The Gloucestershire base has served as a primary staging hub for American bomber strikes during the Iran war. The aircraft’s return comes amid a British counterterrorism investigation that has led to six arrests.
“We can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States,” the Pentagon said. A spokesperson also confirmed the return to CBS News, which credited the Journal with first reporting it.
Police initially detained five British men near the base after identifying three suspicious vans. The suspects, all in their 20s and from London, were arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses.
Police said the vans contained gasoline but no explosives. The five men were subsequently released on police bail and remain under investigation.
Counterterrorism officers arrested a sixth suspect on October 1, a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual citizen. He was detained on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts linked to the incident.
U.S. and British officials said a planned attack on RAF Fairford had been disrupted. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” of Iranian involvement but emphasized that the police investigation was ongoing.
Iran denied any connection to the alleged plot. The reports did not establish whether the incident prompted the redeployment or whether the aircraft had already been scheduled to return.
The Pentagon emphasized that the U.S. bomber force remained ready for global missions. Those missions can include strikes launched from bases in the continental United States.
“U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements,” a Pentagon spokesperson said. “The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime.”
