The RAF Fairford bombers are gone. The U.S. Air Force withdrew all of its bombers from the British airbase, thought to be about a dozen B-1B Lancers, and flew them home to the United States over the weekend of Oct. 3–4, 2026, after commanders received new warnings of a possible Iran-linked drone attack on the base, according to the BBC and U.S. officials.
A Pentagon official confirmed Sunday that “all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States.” U.S. European Command confirmed the move Monday but did not explain what prompted it, Stars and Stripes reported.
Why the RAF Fairford bombers left so suddenly
U.S. and British officials told The New York Times that the threat was part of a complex Iranian plot ordered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to strike aircraft and kill some of the several hundred American personnel at the Gloucestershire base, the Irish Times reported. ITV News said Washington was specifically concerned about a multiple-drone attack.
Officials said the new information built on warnings that first reached U.S. commanders in mid-September, but more specific details surfaced in the 24 hours before the departure. The exit was so rushed that refueling tankers needed to escort the bombers across the Atlantic were reportedly still being fueled as B-1 crews were ordered to take off, the BBC reported.
The Sept. 27 arrests near the base
The withdrawal came about a week after British police, alerted to three “suspicious vehicles” near RAF Fairford on Sept. 27, arrested five men on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. Counter-terrorism police are investigating. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part, without giving details. Tehran has denied any involvement, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has played down any direct link between the arrests and the evacuation.
Whitehall officials said there is “an ongoing high tempo of threat from Iran to the UK” and that U.S. airbases would logically sit high on any target list. In July, the IRGC warned that any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory was a “legitimate target.” For background on the group, see our explainer on the IRGC and its global militant network.
What Washington and London are saying
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday, “There were some threats. Why should we leave them there?” Vice President JD Vance said the Air Force acted “out of an abundance of caution.” Downing Street insisted the base is safe, and Rubio said the U.S. has “confidence in the security of all our bases.”
U.S. bombers have flown from Fairford for about seven months to strike Iranian missile launch sites, after former Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved American use of British bases for what London called defensive strikes during the Middle East war that began in February.
Threat warnings spread to bases in Germany
The Times also reported that Israel warned Germany of a heightened risk of attacks on U.S. installations there, particularly Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases, and that U.S. intelligence assessments raised the possibility of drone attacks on facilities elsewhere in Europe without naming a target or timeline, Stars and Stripes said.
The Pentagon says it can still launch long-range bomber missions from the continental United States. But losing the Fairford foothold lengthens flight times as Washington keeps up pressure on Tehran, including the naval buildup described in our report on the third U.S. aircraft carrier heading toward Iran.