SYDNEY - The United States is planning to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bomber aircraft to Australia's north amid rising tensions with China, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.

An Australian defense spokesperson confirmed that the United States is funding a project to construct an aircraft parking apron capable of accommodating up to six B-52s and other aircraft at the Royal Australian Air Force's Tindal base some 280 kilometers southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The plans were first reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., citing U.S. documents. The report said some analysts see the move as a warning shot to China amid fears that the country may be preparing to attack Taiwan.

According to the report, the plans include the construction of a "squadron operations facility," an adjoining maintenance center and a parking area for six B-52s.

However, Australia's Defense Department stressed that the deployment of U.S. aircraft in Australia is a longtime feature of the bilateral security partnership, adding that U.S. bomber aircraft, including B-52s, have been visiting Australia since the early 1980s and conducting training flights in the country since 2005.

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"Any future rotations of U.S. B-52 aircraft in Australia would be consistent with the longstanding objectives of the U.S. Force Posture Initiatives, which include improving interoperability between Australian and U.S. armed forces through training and exercises," the spokesperson said in a statement released Monday.

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Australia's minister for defense personnel and veterans' affairs, Matt Keogh, said Monday the planned move is "a demonstration of our very close relationship with our strongest ally."

"Having more American facilities, capability and personnel based out of Australia and working closely with our own defense force" as well as building interoperability "only sends a message of strength to the world about the nature of our relationship," Keogh told an ABC radio program.

In relation to China's ambitions in the Pacific, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy told the ABC on Monday that the United States will continue to support peace and stability in the region through diplomacy, dialogue and deterrence.

Australia and the United States have agreed to significant investment in a range of capital infrastructure works in Northern Australia to support U.S. troop movements, including increased rotations of U.S. aircraft to participate in training activities and respond to regional crises.

U.S. Marines have rotated through the strategically important northern city of Darwin annually since 2012, and the Enhanced Air Cooperation program started in 2017 to deepen advanced air-to-air integration between the two countries' air forces.

==Kyodo

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