The U.S. Air Force moved more than a dozen aircraft out of RAF Mildenhall in eastern England after an emerging security threat prompted an abrupt relocation, U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the deployment change, citing sources who said the threat was linked to Iran.
While officials evaluated the seriousness and scope of the threat, commanders raised the installation’s security status to Force Protection Condition Charlie. The designation is the military’s second-highest alert level and signals a likely terrorist threat targeting personnel or facilities.
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker, which provides in-flight refueling, takes off from RAF Mildenhall. (AP Photo/Max Nash, File)
Flight-tracking information and open-source analysts with the Military Air Tracking Alliance identified 13 American aircraft departing the base late Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Nine Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers were sent to airfields in Scotland, Germany and Spain.
Three CV-22B Ospreys were transferred to nearby RAF Lakenheath, where hardened aircraft shelters are available.
An unnamed U.S. official told the Associated Press that the relocations were precautionary. Some of the aircraft were deployed on rotation, while others are permanently based in the United Kingdom, the official said.
U.S. aircrews inspect a B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber on the flight line at RAF Fairford. Britain reportedly has declined to allow the United States to use the base for a possible strike against Iran. (Getty Images)
The latest move is the second significant relocation of U.S. military aircraft from a British base in under two months.
In early October, the Air Force removed heavy bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after British counterterrorism officers stopped three suspicious vans traveling toward the base on Sept. 27.
British authorities have since charged two men under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act.
In a separate development Tuesday, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against three Iranian-backed operatives accused of taking part in coordinated terrorist plots across Europe, including an alleged plot involving RAF Fairford.
The main gate at RAF Fairford is shown on Sept. 27, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. Police declared a major incident after evacuating residents from Whelford, a village roughly one mile from the base, which hosts U.S. Air Force bombers involved in the Iran conflict. (David Bown/Getty Images)
RAF Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only U.S. tanker wing permanently stationed in Europe.
The wing’s KC-135 Stratotankers provide aerial refueling for allied aircraft and support long-range strike operations across the region.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States regularly shifts military assets around the world.
“We are constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons,” Rubio told reporters when asked about the aircraft departures.
A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said British air bases remain secure and that the United Kingdom and the United States maintain continuous intelligence-sharing efforts focused on potential threats.
