The US military moved refueling tankers and tiltrotor aircraft out of RAF Mildenhall in eastern England on Monday over a reported threat from Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported. It is the second British base the US has thinned out since a suspected Iran-linked plot at RAF Fairford in September.
According to the Journal, most of the KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes were relocated to bases in Germany and Spain, and one was moved to Prestwick in Scotland. Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were moved to nearby RAF Lakenheath. Flight-tracking data analyzed by CNN and CBS News showed that about 10 tankers left Mildenhall.
The exact nature of the threat is still being discussed among US officials, and it is unclear whether it was imminent or general. The United States also raised the security level at Mildenhall and Lakenheath to "FPCON Charlie," according to the Journal and the defense publication The War Zone, citing a US official.
US European Command said aircraft move between locations "for a variety of reasons" and that it could not discuss force protection measures. A US spokesperson said that aircraft and other assets "move regularly according to operational requirements."
RAF Mildenhall is home to the US Air Force's 100th Air Refueling Wing. Its tanker fleet supports the movement and deployment of US combat aircraft across Europe.
The move comes weeks after the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, following reports of intelligence about a potential Iranian drone attack on US aircraft and personnel at the base. The bombers returned to their home bases in the United States on October 4. Iran has denied involvement in any plot against Fairford. However, its Revolutionary Guard warned in July that any base used to launch attacks against Iranian territory is a legitimate target.
The United States has used British bases during its war with Iran, which began in late February. In March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government authorized US strikes from British bases, including RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, against Iranian missile sites threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
