--- title: "Twelve B-1Bs leave RAF Fairford, ending the US’s only European bomber base" description: "The pullout followed six arrests near the base; Trump cited threats linked to Iran while Rubio called it routine" author: "Luis Goa" published: 2026-10-06T12:22:54Z modified: 2026-10-06T15:35:13Z url: https://rews.cc/a/twelve-b-1bs-leave-raf-fairford-ending-the-us-s-only-europea-cf3545 language: en tags: ["military", "iran", "bombers", "security", "trump", "us", "europe"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # Twelve B-1Bs leave RAF Fairford, ending the US’s only European bomber base *The pullout followed six arrests near the base; Trump cited threats linked to Iran while Rubio called it routine* By Luis Goa · October 6, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/twelve-b-1bs-leave-raf-fairford-ending-the-us-s-only-europea-cf3545 ## In brief - Twelve B-1B bombers left RAF Fairford for the US on Sunday, ending its role as the launchpad for strikes on Iran - Six people were arrested over two weeks near the base on suspicion of terrorism; all were released on bail - Trump said the move responded to threats he linked to Iran; Rubio called it a routine rotation - The US flies B-52H, B-1B and B-2 bombers from five home bases; the B-21 is due to arrive in 2027 - Iran missions flown from the US ran over 30 hours, with two to three tanker aircraft per bomber Twelve B-1B Lancer bombers took off from RAF Fairford in western England over the course of Sunday and flew back to the United States, [Al Jazeera reported](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/6/mapping-where-us-bombers-are-based-around-the-world). The departure ended the base’s role as the launchpad for US strikes on Iran, which began on February 28 — about seven months of bomber operations from a field roughly 160 km (100 miles) west of London. Fairford matters because of a number that sits at the end of this story: it is the US Air Force’s only European airfield for heavy bombers, and the alternative to using it is flying each strike from the continental US, a mission of more than 30 hours there and back, with two to three aerial refuelling tankers for every bomber. Pulling the bombers out of England either raises the cost of striking Iran or signals that the tempo of strikes is expected to fall. ## Six arrests, no explosive devices found The withdrawal came after two weeks of arrests around the base. On September 27, police arrested five men on suspicion of plotting to plant explosives near Fairford; investigators found petrol but no explosive devices in their vans, and the men were released on bail a day later — the [first publicly reported security incident](https://rews.cc/a/a-bell-rings-over-the-ruins-in-minab-as-iran-s-war-shadows-r-ffc401) at the base since the strikes began. On Thursday, police arrested a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national in London on suspicion of plotting an attack on the airbase. He was released on bail on October 3. UK officials say all six remain under investigation. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that “Iran played a part” in the alleged plot but declined to give details; London had earlier said it saw [“strong indications” linking Tehran to the scare](https://rews.cc/a/britain-says-strong-indications-link-iran-to-scare-at-u-s-us-844cec). Iran has denied any such scheme and summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran in protest at the arrests. The evidentiary record published so far is thin: six suspects, petrol in vans, zero devices, and everyone out on bail within days. ## Two explanations, given on the same day Washington offered two accounts within hours of each other. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was “not unusual to see rotations happen” and expressed confidence in the security of US bases. President Donald Trump then told reporters the bombers were moved because “there were some threats,” which he believed were linked to Iran: “So we moved them around a little bit, not very far.” Both cannot be the whole story — a routine rotation does not get explained by threats, and a threat-driven move does not get pre-emptively described as routine. What would make Trump’s version check out is a redeployment to another forward field rather than back to Texas or South Dakota; “not very far” suggests the aircraft may not go all the way home, though no destination has been announced. ## The fleet: three bombers, one replacement, 19 stealth aircraft The US Air Force flies three bomber types. The B-52H Stratofortress, built in the early 1960s, is the largest at a 56-metre (185-foot) wingspan and carries about 31 tonnes of weapons, including nuclear bombs and cruise missiles. The B-1B Lancer, in service since the mid-1980s, is the fastest at Mach 1.2 and carries the largest conventional payload, about 34 tonnes — more than the newer B-2 — but no longer carries nuclear weapons. These were the aircraft that left Fairford. The B-2 Spirit is the stealth option: a flying wing built to slip past air defences. Only 20 were ever built and 19 remain in service; it is the aircraft that delivered the 13,600 kg (30,000 lb) “bunker buster” bombs used in US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025. The fourth type, the B-21 Raider, is still in flight testing and on track for delivery in 2027. Over roughly the next 15 years, the air force plans to retire both the B-1B and the B-2, leaving a fleet of B-21s and upgraded B-52s — airframes from the 1960s flying alongside aircraft delivered in the 2020s. ## Where bombers actually fly from Every US bomber is permanently based in the continental US, at five airfields: B-52Hs at Barksdale in Louisiana and Minot in North Dakota, B-1Bs at Dyess in Texas and Ellsworth in South Dakota, B-2s at Whiteman in Missouri, with the B-21 due at Ellsworth in 2027. All have runways typically exceeding 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) — about what a big international airport has. Runway length is not the constraint on where bombers can operate; security, weapons storage and support infrastructure are, which is why the list of usable overseas fields is short. For missions abroad, the US rotates bombers through a handful of forward locations. Beyond Fairford, the fixed ones are Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Around those, the air force sends small detachments to allied bases for a few weeks at a time under what it calls Bomber Task Force deployments: recent rotations include B-52s at Moron in Spain, B-1Bs at Orland in Norway and Misawa in Japan, and B-52s that arrived at Tindal in northern Australia in September. The tanker arithmetic explains why forward bases exist at all. During the US-Israel war on Iran, bomber missions flown from the US lasted more than 30 hours round trip, and each three-bomber package needed six to nine tanker aircraft staged along the route — two to three tankers burning fuel to keep one bomber fuelled. From Fairford, no such train is required. Whatever the reason for Sunday’s departure, the next number to watch is where the twelve B-1Bs land: Ellsworth and Dyess mean the stand-down is real, while Moron or Orland would mean the launchpad moved rather than closed.