US tankers leave RAF Mildenhall amid reported Iran threat

Two US refuelling tankers using RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk were diverted to Germany on Monday, followed later that day by several others sent to Germany and other locations, The Wall Street Journal reported, according to the BBC and Reuters.

The newspaper attributed the moves to a threat from Iran, citing US officials. It said the precise nature of the threat was still being discussed among officials, Reuters reported.

Separately, flight tracker DefenceGeek reported that several KC-135 tankers had moved from Mildenhall to Spangdahlem in Germany or Prestwick in Scotland, according to the specialist publication The War Zone. Mildenhall is home to the US Air Force’s 100th Air Refuelling Wing.

A US official told The War Zone that enhanced protection measures were in place at Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, but did not specify the measures or what prompted them. The US Air Force said its aircraft move between locations for various reasons and declined to give further details of movements.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence told the BBC that it did not routinely comment on other countries’ activities and that aircraft and equipment move regularly according to operational requirements.

The reports come weeks after US bombers left RAF Fairford and returned to the United States. British authorities had linked an earlier security incident near Fairford to Iran, which denied involvement in that incident.