Three US Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers touched down at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire today, as Washington prepares what Donald Trump has described as ‘the big one’ against Iran.
Sir Keir Starmer has approved ‘defensive US action’ against Iranian missile sites launched from UK bases.
The long-range 146ft strategic aircraft are capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles, making them among the most powerful conventional bombers in the US arsenal.
One of the arriving Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers bore the name ‘Symphony of Destruction’, painted alongside artwork on the aircraft’s fuselage.
The jet is flown by Colonel Brian M Busachur, commander of the US Air Force’s largest B-1 bomber group. Another aircraft carried the nickname ‘AlienWith an Attitude’.
Their arrival in Britain comes as the Pentagonpromises a ‘surge’ in strikes against Iran, with the UK airbase expected to host a growing fleet of American bombers amid fears the conflict could escalate dramatically in the coming days.
A fourth B-1 aircraft was pictured arriving at RAFFairford on Friday evening.
The US bomber arrived after Western officials confirmed on Wednesday that the aircraft were expected at the base in the coming days and that Britain was ready to accept them.
The strategic bombers, costing up to $2billion each, can carry out long-range missions without detection while carrying the world’s most devastating missiles.
They weigh 86 tonnes and are the fastest bombers in the US Air Force, according to Boeing, hitting speeds of more than 900mph.
C-5 Super Galaxy cargo plane was also pictured at the base Friday night.
The biggest plane in the US armory, its cargo bay can carry two M1 Abrams main battle tanks, six Apache helicopter gunships or up to 36 military vehicles.
It flew in to Gloucestershire from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas on Friday ahead of the first B1-bomber to land from the 7 Bomb Wing that is based there.
Sources have suggested that Saturday could be D-day for a new gigantic bombardment – exactly a week after America and Israel first attacked Iran as part of ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
The US President warned Iran this week that ‘the big one’ was coming, adding: ‘We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave has not even happened.’
And US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday night that America will now use British RAF bases to ‘dramatically’ up its strikes on Iran after the Prime Minister allowed the Americans to launch defensive strikes from UK-US bases.
‘When we say more to come, it’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities, and it’s more bomber pulses more frequently,’ Mr Hegseth said.
The 146ft B-1 Lancer has a wingspan of 137ft, weighs 86 tonnes and is the fastest bomber in the US Air Force, according to Boeing, hitting speeds of more than 900mph.
Piloted by a crew of four, ‘the Bone’ – as the aircraft is nicknamed – has advanced radar and GPS systems to help hit targets, and electronic jammers, radar warnings and a decoy system to protect it from enemies.
The B-1, which has been used in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, can carry up to 34 tonnes of weapons and equipment.
The US Air Force says on its website: ‘Carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1 is the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force.
‘It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time.’
After a delay that saw Trump claim that Sir Keir Starmer was ‘unhelpful’ and is ‘no Winston Churchill’, the UK is now letting the US use British bases for ‘defensive’ strikes against missile facilities in Iran.
Experts believe America could drop the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ on Iran – a 10-tonne explosive that can create a 1,000ft crater when it explodes.
