to deprive the future Polish military of a large portion of capable officers and intelligentsia.

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin denied that the Soviet Union was responsible, pinning the slaughter on the Nazis. While the Soviet government officially accepted blame for the Katyn Massacre at the end of the Cold War, many in Moscow still maintain that the Red Army played no part in the execution of the Polish POWs.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs . You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu .

You can email the author: [email protected] .

All images are Creative Commons. 

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Let’s Have A Look At B-52’s Mission Over The Baltics And Close To Russia Yesterday

During its sortie the B-52 got closer to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad than ever seen before on flight tracking websites.

On Mar. 12, 2023, one of the four B-52 Stratofortress bombers assigned to 5th Bomb Wing from  Minot Air Force Base , North Dakota, deployed to Moron Air Base, Spain, to support the latest Bomber Task Force (BTF), carried out a pretty interesting mission.

Using callsign NOBLE 61, the B-52 #60-0026, first flew towards Norway, then headed south, overflew Denmark and once over Poland, it was refueled by a KC-135, and then headed northeast.  Flying over the Baltic Sea towards the Gulf of Finland, the bomber, always tracking online on Flightradar24.com and other flight tracking apps, flew off Kaliningrad Oblast, then turned east pointing more or less towards Saint Petersburg.

While remaining in international airspace, the BUFF entered Saint Petersburg’s FIR (Flight Information Region) towards the Russian island of Gogland, then turned south, overflew Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Wow, the B-52 (60-0026, NOBLE61) flies deep into the Gulf of Finland before cutting south close to the Russian sea border. A Russian civilian (SU6330) behind it continues ahead at about same altitude. Let’s hope radars/air traffic control are working… pic.twitter.com/K5iPv5k0rl — Hans Kristensen (@nukestrat) March 11, 2023

Once over Lithuania, the strategic bomber turned again towards the Baltic Sea and, on a westerly heading, flew north of the border with Kaliningrad Oblast.

Don’t need Saturday movie. pic.twitter.com/Jk02d92vxX — Jamming (@balticjam) March 11, 2023

While we have observed other U.S. bomber missions in the Baltic region, to our memory, this was the most “in depth” into the Gulf of Finland we could track online.

Another B-52 mission quite close to the Russian airspace that could be watched live on flight tracking apps dates back to September 2020, when three Stratofortress bombers operated over Ukraine’s Sea of Azov coast , not far from Crimea.

Anyway, long range deterrence missions, carried out by B-52, B-2 or B-1 bombers have become almost routine in Europe, as they are a way to enhance cooperation, reassure local allies and flex muscles against Russia. Since B-52s not always leave their Mode-S transponders turned on during their missions across Europe and the rest of the world, the fact that NOBLE 61 was tracking online during its all-around-Scandinavia and Baltics sortie proves they wanted to be seen.

The “show of force” sent social networks on a frenzy: some people thought the B-52 had intruded into the Russian airspace. However, as explained multiple times here, the border of an FIR does not coincide with the border of a national airspace, as the first is usually much larger and includes international airspace.

• Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
• Bomber Task Force
• U.S. Air Force

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The Baltic 52 is a 52.49ft masthead sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built in carbon fiber or composite by Baltic Yachts since 1990.

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