US Air Force moves tankers from UK base as Trump cites 'some threats'

US Air Force refuelling tankers left RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Monday, with flight tracking data showing at least 10 departures.

The Wall Street Journal said the aircraft were moved in response to a threat from Iran. A US official told the Journal that security at Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath had also risen to Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie.

That is the Defense Department's second-highest threat level, used when intelligence points to a likely terrorist action. President Donald Trump, asked whether a specific decision prompted the withdrawal, said, "They didn't fly out by accident. There were some threats." He added, "So we moved him around a little bit. Not very far."

The Guardian called it the second hasty US redeployment in the UK, following the withdrawal of B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire just over a month ago.

Aircraft dispersed across Europe

Two tankers were diverted to Germany on Monday morning, with more moved from Mildenhall later that day, The Independent said, citing the Journal.

DefenceGeek, a defence-focused open-source account on X, wrote Monday that Mildenhall was dispersing assets and that "it does not appear to be an exercise." According to flight tracking data, the departures in the late afternoon and evening included tankers and three CV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

Four tankers reached Spangdahlem and one went to Ramstein Air Base, both in Germany, CBS News said, based on its analysis of tracking data. Another four landed at Morón Air Base in southern Spain.

One tanker landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland. It belongs to the Nebraska Air National Guard and may have been stopping there routinely before returning to its American base.

After a Monday meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Trump said "Iran militarily is effectively over." He said further US attacks "won't be necessary" at this point, although Washington remains "locked and loaded" if circumstances change.

The Journal's sources said US officials were still discussing the threat's precise nature, including whether it was imminent or general. CBS News said it was unclear whether every aircraft movement was connected to it.

Officials discuss base security

A US Air Force spokesperson said aircraft rotate between locations for reasons that include training and operational needs. "Due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets," the spokesperson said.

"We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements," the UK Ministry of Defence said. At a military conference in Oslo, junior defence minister Luke Pollard said "it was a decision for the US where they place their military assets."

British sources stressed that neither the base nor its surrounding area faced immediate or direct danger, The Guardian reported. UK security officials believe Iran cannot carry out an explosive attack on a UK base, though Tehran may threaten one to disrupt American military calculations, the newspaper reported.

"Of course, they are large targets, an airbase has a long perimeter, so they are inevitably vulnerable," former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I suspect part of it is an abundance of caution," he said.

ADS Advance said inexpensive drones present fixed bases with a particular challenge because even limited damage to parked aircraft can carry operational and financial consequences. The publication said the dispersal does not necessarily mean an attack is imminent; rather, it indicates caution among commanders in the region.

US B-1B and B-52H bombers have launched attacks from Fairford against Iran since February in support of Operation Epic Fury. An Iranian missile struck five KC-135 Stratotankers on the ground in Saudi Arabia in March, and the Pentagon has been cautious about dangers to aircraft on the ground since the war's opening phase, The Guardian reported.

In July, Iran's Revolutionary Guards called Fairford and other bases used to launch attacks against Iran legitimate targets.

Police said five men in three vans were arrested near Fairford on Sept. 27 over a suspected plot to attack the base. No explosives were found, and the men were released on bail.

The US withdrew the bombers a week later. Discussing that withdrawal, Trump said on Oct. 5, "We had an idea that there might be a threat."

UK prosecutors said Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24, were later charged under the National Security Act 2023 with assisting Iranian intelligence in relation to the Fairford incident. Iran's ambassador to Britain has denied that Iran was involved in a plot targeting Fairford.

NBC News said Iran has vowed retaliation if the American-Israeli war against it resumes and has threatened to extend its response beyond the Middle East.