Скачать или смотреть B-1B Lancer Bombers back at RAF Fairford with heavy support + Antonov An124 at Brize Norton & more!

With the escalating situation in Iran and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent U-turn on allowing the United States to use British military bases for defensive action, this weekend saw a heavy build up of military airpower at the usually quiet Gloucestershire base.

At the close of play on Sunday, Fairford had no less than x5 supersonic, variable-sweep wing Rockwell B-1 Lancers, 4 of which had arrived firstly from Ellsworth Air Force Base then a fifth from Dyess Air Force Base, + a further x3 examples at Ramstein Air Force Base, which had only had to divert there due to poor visibility at Fairford.

The B-1B carries up to a 75,000-pound payload, and this large build up saw support from various US heavy transport aircraft including multiple C-17 Globemaster III's and C-5M Super Galaxies, as well as Kalitta Air Boeing 747s, and more. The B1 arrivals themselves don't feature but the first five of the airframes to arrive are seen at various points around base.

We also head across to RAF Brize Norton where another rare aircraft type was in over the weekend in the form of a Ukranian Antonov An-124 Ruslan, which is seen making an impressive departure on Sunday.

Given the rapidly developing situation in the Middle East, and following the most recent UK Government decision, heavy attention has once again turned to RAF Fairford. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region” after American bombers landed at a Gloucestershire base.

This video shows some of the initial military build up from the weekend as the world navigates the unknown and the bombers return to the skies over Gloucestershire.

Built in 1944, RAF Fairford originally supported troop transporters and gliders used during D-Day and Operation Market Garden. During the Cold War, it became a key United States base due to its exceptionally long runway.

At nearly two miles in length, the runway was once designated as an emergency landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle, and a test centre location for the prototype Concorde flights. Although it retains its RAF title, the base is made available to the United States as a forward operating location for heavy bomber missions.

A 1951 agreement between Washington and London gives the British government final authority over the use of the base for combat operations. The station, owned by the Ministry of Defence, is also well known for hosting the Royal International Air Tattoo, the world’s largest military airshow.

Amid the current escalation in the Middle East, the British government has reversed its earlier position regarding U.S. access to British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iran.

Reports initially suggested the UK had refused to allow the United States to use key RAF bases, including Fairford and Diego Garcia, citing concerns over international law. However, the government later backtracked, granting access to support potential operations against the Iranian regime.

The decision came amid rising regional tensions, including a strike on a UK base in Cyprus and growing risks to British citizens in the region. The move has evidently frustrated Donald Trump, who had argued that access to British bases could prove essential when nuclear talks with Tehran failed and the disagreement has publicly placed a rift on U.S. and UK relations, with Trump accusing Starmer of seeking to 'join wars after the US had already won'.

It all came as sources believe Donald Trump's mega-attack on Iran, dubbed the "big one", is imminent - amid Iran going up in flames overnight in devastating US and Israeli strikes, while Mojtaba Khamenei looks all but set to succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader. Now, with diplomacy fragile and military assets repositioning, RAF Fairford is building up a heavy military presence, as we wait to see what course things take...

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