Reported Iran threat sees U.S. move planes from second U.K. base

Résumé détaillé

The reported movement comes just over a month after a security incident at a separate air base hosting U.S. aircraft used in the war with Iran.

The U.S. military moved nine Stratotanker refueling planes from a base in England to facilities in Germany and Spain on Monday, and The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying they had been repositioned due to a threat from Iran.

It is unclear whether the threat was imminent or general, the sources told the newspaper.

CBS News Confirmed found public aircraft tracking data showing 10 KC-135 Stratotankers were moved from Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, in southeast England to other locations. One landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, while four went to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and one landed at Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters of the U.S. Forces Europe, also in Germany.

Four more Stratotankers left Mildenhall and arrived Monday at Morón Air Base in southern Spain.

"We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure," a U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday, without commenting on specific aircraft movements.

Three U.S. Osprey tiltrotor transport planes also departed RAF Mildenhall and arrived Tuesday at RAF Lakenheath, another base used by the U.S. in England. It is unclear whether all of the movements were linked to the reported threat from Iran.

A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told CBS News that aircraft routinely "rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements."

The spokesman added that "U.S. military aircraft are hosted in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements with our Allies and partners. Due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets."

The U.S. Air Force 100th Air Refueling Wing, which has been based at RAF Mildenhall for years, did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment on the aircraft movements. The 100th air wing is the only permanent U.S. refueling wing in Europe.

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