The United States has removed all its bombers from RAF Fairford, a UK military base, according to a statement from a Pentagon official on Sunday, October 5, 2026. The withdrawal comes after a major incident on September 27, when police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the airbase. Five men were initially arrested on suspicion of terror offences near the base and subsequently released on bail.
A sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was also later arrested and released on bail. The US did not give a reason for the withdrawal, but it is believed to be linked to the incident at the airbase in Gloucestershire. Whitehall sources have not disputed that the decision from Washington was in response to the incident. The BBC has also been told it was a military rather than a political decision - taken at an operational level - and communicated from the US military to its British counterparts.
The UK's Ministry of Defence has not commented on the matter. Tracking websites showed B-1 bombers flying out of RAF Fairford on Sunday. The New York Times reported US commanders had received new threats about an Iran-backed plot against RAF Fairford, according to two US officials. The newspaper wrote that the new information was part of the same threat warnings from three weeks ago, but officials acted quickly after specific details emerged in the past 24 hours.
The planes reportedly took off while aerial refueling aircraft were still being scrambled to support their flights to the US. Days after the incident at RAF Fairford, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" that Iran had played a part in the incident but did not provide further details. Tehran has strongly denied any involvement. Initially, five men aged between 23 and 25 were arrested in the early hours of the morning after vehicles were reported to be travelling towards the base operated by the US Air Force (USAF).
All five were UK nationals from London. They were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, before being released on bail in what police called an "investigative decision" that was "grounded in experience and strategy". The sixth man, aged 25, was arrested in London on Thursday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Counter-terror police confirmed on Saturday that he had also been released on bail.
RAF Fairford has been used as a forward operating location by the USAF for decades. In recent months, the US has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from the base for the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use it for defensive strikes on Iran. The withdrawal of the bombers comes as the US tries to recover from the damage inflicted on its aircraft by Iranian precision strikes.
It is technically possible for the US to conduct precision strikes directly from the US without a UK base - like in Operation Midnight Hammer last year. But the removal of the bombers from RAF Fairford will remove a foothold for the country outside of continental Europe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News that it "clearly involve[d] the hands of a foreign actor". US President Donald Trump separately said he was "surprised" the five men had been released on bail.
Key points
- The US has withdrawn its bombers from RAF Fairford amid a security incident and reported threats from Iran.
- The withdrawal follows an incident on September 27, when police were alerted to suspicious vehicles near the airbase.
- The US bombers were reportedly removed due to new threat warnings about an Iran-backed plot against RAF Fairford.
