B-1B Bombers Make Hasty Departure From England

Published Oct 4, 2026 9:04 PM EDT

(Photo by David Bown/Getty Images)

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers that had been deployed to RAF Fairford in the U.K. since operation Epic Fury have returned to their home stations, a U.S. defense official confirmed to TWZ . The hasty movement was reportedly sparked by new Iranian threats against the base, although the Pentagon doesn’t confirm that assertion.

The sudden withdrawal came a week after a major incident was declared near Fairford following the arrest of five men on suspicion of driving bomb-laden vans toward it. They were later released on bail after no explosives were found. However, Counter-Terrorism police are continuing the investigation and said they were considering ​whether a foreign ​state had ⁠been involved . On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident might have had an Iranian ​link.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the departure .

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer heavy bomber takes off from runway 27 to depart for home at RAF Fairford on Oct. 4, 2026 in Fairford, United Kingdom. (Photo by David Bown/Getty Images) DAVIDBOWN

Bomber strikes launched from Fairford, which included ones executed by both B-1s and B-52s, were a central aspect of major U.S. combat operations against Iran earlier this year. In addition, the installation is a major hub for U.S. military aircraft in the United Kingdom. It is a regular host of strategic assets, including bombers and U-2 spy planes. It also acts as a pit stop for other aircraft, including fighters, that are being ferried to and from the United States.

The U.S. withdrew all 12 B-1s “after commanders received new threats about an Iran-backed plot against the installation,” The New York Times reported , citing two U.S. officials.

U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers depart RAF Fairford for home bases on Oct. 4, 2026. (Photo by David Bown/Getty Images) DAVIDBOWN

“The withdrawal was highly unusual: Such moves are rarely made so quickly from an allied air base in a peacetime country thousands of miles from a combat zone,” the publication added. “The need to move the bombers out of the base, R.A.F. Fairford, was deemed so urgent that some of the planes and their flight crews left while aerial refueling aircraft were still being scrambled to support their flights to the United States. At least three of the planes had landed at their home base in South Dakota by Sunday.”

U.S. officials declined to tell the Times the specific nature of the new information that prompted the Lancer withdrawal, some of which had just arrived in the past week as part of a normal rotation of forces to maintain the B-1 forward presence in Europe.

“One U.S. official said the new information was part of the same threat warnings that surfaced three weeks ago, but specific details and a sense of urgency spiked in the past 24 hours, alarming commanders,” the publication noted.

As we previously reported , Tehran directly threatened RAF Fairford in July over its use as a base to launch attacks against Iran.

“The American aggressor army, which used to launch cruise missiles from its vessels in the Indian Ocean in its aggression after the official resumption of the war, with the end of the missile reserves of the aforementioned vessels, yesterday switched to using B1 planes flying from Fairford Air Base, England,” Tasnim News Agency , a quasi-state outlet in Iran with ties to the country’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed on Telegram on July 23. “As the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated, any base that is used to invade Iran’s territory is our legitimate goal.”

the enemy must pay the price for its breach of promises, and this time we will not allow America to use deceptive ceasefires to replenish its oil and ammunition stockpiles and then resume attacks once again. — Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) July 23, 2026

the enemy must pay the price for its breach of promises, and this time we will not allow America to use deceptive ceasefires to replenish its oil and ammunition stockpiles and then resume attacks once again.

Local aircraft spotters and aviation photographers began to notice the aircraft departing in large numbers earlier on Sunday.

The aircraft left in several waves, according to the DefenceGeek X account, run by the senior editor of the U.K. Defence Journal .

IN FULL: US Bomber Force Withdrawal from RAF Fairford #IranWar‌ OK so now we know the full scale of this withdrawal, here's the details – 10 of the 12 B-1B "Lancer" bombers remaining at the base (including the aircraft that only arrived 6 days ago on a rotation) are heading… pic.twitter.com/LSBHuomAcz — DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) October 4, 2026

IN FULL: US Bomber Force Withdrawal from RAF Fairford #IranWar‌ OK so now we know the full scale of this withdrawal, here's the details – 10 of the 12 B-1B "Lancer" bombers remaining at the base (including the aircraft that only arrived 6 days ago on a rotation) are heading… pic.twitter.com/LSBHuomAcz

B-1 MAYAN42 departing for home just now🇺🇸 it was with MAYAN41 86-0111 which only recently arrived at RAF Fairford suggesting not a rotation. That's 10 today now. pic.twitter.com/sfvDjmgdgK — Saint1 (@Saint1Mil) October 4, 2026

B-1 MAYAN42 departing for home just now🇺🇸 it was with MAYAN41 86-0111 which only recently arrived at RAF Fairford suggesting not a rotation. That's 10 today now. pic.twitter.com/sfvDjmgdgK

The defense official who confirmed the withdrawal said the aircraft movements won’t affect overall readiness.

“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the official added.

When we asked the Pentagon about the retrograde movement of bombers from the U.K., they did not confirm the security issue that prompted it, stating:

“ U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements. While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States. The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime.”

Regardless, this is the first time in months that RAF Fairford has not hosted U.S. bombers.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年10月4日晚上9:04

（图片来源：David Bown/Getty Images）

据TWZ报道，一位美国国防官员证实，自“史诗狂怒行动”以来部署在英国费尔福德皇家空军基地的美国空军B-1B“枪骑兵”轰炸机已返回其驻地。据报道，此次紧急调动是由于伊朗对该基地发出新的威胁，但五角大楼并未证实这一说法。

在费尔福德附近发生重大事件一周后，当局突然撤回了相关行动。此前，五名男子因涉嫌驾驶装满炸弹的货车冲向该地区而被捕。由于未发现爆炸物，他们随后获得保释。然而，反恐警察仍在继续调查，并表示正在考虑是否有外国势力参与其中。周三，英国首相安迪·伯纳姆表示，该事件可能与伊朗有关。

《华尔街日报》率先报道了这一离职事件。

2026年10月4日，一架美国空军B-1B“枪骑兵”重型轰炸机从英国费尔福德皇家空军基地27号跑道起飞，返回美国。（图片由David Bown/Getty Images提供）DAVIDBOWN

今年早些时候，美国对伊朗开展的大规模军事行动中，从费尔福德基地起飞的轰炸机（包括B-1和B-52轰炸机）发挥了核心作用。此外，该基地还是美国在英国的重要军事飞机枢纽，定期停放包括轰炸机和U-2侦察机在内的战略资产，同时也是其他飞机（包括战斗机）往返美国的中转站。

据《纽约时报》援引两名美国官员的话报道，美国在“指挥官收到有关伊朗支持的针对该设施的阴谋的新威胁”后，撤回了全部 12 架 B-1 轰炸机。

2026年10月4日，美国空军B-1轰炸机从英国皇家空军费尔福德基地起飞返回母港。（图片来源：David Bown/Getty Images）DAVIDBOWN

该报道补充道：“此次撤离极为罕见：在距离战区数千英里的和平时期盟军空军基地，如此迅速地撤离轰炸机实属罕见。由于必须尽快将轰炸机撤离费尔福德皇家空军基地，一些飞机及其机组人员甚至在空中加油机仍在紧急起飞支援飞往美国的航班时就已离开。截至周日，至少有三架飞机已降落在位于南达科他州的基地。”

美国官员拒绝向《泰晤士报》透露促使“枪骑兵”轰炸机撤离的具体新信息，其中一些“枪骑兵”轰炸机是上周刚刚抵达的，这是为维持B-1轰炸机在欧洲的前沿部署而进行的正常部队轮换的一部分。

该出版物指出，“一位美国官员表示，这些新信息与三周前出现的威胁警告属于同一范畴，但具体细节和紧迫感在过去 24 小时内急剧增加，令指挥官们感到震惊。”

正如我们之前报道的那样，德黑兰在7月份直接威胁英国皇家空军费尔福德基地，称其被用作对伊朗发动袭击的基地。

据伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社7月23日在Telegram上发布的消息称：“在战争正式恢复后，美国侵略军曾利用其在印度洋的舰艇发射巡航导弹进行侵略。随着上述舰艇导弹储备的耗尽，昨天，美军转而使用从英国费尔福德空军基地起飞的B-1轰炸机。”塔斯尼姆通讯社是伊朗一家与该国强大的伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）关系密切的准官方媒体。该通讯社还表示：“正如外交部官员所言，任何用于入侵伊朗领土的基地都是我们的合法目标。”

敌人必须为其违背承诺付出代价，这一次我们绝不允许美国利用虚假的停火来补充其石油和弹药储备，然后再次发动袭击。——Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) 2026年7月23日

敌人必须为其违背承诺付出代价，这一次我们绝不会允许美国利用欺骗性的停火来补充其石油和弹药储备，然后再次恢复进攻。

当地的飞机观察员和航空摄影师从周日早些时候就开始注意到大量飞机起飞。

据英国国防杂志高级编辑运营的 DefenceGeek X 账户称，飞机分几批离开。

完整报道：美国轰炸机部队撤离英国皇家空军费尔福德基地 #伊朗战争‌ 现在我们了解了此次撤军的全部规模，以下是详细信息——基地剩余的12架B-1B“枪骑兵”轰炸机中，有10架（包括6天前才轮换抵达的飞机）正在撤离…… pic.twitter.com/LSBHuomAcz — DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) 2026年10月4日

完整报道：美国轰炸机部队撤离英国皇家空军费尔福德基地 #伊朗战争‌ 现在我们了解了此次撤军的全部规模，以下是详细信息——基地剩余的12架B-1B“枪骑兵”轰炸机中，有10架（包括6天前才轮换抵达的飞机）正在撤离…… pic.twitter.com/LSBHuomAcz

B-1 MAYAN42 刚刚启程返回美国🇺🇸，它和 MAYAN41 86-0111 一起离开，MAYAN41 86-0111 最近才抵达费尔福德皇家空军基地，这表明它今天没有轮换部署。今天已经是第 10 架了。 pic.twitter.com/sfvDjmgdgK — Saint1 (@Saint1Mil) October 4, 2026

B-1 MAYAN42 刚刚启程返回美国🇺🇸，它与 MAYAN41 86-0111 一起，后者最近才抵达费尔福德皇家空军基地，这表明它并非轮换部署。今天已经是第 10 架了。 pic.twitter.com/sfvDjmgdgK

证实此次撤军的国防官员表示，飞机调动不会影响整体战备状态。

这位官员补充说：“操作美国轰炸机部队（包括 B-1、B-2 和 B-52）的空军人员随时准备提供精确的全球打击能力——包括从美国本土起飞和回收的行动——随时随地。”

当我们询问五角大楼关于轰炸机从英国撤离一事时，他们没有证实引发撤离的安全问题，只是表示：

“美国空军轰炸机经常在全球各地执行任务，以支持全球部队的战备和作战需求。虽然出于作战安全考虑，我们无法实时确认我们的资产和部队的调动情况，但我们现在可以确认，所有部署到费尔福德皇家空军基地的美国轰炸机均已返回其位于美国的驻地。操作美国轰炸机部队（包括B-1、B-2和B-52轰炸机）的空军人员仍然随时准备提供精确的全球打击能力——包括从美国本土起飞和回收的行动——无论何时何地。”

无论如何，这是几个月来英国皇家空军费尔福德基地首次没有接待美国轰炸机。

联系作者：howard@twz.com

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