INTERNATIONAL DESK — Britain said on Tuesday that its military bases were safe, after the US removed huge refuelling aircraft from a British airbase following a reported threat from Iran, the second such apparent evacuation in three months.
Commercially available flight tracking data showed at least 10 Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker refuelling planes left the Royal Air Force base in Mildenhall, eastern England, on Monday. One flew to a base in Germany, one to Scotland and two to Spain, while the destinations of the other six were not reported. At least three Osprey multipurpose aircraft also departed from Mildenhall and landed at Lakenheath, another RAF base 4 miles away.
Video filmed by a member of the public from outside the base and verified by howed two Ospreys taxiing on the runway after landing at Lakenheath. Asked about the moves, the US European Command said the Air Force moves aircraft between locations for a variety of reasons, and it would not comment on force protection measures for operational security reasons. A spokesman for Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the protection of Britain's military bases was a top priority, and that the government worked closely with the police and allies to protect them.