US refuelling aircraft have moved from Mildenhall in Britain to other European bases amid reports of an unspecified threat linked to Iran. Flight-tracking data identified ten tankers travelling to Germany, Spain and Scotland. A US official described protective measures, while the Air Force cited routine training and operational requirements. The alleged threat’s details remain undisclosed.
US refuelling aircraft left Royal Air Force Mildenhall, a base in southeast England used by the United States, on 9 November. Reports linked their relocation to an unspecified threat involving Iran. ABC News attributed the move to Germany to a person familiar with the matter. A US official told CBS News that protective steps were being taken for aircraft, personnel and installations. The nature and immediacy of the alleged threat remain undisclosed.[1], [2]
CBS News identified ten KC-135 Stratotankers, aircraft used to refuel other planes in flight, in public tracking data. Four reached Spangdahlem and one reached Ramstein, both military air bases in Germany. Another four travelled to Morón Air Base in southern Spain, while one landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland. The aircraft had been based at Mildenhall, home to the only permanently stationed US aerial-refuelling wing in Europe.[1]
The US Air Force said aircraft routinely rotate between installations for training and operational needs. CBS News also identified three Osprey tiltrotor transport aircraft travelling from Mildenhall to nearby Lakenheath, another base used by US forces in England, on 10 November. Their connection to the reported threat was unconfirmed. Those transport aircraft were separate from the ten tankers tracked on the previous day.[1]
