A dozen B-1B bombers of the US Air Force have been evacuated from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, as tensions escalate in the ongoing conflict with Iran. The US Pentagon announced on October 4 that all bombers deployed to RAF Fairford had been redeployed to their home stations in the United States. The move comes after a series of incidents, including the detention of five British nationals on September 27 on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.
The five men, based in London, were speedily released on police bail, but remain under investigation. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), suggested that the incident "may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state." The incident sparked speculation about Iran's involvement, with the US Vice President JD Vance stating that the bombers had exited the base out of an "abundance of caution".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed the significance of the bomber redeployment, stating that it was "not unusual to see movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in and old planes going out." However, President Donald Trump later told reporters that the redeployment was prompted by a "specific threat", stating that "Yeah, I think we can say that. They didn’t fly out by accident."
The incident began with a 999 call from a farmer who reported seeing three white vans and a "large group of hooded and masked men" near the airbase. The farmer's call led to a rapid response from armed police, who descended upon the village within 10 minutes. The UK Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, thanked the farmer for her call, but suggested that she only had a "partial picture" of what was unfolding.
The swift relocation of the costly and vulnerable military hardware has raised questions about the effectiveness of modern warfare. The use of drones by Ukraine in Operation Spider's Web, which damaged or destroyed 41 Russian planes, has been cited as an example of the changing nature of warfare. The operation, which involved 117 modestly priced drones, was estimated to have cost US$7 billion.
The Iran War has been marked by high costs for the US, with the use of heavy weaponry and anti-ballistic missiles draining the US inventory. In contrast, Tehran has caused significant damage with its drone and missile strikes across the Gulf region, despite operating on a relatively meagre budget. The evacuation of the B-1B bombers from RAF Fairford has been seen as a victory for Iran, with former UK first national security advisor, Lord Peter Ricketts, stating that "it is hard to conclude anything other than that this will be seen as a success by Iran".
A further arrest was made on October 6 of a dual UK-Iranian man regarding "activity that took place close to RAF Fairford". The arrest was made "on suspicion of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006". The Senior National Coordinator for CTP, Vicki Evans, reiterated that the investigation remained "live" and that specialist teams were pursuing multiple lines of enquiry.
Key points
- The US evacuated B-1B bombers from RAF Fairford amid rising tensions with Iran.
- The move was prompted by a series of incidents, including the detention of five British nationals on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.
- The evacuation has been seen as a victory for Iran, with former UK first national security advisor, Lord Peter Ricketts, stating that "it is hard to conclude anything other than that this will be seen as a success by Iran".
