US evacuates aircraft from British military base over Iran threat

Résumé détaillé

The United States evacuated several military aircraft from an air base in England on Monday after the US Air Force concluded they could be at risk from a possible threat from Iran.

WASHINGTON — The United States evacuated several military aircraft from an air base in England on Monday after the US Air Force concluded they could be at risk from a possible threat from Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ten air tankers were relocated to bases in Germany, Spain and Scotland, while Osprey transport aircraft were sent to nearby RAF Lakenheath. .

The exact threat to the base, Royal Air Force base Mildenhall in Suffolk, remains under discussion by US officials, The WSJ reported, but British sources emphasized there was no immediate or direct danger to the base or the area nearby.

Flight tracking data analyzed by CNN shows that 10 US refueling aircraft were relocated from RAF Mildenhall on Monday. Four of those KC-135 Stratotankers went to Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base, one to Germany’s Ramstein Air Base, four to Spain’s Morón Air Base and one to Scotland’s Glasgow Prestwick airport.

The United States also upgraded the security threat level at RAF Mildenhall and another airbase RAF Lakenheath to “FPCON Charlie,” according to The WSJ and the defense industry publication The War Zone, citing a US official on Monday. That threat level – the second-highest level in the Pentagon’s force protection system – indicates that some form of terrorist action or targeting action is likely.

“We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure,” a US official told CNN.

Another American official, from the US European Command, said that “US Air Force aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements… Due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets.”

A UK Ministry of Defense spokesperson said that they “do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations.” The spokesperson added that “aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements.”

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