US military tanker aircraft have been moved from RAF Mildenhall to bases in Germany and Spain amid reports of a threat from Iran, although it remains unclear whether the warning was imminent or general.
Nine KC-135 Stratotankers were relocated on Monday, according to reports citing US sources. Public aircraft tracking data indicated that 10 tankers left the Suffolk airbase, with one landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, four at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and another at Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters of US Forces Europe.
Four further aircraft arrived at Morón Air Base in southern Spain on Monday.
A US official said the military took steps to protect its aircraft, personnel and installations, but did not comment on specific movements.
“We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure,” the official said.
Three US Osprey tiltrotor aircraft also left RAF Mildenhall and arrived at RAF Lakenheath, another US base in England, on Tuesday. It is not clear whether those movements were connected to the reported Iranian threat.
A US Air Force spokesman said aircraft routinely “rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements”.
He added that US military aircraft were hosted under access, basing and overflight agreements with allied countries, but said no further information would be provided for operational security reasons.
Previous security concerns at RAF Fairford
The movements came just over a month after the US Air Force removed its long-range bombers from RAF Fairford, another base in England that had been used to launch strikes on Iran, following a security incident.
Five British men were arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences near the base on September 27. They were later released on bail, while two men were charged a month afterwards with security-related offences.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and with conduct alleged to have materially assisted such a service in carrying out activities connected to the UK.
Nouman Essghir, also 24, was charged with a national security offence after allegedly approaching or being near a prohibited place in circumstances deemed prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Iran was believed to have “played a part” in the incident, while stressing that the investigation remained ongoing.
Counter-terrorism police said extensive searches of three vehicles linked to the men found no explosives. They found fuel and several large, mostly empty plastic drums.
