The US has sent three B-52 bombers to the UK, landing at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire. These bombers, known as B-52 Stratofortresses, arrived as part of preparations for a potential attack on Iran's missile sites, with the Pentagon aiming to establish air superiority over the Islamic Republic.
Capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of explosives, the B-52s joined a fleet of B-1 Lancers that had started arriving earlier. Images from the Gloucestershire base, one of the few in Europe authorized to operate US heavy bombers, showed the B-52s landing near rows of large bombs on the tarmac.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had initially denied the US permission to use UK airbases for an Iran strike, stated that the build-up at Fairford was essential to protect the West from Iran's alleged "scorched-earth strategy."
Following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Iran initiated a mass retaliation attack across the Middle East, posing a threat to US and European allies. This marks the first deployment of B-52s during the conflict, with these Cold War-era bombers capable of deploying nuclear warheads, cruise missiles, and heavy bombs over distances exceeding 1,500 miles.
Introduced in 1952, the B-52s are among the oldest aircraft still in use by the US military. These heavy bombers can also carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-buster bomb weighing 30,000 pounds, designed to destroy deep underground facilities operated by Iran's current regime.
Alongside the B-2 Spirit, the B-52 plays a crucial role in America's Nuclear Triad, aimed at deterring nuclear attacks by enabling the launch of nuclear warheads globally via land, sea, and air.
The deployment of the B-52s follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's statement that the US is poised to dominate Iranian airspace, promising relentless "death and destruction from the sky" to America's adversaries. Hegseth emphasized that this is just the beginning of a more aggressive approach.
In contrast, Starmer expressed reservations, stating that the UK does not support regime change through aerial means. Despite this, the US has reportedly targeted over 3,000 sites within Iran and destroyed 43 of the Islamic Republic's naval vessels in the initial week of the conflict, according to Central Command.
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