Latest news with #48thFighterWing
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
American nuclear weapons return to British soil
The US has stationed nuclear weapons in Britain for the first time in more than 15 years, experts believe. An American C-17 transport plane visited RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Thursday, making a transatlantic journey from Kirtland Air Force base in New Mexico, where the US Air Force (USAF) stores nuclear bombs. Analysts said it was likely that the flight contained nuclear bombs, which were last stationed in the UK in 2008, before being removed under the Obama administration. The Telegraph previously revealed details of an upcoming 'nuclear mission' at Lakenheath in unclassified documents that appeared to have been published by the US government by accident. Neither the British nor American governments routinely comment on the location of nuclear weapons. However, experts said the C-17 flight last week closely matched previous missions by the USAF to transport nuclear bombs. The airspace over the base was restricted on Thursday and the aircraft did not immediately return to the US, in what one analyst told the Times appeared to be a 'one-way drop-off'. Priority mission The plane also refuelled over the East Coast of the US. The Aviationist specialist news website said this was a clue that it was flying a priority mission. RAF Lakenheath is the home of the USAF's 48th Fighter Wing, which contains two squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle fast jets and two squadrons of the fifth-generation F-35A jets. The UK announced recently that it would purchase its own squadron of F-35As, which the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Monday could drop nuclear gravity bombs. These British planes are expected to be equipped from a stockpile of US weapons stored in Britain. It will be the first time that Britain has the capacity to air-launch nuclear weapons since the retirement of the WE.177 gravity bomb in 1998. 'This decision reintroduces a nuclear role for the RAF for the first time since the UK retired its sovereign air-launched nuclear weapons after the Cold War,' said an MoD document published on Monday. The decision by the previous US government to station nuclear weapons in Britain again came as part of an adjustment of Nato's nuclear posture in Europe, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Telegraph revealed last year that the Lakenheath base had bought new blast shields and was building a 'surety dormitory'. Surety is a euphemism used by the US military to refer to the safe storage of nuclear weapons. William Alberque, the former director of Nato's nuclear non-proliferation, told The Times that the transport aircraft that visited Lakenheath on Thursday had flown from the US with its transponders on, which allowed it to be tracked by foreign governments and aviation enthusiasts. He said: 'Flying transpondered C-17s from hot storage in Kirtland to Lakenheath and then returning and not going to a storage facility tells me this is a one-way drop-off flight. 'Sometimes these particular C-17 flights are flown without transponders. So, the fact that they transpondered, this suggests to me that this has got to be deliberate.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Planespotters gather at airbase as jets arrive
Planespotters have gathered outside an airbase after a dozen jets rarely seen outside of the United States landed. F-22 Raptor fighter jets, which are exclusively flown by the US Air Force (USAF), arrived at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Wednesday night. It comes as at least 30 other US military planes were moved from bases in the United States to Europe over the past few days as Israel and Iran continue to attack each other. A United States defence official said they were unable to provide details about the deployment of aircraft due to "operational security". RAF Lakenheath hosts the USAF's 48th Fighter Wing and is the largest US fighter operation in Europe. The wing employs four combat-ready fighter squadrons of F-15 Strike Eagles and F-35A Lighting II aircraft. Planespotters at RAF Lakenheath reported an increase in activity over the past few days with the F-22 jets' arrival as well as 16 F-35As leaving on Monday. They expressed excitement at being able to see the aircraft but also concern at the reasons for their appearance. John Millard travelled to the viewing area to get a look for himself and said it was often "jam packed" when news of incoming jets breaks. "It's one of their stealth fighter bombers and of course in coming here there's been a lot of interest," he said of the F-22 jets. "Here at Lakenheath they've got the F-15s and F-35s so it's unusual for another fighter bomber to actually arrive." The base is currently closed due to a United States holiday and the jets were expected to be leaving again in the next few days. "Unfortunately we don't know which runway they'll be using, it all depends on the wind," Mr Millard continued. "But yes, I'll come along." Mick Coppin travelled from Lincolnshire to the base to watch the activity. "It's quite exciting for me today hearing that news - we now hope to see some F-22 Raptors because they're awesome planes," he said. "We don't know the reason there here... but just to see one would be spectacular. "It's the sheer power and you don't see them outside the USA, to see them here would be wonderful." Mr Coppin believed the arrival of the F-22s "should concern us all", but he added there was "nothing we can do about it". Steve Huntley came up from Essex and got to the viewing point early. "I've been going to many airshows over the years and never seen one and the fact that 12 (F-22s) arrived here last night is really something," he said. "It's a very rare sight." Mr Huntley did not believe it was something to be worried about. "I think it's more of a deterrent," he added. "They're the best fighter aircraft in the world... they're an amazing aircraft and for an enthusiast it's like Christmas." Tanker aircrafts have also been spotted arriving at nearby RAF Mildenhall. The 352nd Special Operations Wing, based at the site, performs specialised operations and uses advanced aircraft, tactics and air fuelling techniques to transport and resupply military forces. An United States official told the BBC: "Due to operational security, we cannot provide details about the deployment of aircraft, personnel, or capabilities." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. US moves 30 jets as Iran attack speculation grows Trump approves Iran attack plan but has not made final decision, reports say Your questions answered on the Israel-Iran conflict RAF Lakenheath
BBC News
19-06-2025
- BBC News
RAF Lakenheath planespotters gather as F-22 fighter jets arrive
Planespotters have gathered outside an airbase after a dozen jets rarely seen outside of the United States landed.F-22 Raptor fighter jets, which are exclusively flown by the US Air Force (USAF), arrived at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Wednesday comes as at least 30 other US military planes were moved from bases in the United States to Europe over the past few days as Israel and Iran continue to attack each other.A United States defence official said they were unable to provide details about the deployment of aircraft due to "operational security". RAF Lakenheath hosts the USAF's 48th Fighter Wing and is the largest US fighter operation in wing employs four combat-ready fighter squadrons of F-15 Strike Eagles and F-35A Lighting II at RAF Lakenheath reported an increase in activity over the past few days with the F-22 jets' arrival as well as 16 F-35As leaving on Monday. They expressed excitement at being able to see the aircraft but also concern at the reasons for their appearance. John Millard travelled to the viewing area to get a look for himself and said it was often "jam packed" when news of incoming jets breaks."It's one of their stealth fighter bombers and of course in coming here there's been a lot of interest," he said of the F-22 jets."Here at Lakenheath they've got the F-15s and F-35s so it's unusual for another fighter bomber to actually arrive."The base is currently closed due to a United States holiday and the jets were expected to be leaving again in the next few days."Unfortunately we don't know which runway they'll be using, it all depends on the wind," Mr Millard continued."But yes, I'll come along." Mick Coppin travelled from Lincolnshire to the base to watch the activity."It's quite exciting for me today hearing that news - we now hope to see some F-22 Raptors because they're awesome planes," he said."We don't know the reason there here... but just to see one would be spectacular."It's the sheer power and you don't see them outside the USA, to see them here would be wonderful."Mr Coppin believed the arrival of the F-22s "should concern us all", but he added there was "nothing we can do about it". Steve Huntley came up from Essex and got to the viewing point early."I've been going to many airshows over the years and never seen one and the fact that 12 (F-22s) arrived here last night is really something," he said."It's a very rare sight."Mr Huntley did not believe it was something to be worried about."I think it's more of a deterrent," he added."They're the best fighter aircraft in the world... they're an amazing aircraft and for an enthusiast it's like Christmas." Tanker aircrafts have also been spotted arriving at nearby RAF 352nd Special Operations Wing, based at the site, performs specialised operations and uses advanced aircraft, tactics and air fuelling techniques to transport and resupply military forces. An United States official told the BBC: "Due to operational security, we cannot provide details about the deployment of aircraft, personnel, or capabilities." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
