US Evacuates Tankers From RAF Mildenhall After Reported Iran Threat

Two U.S. Air Force refueling tankers were diverted from RAF Mildenhall to Germany on Monday morning, and several others at the Suffolk base were later moved to Germany and other locations, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Journal said U.S. officials decided to redeploy the aircraft after being alerted to a threat from Iran. The precise nature of that threat, including whether it was imminent or more general, remains under discussion among U.S. officials, it reported.

Destinations and Higher Alert

A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that several military aircraft had left Mildenhall as the security posture there increased, and said crews were operating under “enhanced force protection measures.” The official would not speculate on the exact nature of the threat.

The Journal, citing a U.S. official familiar with the matter, said Washington had raised the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the Defense Department’s second-highest alert. That level is used when intelligence indicates that a form of terrorist action is likely.

Flight-tracking data reviewed by CBS News showed 10 KC-135 Stratotankers leaving Mildenhall on Monday. Four landed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, one at Ramstein Air Base, four at Morón Air Base in Spain and one at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland. CBS News also said three Osprey tiltrotors arrived at Lakenheath on Tuesday, and that it was unclear whether all of the movements were linked to the reported threat.

“We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure,” a U.S. official told CBS News and NBC News, without commenting on specific flights.

A U.S. European Command spokesperson said Air Force aircraft “rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements,” and declined to discuss particular movements or force-protection measures, citing operational security.

“We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements,” a British Ministry of Defense spokesperson said.

RAF Mildenhall, in eastern England, hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only permanent U.S. aerial refueling wing in Europe. The wing operates the KC-135 Stratotanker.

Fairford Withdrawal

The movements follow the U.S. withdrawal of all 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in early October, after intelligence heightened fears of a suspected Iran-backed attack on the Gloucestershire base, which had been used to launch American bomber strikes on Iran.

Police first arrested five British men near Fairford on Sept. 27, when three vans were stopped close to the base. Officers found fuel but no explosives, and two further arrests followed, bringing the total to seven. Two men were later charged under the National Security Act, with prosecutors alleging that one had tried to assist a foreign intelligence service.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the September incident was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran.” Tehran has denied involvement. In July, the Revolutionary Guards said any base used to attack Iranian territory was a “legitimate target.”