The U.S. Air Force has withdrawn all 12 B-1B Lancer bombers that remained at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. The aircraft left the base on October 4, a week after British police investigated a suspected terrorist plot near the installation.
The departure ended a seven-month B-1 deployment that began with one of the largest concentrations of U.S. strategic bombers seen at Fairford. Air Data News reported in March that 15 B-1Bs and six B-52Hs were simultaneously at the British base, with the Lancers alone accounting for roughly one-third of the operational B-1 fleet.
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The deployment subsequently expanded. According to the outlet, 29 individual U.S. bombers passed through Fairford during the operation, and the number present at one time reached approximately two dozen.
Fairford also served as a forward base for combat operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury. Its location allowed B-1 crews to reach the Middle East from Europe instead of flying considerably longer missions from bases in the continental United States.
Suspected plot preceded sudden departure
The security situation around Fairford changed on September 27, when British police detained five men after reports of masked individuals and suspicious vehicles near the base. Authorities found gasoline in vehicles examined during the investigation, but no explosives.
The five suspects were subsequently released without charge. Police later arrested a sixth man in London, a dual British-Iranian national, as the investigation expanded to examine a possible terrorist plot and potential links to Iran. Tehran has denied involvement.
The episode occurred while the Air Force still appeared to be maintaining its B-1 presence at Fairford. One Lancer had arrived only days earlier to replace another aircraft, an indication that the bomber rotation remained active immediately before the security alert.
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All 12 remaining B-1Bs then departed Fairford on October 4. The Pentagon confirmed that the bombers had returned to the United States and said the B-1, B-2 Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress retain the ability to conduct global missions from their home bases.
The Pentagon has not publicly established a direct connection between the suspected plot and the withdrawal. The B-52Hs that had shared Fairford with the Lancers earlier in the deployment had already returned home months before.
The B-1 deployment had continued well beyond the most intense phase of Operation Epic Fury. After the April ceasefire reduced combat activity, the aircraft remained in Britain for training and other missions, with Fairford continuing to support the force until the simultaneous departure of the final 12 aircraft on October 4.
