Covering all aspects of the military aviation & radio hobby scene. News, equipment and all things radio & virtual radar related. Tweets by @CJohnstonephoto
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Military Monitoring World retweeted
UPDATE: They're Coming Back Now... #IranWar
As of this morning, we're now at 17 tankers returned to Europe, and 3 more moved from US west coast to east coast in preparation to cross.
That's just in the last 48-72hrs.
Most of the airframes are ones that left in September...
@MATA_osint
They're Coming Back Now... #IranWar
As those of you who have been following me for a while know, one of the areas of build-up/monitoring I focus on is the USAF KC-135/KC-46 tanker fleets. Recently I noted a significant reduction in the numbers across Europe, while the number in CENTCOM remained relatively steady at ~100.
Well, following news that the Trump administration is considering new strikes at/around the midterm elections, I've noticed an increase in the number of tankers returning to Europe. In the last 36hrs alone, I've noted 11 returns specifically to European bases.
It is likely an indicator that preparations for further combat operations are indeed underway - ultimately the fast-jets and ISTAR platforms are still in place so things could start moving quite quickly!!
@MATA_osint
Military Monitoring World retweeted
They're Coming Back Now... #IranWar
As those of you who have been following me for a while know, one of the areas of build-up/monitoring I focus on is the USAF KC-135/KC-46 tanker fleets. Recently I noted a significant reduction in the numbers across Europe, while the number in CENTCOM remained relatively steady at ~100.
Well, following news that the Trump administration is considering new strikes at/around the midterm elections, I've noticed an increase in the number of tankers returning to Europe. In the last 36hrs alone, I've noted 11 returns specifically to European bases.
It is likely an indicator that preparations for further combat operations are indeed underway - ultimately the fast-jets and ISTAR platforms are still in place so things could start moving quite quickly!!
@MATA_osint
Military Monitoring World retweeted
BREAKING: Two Latvian men have been arrested on suspicion of trespass and national security offences at an RAF base in Cambridgeshire that is used by US forces and NATO for intelligence and analysis. Counter terrorism police are investigation.
The Met Police said: “At approximately 22:00hrs on Wednesday, 7 October, security patrols by Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) at RAF Molesworth being carried out near the perimeter of RAF Molesworth identified an abandoned vehicle. Officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary also attended and working with colleagues from MDP carried out further searches around the site.
“A small breach of the perimeter fence was subsequently identified and at approximately 02:00hrs on 8 October, two men were located and arrested.
“Two men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside the base perimeter. Both men are Latvian nationals, currently resident in the UK.”
mynewsdesk.com/uk/metpoliceu…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
The United States removed its B-1 bombers from a U.K. air base one week after several men were arrested there on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. defensenews.com/air/2026/10/…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
All B-1 Bombers Leave RAF Fairford in Hasty Departure from UK Base
airandspaceforces.com/us-b-1…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
All B-1 Bombers Leave RAF Fairford in Hasty Departure from UK Base
All 12 American bombers deployed in Britain rapidly returned to the U.S. today following security concerns about a potential Iranian threat to their base in the U.K.
The dozen B-1B Lancer bombers, which were stationed at RAF Fairford amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, departed over the course of the day. The base hosted around two dozen B-1s and B-52s during the height of the conflict. airandspaceforces.com/us-b-1…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
US removes all Air Force bombers from RAF Fairford
trib.al/QxToczd
Military Monitoring World retweeted
B-1B Bombers Make Hasty Departure From England
RAF Fairford, which hosted U.S. bombers during Operation Epic Fury, some of which have stayed, has been threatened openly by Iran before.
twz.com/air/b-1b-bombers-mak…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
Breaking News: The U.S. rushed to withdraw its B-1 bombers from an air base in England after commanders received new threats about an Iran-backed plot against the installation, officials said. nyti.ms/4iYtpK9
Military Monitoring World retweeted
The withdrawal came amid security concerns around the base where six suspects were arrested last week in connection to a suspected plot. on.wsj.com/4hrMX8B
Military Monitoring World retweeted
New: The B-1 bombers were moved from RAF Fairford due to security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility, American officials said Sunday.
wsj.com/world/middle-east/al…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
"The need to move the bombers out of the base, R.A.F. Fairford, was deemed so urgent that some of the planes and their flight crews left while aerial refueling aircraft were still being scrambled to support their flights to the United States."
nytimes.com/2026/10/04/us/po…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
BREAKING: The US Air Force has removed all of its bombers from RAF Fairford, the Pentagon has said.
Sky's @jonathansamuels reads the US Air force statement
trib.al/UpvEoEA
Military Monitoring World retweeted
All US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have returned to their home stations in the United States, ending the latest sustained deployment of American heavy bombers at the British airbase. Click image for more.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk/amer…
Military Monitoring World retweeted
US bases across the Middle East have taken direct hits, with aircraft damaged on the ground—yet host countries like Jordan face zero public scrutiny about their reliability, yet here we are with people suggesting the UK should be removed from Five eyes due to Fairford threat?
Military Monitoring World retweeted
Official confirmation the deployment to Fairford is concluded, at least for now.
Military Monitoring World retweeted
The Pentagon confirms all B-1s have left RAF Fairford:
While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement in real-time... we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the U.S.
Military Monitoring World retweeted
An end to the deployment at RAF Fairford? 🇬🇧🇺🇸
For aviation spotters, it has been a pretty incredible sight to behold over the past year. As for the future, who knows...
Wishing all those involved safe travels homeward!
Military Monitoring World retweeted
IN FULL: US Bomber Force Withdrawal from RAF Fairford #IranWar
OK so now we know the full scale of this withdrawal, here's the details - 10 of the 12 B-1B "Lancer" bombers remaining at the base (including the aircraft that only arrived 6 days ago on a rotation) are heading back to the US right now (and the other 2 were meant to leave today too, and might still do so):
Cell 1:
B-1B "MAYAN11" 86-0140 #AE6C0B (DY 345BS) "Last Lancer"
B-1B "MAYAN12" 86-0107 #AE6BEF (WA 77WPS) "Dragon Slayer"
B-1B "MAYAN13" 86-0112 #AE6BF4 (DY) "The Black Widow"
Cell 2:
B-1B "MAYAN21" 86-0138 #AE6C09 (EL) "Seek and Destroy"
B-1B "MAYAN22" 86-0103 #AE6BEC (DY) "The Reluctant Dragon"
B-1B "MAYAN23" 86-0124 #AE6BFE (DY) "Oh! Hardluck II"
Cell 3:
B-1B "MAYAN31" 86-0120 #AE6BFA (EL) "Whiskey Pete"
B-1B "MAYAN32" 85-0069 #AE6BD0 (EL) "Avenger"
Cell 4A:
B-1B "MAYAN41" 86-0111 #AE6BF3 (EL) "Let's Roll"
B-1B "MAYAN42" 85-0060 #AE6BD1 (EL) "Doolittle Raiders"
Cell 4B (Possibly broken):
B-1B "MAYAN43" 86-0108 #AE6BF0 (EL) "Alien with an Attitude"
B-1B "MAYAN44" 86-0134 #AE6C05 (EL) "Thunderbird"
Supporting Tankers (Unclear if all have actually flown):
KC-135R "LAGER52" 61-0315 #AE0237 (EGUN)
KC-135T "LAGER53" 58-0095 #AE04FD (EGUN)
KC-135R "LAGER54" 63-8878 #AE05B1 (EGUN)
KC-135R "LAGER55" 60-0353 #AE062B (EGUN)
KC-46A "BLUE30" 11-46058 #AE5FA5 (LPLA)
KC-46A "BLUE31" 21-46094 #AE63CA (LPLA)
KC-46A "BLUE40" 19-46065 #AE5FAC (LPLA)
KC-46A "HIFI81" 17-46034 #AE5E0F (KPSM)
KC-46A "HIFI82" 18-46054 #AE5FA1 (KPSM)
And so that's it - the end of the Bomber Deployment to RAF Fairford! A total of 29 B-1B and B-52H airframes have been deployed since March 2026, with a total of 64 combat and over 190 training sorties tracked by the team @MATA_osint.
I'll publish more details on the overall bomber deployment in the coming days.
A huge thank you to all those who have supported the bomber tracking effort: @ArmchairAdml @AUX_OSINT @LatAmMilMVMTs @vcdgf555 @steffanwatkins @Andyyyyrrrr @Saint1Mil @jamjake01 @rocketron101 @LHA2709 @Azorean_Lion @TallGlenn85 @window_planes & @havoc_aviation for use of your photos!
cc: @UKDefJournal @TheAviationist @thewarzonewire @AFMonthly @ASForcesMag
teapaw.org/DefenceGeek/status/210…
UPDATE: Safe Travels "Lancers"! #IranWar
OK so this looks like a major draw-down! 6 B-1Bs have departed so far this morning, and 2-3 more are preparing to fly shortly!!
The fleet of bombers was at 12 aircraft last night, so this is a big deal!!
@MATA_osint
Military Monitoring World retweeted
BYE BYE Bones! What a pleasure it’s been to witness the biggest(?) deployment of bombers (plus the B-52s) in recent times to RAF Fairford, something I doubt we will see again
Thanks to those at @MATA_osint who helped with tracking and tail numbers
