US Air Force plans major investment in UK bases

US Air Force plans major investment in UK bases

Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Fairford will all receive a share of the $4.2 billion investment in US military bases in the UK. guardian.

March 2026 Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center presentation seen by a British newspaper guardianRefers to upgrade plans for key US operating locations in the UK.

Part of this investment is likely to include a weapons storage facility at RAF Lakenheath. This potentially includes upgrading nuclear weapons silos. like aeronautical scientist As previously reported, the B61 nuclear bomb has almost certainly now been returned to RAF Lakenheath after being removed in 2008.

RAF Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, one of the most combat experienced fighter squadrons in the US Air Force. It currently consists of two squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles and two squadrons of F-35A Lightning IIs. Last year, it became clear that the U.S. Air Force was planning to retire the Strike Eagles in the near future. However, it should also be noted that Lakenheath’s F-15 fleet continues to be very active and has recently taken delivery of more aircraft equipped with the new Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).

During Operation Epic Fury, Lakenheath deployed more than half of its active F-15Es and F-35As to the Middle East. During this time, many of the base’s F-15Es were lost. This included DUDE 44, which was shot down over Iran and launched a daring rescue mission to rescue two crew members who ejected from their aircraft.

Lakenheath is clearly the biggest recipient of this funding, but much of it appears to have been allocated to projects previously known to be in the pipeline – weapons storage, accommodation and security facility upgrades.

RAF Mildenhall

Second on the list is RAF Mildenhall, just a few miles from Lakenheath. Mildenhall has famously been due to close for over a decade, with the decision later overturned. Given the extensive use of Mildenhall to support the movement of U.S. troops across a variety of conflicts, this reversal of policy clearly proved its worth. Unfortunately, investment was neglected in the years leading up to the decision to close the base, and the base spent years catching up and improving facilities that had previously been on the verge of being mothballed.

According to guardianUpgrades currently planned for Mildenhall focus on the base’s role in supporting US special operations. The 352nd Special Operations Wing (SOW) has flown out of Mildenhall since 1995. Previously known as the 352nd Special Operations Group, it eventually became a full-fledged wing in 2015 before its move to Germany was cancelled.

USAFUKUpgrades 2USAFUKUpgrades 2
Two U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II aircraft assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, England, fly behind a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England, during a training mission over the North Sea, July 21, 2022. The Commando II performs a variety of low-altitude aerial refueling missions for special operations helicopters. and aircraft, while also supporting the infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces. (Image courtesy of U.S. Air Force photo by Sgt. Kevin Long)

The 352nd SOW, operating the MC-130J Commando II and CV-22B Osprey, is permanently on standby for contingency operations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. They are often one of the first units to deploy in crisis situations where their expertise may be required, and have also undertaken a number of long-range special missions from Mildenhall itself. In 2024, the unit added the C-146A Wolfhound to its inventory for discreet missions within Europe, providing a more appropriate platform for non-combat liaison and transport roles.

$1.1 billion has been earmarked for improvements at Mildenhall, which it says will include new facilities that will allow special operations forces to operate more cohesively and efficiently. Specifically, guardian The plan “will allow special forces to store their aircraft in one location,” it said.

It’s not entirely clear whether this means new hangars and aprons for the 352nd SOW or consolidating operations currently scattered around the airfield into one large, new complex. The current primary location for the MC-130J and CV-22 fleet is opposite Mildenhall Runway.

RAF Fairford

An unspecified $500 million upgrade is also planned at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Like Lakenheath, this may include upgrades that have been known to the public for some time.

Fairford was placed in ‘care and maintenance’ status in 2010, essentially mothballing the airfield, but has steadily become more active since hosting its first batch of follow-on strategic bombers in 2014. This deployment gave way to the almost annual appearance of B-52 Stratofortresses, B-1B Lancers or B-2A Spirits (or a combination of the three), and in 2019 the base once again became home to a permanent operational detachment. U-2 Dragon Lady information aircraft.

The base currently has a significant deployment of B-52s and B-1Bs deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury. Bombers flew daily sorties from Fairford to Iran at the height of hostilities. Now, during the uneasy ceasefire, bombers continued to fly training missions from the base at a similar pace. There appears to be little sign that the assembled bomber force will return home en masse.

Upgrades to Fairford could be aimed at better supporting these long-term bomber deployments, but more appropriately could include improved facilities to accommodate the B-21 Raider. The first B-21 is scheduled to arrive at Ellsworth AFB next year, and Fairford will almost certainly be one of the first overseas locations to see the next-generation bomber land. Of the three sites worldwide designated for forward-deployed B-2 operations, with climate-controlled hangars to preserve their delicate radar-absorbing coating, RAF Fairford is the only one outside the Indo-Pacific.

There were also plans for Fairford to become a hub for unmanned reconnaissance aircraft such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk, but these appear to have gone quiet apart from initial demonstration flights. In fact, even the still-classified ‘RQ-180’ (official name unknown) appears to be making its European debut in Greece, rather than the Fairford as many had hoped.

RAF Menwith Hill

RAF Menwith Hill is nominally a Royal Air Force base but is not and has never been an airfield. Built in Yorkshire in the 1950s, the site was initially conceived as a site for secret intelligence work. Initially collecting signals intelligence directly, the focus soon shifted to providing ground station facilities for a comprehensive network of U.S.-operated intelligence satellites.

Menwith Hill is set to receive $163 million. This is a small but still significant portion of the fund. It is undoubtedly one of the most important American sites in the UK and one of the examples of how Britain’s relationship with the United States differs greatly from its relationship with many of its European allies. As partners in the Five Eyes (FVEY) alliance, comprised of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the two countries enjoy unprecedented levels of information sharing.

U.S. Air Force and National Security Agency (NSA) personnel work at Menwith Hill alongside Royal Air Force and British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) personnel. The presence of the base in Britain and its apparent involvement in the most controversial elements of American intelligence gathering is a key point of contention for British protesters.

In particular, when unidentified drones were thought to be interfering with US operations in the UK, the North Yorkshire base was one of those specifically designated as a no-fly zone, along with Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Fairford airfields.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR