US withdraws all B-1 bombers from UK's Fairford base after security threats

The United States has withdrawn all of its B-1 strategic bombers from the British airbase at Fairford, according to reports citing US officials and a Pentagon confirmation. TASS, citing The Wall Street Journal, first reported the withdrawal after an incident at the base, and Kommersant, citing The New York Times, said about 12 bombers had been stationed there. Interfax, citing CNN, quoted an American official as saying: “We can now confirm that all American bombers stationed at RAF Fairford have returned to their bases in the United States.” Meduza reported that the Pentagon confirmed the withdrawal but did not name a reason. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 8 ]

Kommersant said the withdrawal was urgent, with some aircraft and crews leaving before the refuelling aircraft needed for the flight to the US were fully prepared. The newspaper’s sources linked the urgency to new threat warnings that concerned the US command. Interfax, citing a source, said the threat was described as “a real incident,” and Interfax, citing the aviation tracking group Military Air Tracking Alliance, later reported that all 12 B-1B bombers left Fairford on Sunday. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]

Fairford had served as a staging point for US strikes on Iran. TASS noted the base was used as a transit point for launching B-1 strikes on Iran, and Kommersant said Britain allowed use of the base for such operations in March 2026, with strikes on targets linked to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz flown from there that spring. Interfax said more than 20 US B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress bombers were based at Fairford during the US operation against Iran, and that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the base a “legitimate target” for retaliation. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]

The withdrawal followed the 27 September detention of suspects near the base. Kommersant, Interfax and Meduza reported that five men were detained near Welford in Gloucestershire, close to the base, on suspicion of preparing an explosion; RBC and Vedomosti reported that six suspects were arrested. Interfax said all five detainees were UK nationals living in London and that police later said no explosives were found in their cars. Kommersant said the five were charged with preparing a terrorist attack and violating explosives legislation, while Interfax and Meduza said they were released on bail. Meduza also reported that on 1 October, a 25-year-old man with UK and Iranian citizenship was detained in London in connection with the case and later released. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government had “strong grounds” to believe Iran “played a role” in the investigated incident at Fairford, Interfax and Vedomosti reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Burnham was mistaken, and Tehran denies involvement. Interfax, citing Sky News, said the suspected plot was the subject of a major counter-terrorism investigation, but that its origin remained unknown. Vedomosti also noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 29 September that there was foreign interference in the incident. [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]

Kommersant noted that use of Fairford depended on prior British consent, so the withdrawal left the US operation without an agreed basing point in Britain. The documents give differing accounts of the number of detainees and their legal status, and the exact nature of the new threat that prompted the withdrawal has not been specified. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]