JUST IN: B-52 Bombers Deployed to UK as US Operations Expand Inland and Deeper into Iranian Territory, Hegseth Vows “Death and Destruction from the Sky All Day Long”
Three B-52 Stratofortress bombers, each capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of munitions, landed in the UK on Monday amid Pentagon plans to expand air operations in Iran.
The conflict with Iran entered its second week on Saturday after US and Israeli forces carried out strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials. The United States is now intensifying its air campaign.
Video captured at Royal Air Force Station Fairford in Gloucestershire shows the B-52s touching down. At a press conference last Wednesday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the bombers would play a key role in “controlling the skies, selecting targets, and delivering sustained airpower.”
“As President Trump said, more and larger waves are coming. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating,” Hegseth added.
He noted that US forces now have “complete control of the skies” and will employ GPS- and laser-guided precision bombs weighing 500, 1,000, and 2,000 pounds, drawing from a nearly unlimited stockpile.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that US forces will now “expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and creating additional operational flexibility for US forces.”
Caine added: “US Central Command is making steady progress. Iran’s theater ballistic missile launches have dropped 86% since the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease over the last 24 hours. Drone attacks are down 73% from the opening days. This progress has allowed CENTCOM to establish localized air superiority along the southern Iranian coast and penetrate defenses with precision. We will now expand inland, striking deeper into Iranian territory and increasing freedom of maneuver.”
He explained that CENTCOM’s planners identified key strategic targets and vulnerabilities to isolate Iran’s ability to project power. “We are transitioning from standoff munitions to precision strikes closer to the target,” Caine said. “This allows the joint force to deliver increased precision effects while maintaining continuous pressure and disrupting the adversary’s operations.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who initially resisted granting the US permission to use UK airbases for strikes on Iran, said the buildup at Fairford was necessary to defend Western interests against what he described as Iran’s “scorched-earth strategy.”
The B-52s are being deployed for the first time in this conflict. The Cold War-era bombers can carry nuclear warheads, cruise missiles, and heavy bombs over distances exceeding 1,500 miles. First introduced in 1952, they remain one of the oldest aircraft designs still in active service with the US military.
This is a developing story.
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