US moving group of B-1B strategic bombers to UK

Heavy bomber jets from the US Air Force are on their way to begin deployment to RAF Fairford on October 12, amid growing global instability.

A pair of B-1Bs have crossed the Atlantic and are heading to Gloucestershire, after taking part in a special mission, according to Gloucestershire Live.

Multiple private flights in the past week have landed at the Gloucestershire airbase with crew and equipment from the home of the B-1Bs in America, Dyess Air Force Base, building anticipation for a full deployment of the famously loud US heavy bomber jet. Many of the 50-year-old B-1Bs are currently undergoing upgrades that will see them flying into the 2040s.

On October 11, according to a flight notice closing the airfield for the morning, USAF officials conducted a foreign object sweep of the runway at the base to make sure there was no debris, ahead of the arrival of the US' Bomber Task Force.

The B-1Bs were last deployed to RAF Fairford in May this year, as part of a regular Bomber Task Force rotation in Europe, where they also flew missions to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine. Sources confirming deployment believe the B-1Bs could be participating in a show of strength in Europe or the Middle East before landing at Fairford.