Iran

B-1B Bombers Deploy to RAF Fairford to Ramp Up Missions Over Iran

Published on: March 7, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Stefano D'Urso Stefano D'Urso
B-1Bs at RAF Fairford
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer prepares to taxi prior to takeoff in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 6, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Four U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers arrived at RAF Fairford as the U.S. looks to “surge dramatically” the operations over Iran.

After the UK allowed the U.S. to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for the deployment of U.S. Air Force bombers currently involved in operations over Iran, the first four B-1B Lancer bombers arrived in the UK. A first bomber arrived in the evening of Mar. 6, 2026, followed the next morning by more bombers.

Notably, the first B-1B arrived directly from the U.S. after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while the other three arrived after completing a mission over Iran. It is unclear if additional bombers will be deployed to RAF Fairford.

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The new development arrives after the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said this week that strikes on Iran are “about to surge dramatically.” On Mar. 6, the Pentagon has also published new photos showing both B-1Bs and B-52H Stratofortress bombers during the ongoing operations, with the latter showing a full load of AGM-158 JASSM missiles.

B-1Bs at RAF Fairford

The arrival of U.S. Air Force bombers was expected as a number of transport aircraft , including a C-5M Super Galaxy, arrived at RAF Fairford in the previous days to move personnel and materials in support of the deployment. The first bomber, as mentioned earlier, arrived at Fairford in the evening of Mar. 6.

The B-1B, with the callsign PIKE72, arrived alone after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It was later confirmed that the aircraft was part of a four-ship flight, possibly acting as a spare.

In fact, three more bombers arrived at the base in the UK after completing a mission over Iran. The B-1Bs will reportedly stay at Fairford, from where they will launch for future missions.

The U.S. previously lamented that being constrained to fly round-trip missions from CONUS complicated the employment of the bombers over Iran, as the each mission would take up to 37 hours. Launching the aircraft from Fairford would cut in half the duration of each mission.

The U.S. Central Command previously mentioned that bombers are being employed to hit Iranian ballistic missile sites and command & control centers. It has been reported that the BONEs (from B-One – as the B-1s are dubbed by their aircrews) might be using 2,000 lb guided bombs, possibly GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM based on the 2,000 lb BLU-109/B bunker buster, and AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM).

The B-1B Lancer is the U.S. bomber with the largest payload, carrying 75,000 lb (34,000 kg) in its three internal weapons bays. This payload could include up to 84 500-pound weapons such as the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), up to 24 2,000-pound weapons such as the GBU-31JDAM, or up to 24 AGM-158 JASSMs.

With the use of external pylons, 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg) of additional weapons can be carried, for a total of 125,000 lb (57,000) kg. The Air Force is currently working on the integration of new pylons to further expand the payload, the new Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylons.

New photos

On the same day, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released on the DVIDS network new photos of the B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress bombers currently involved in Operation Epic Fury. Notably, the photos show four B-1Bs, possibly the same that later arrived at RAF Fairford, preparing to take off for a mission over Iran.

No weapon is visible in the photos, as they are only carried in the weapons bays. As usual, the bomber is equipped with a Sniper targeting pod.

Aircrew members board a B-52H Stratofortress prior to taking off in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 4, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)

On the other hand, the photos of the B-52s, released few days earlier, clearly show the payload. The bombers are carrying 12 AGM-158 JASSM missiles on the external pylons, although it is unclear if more are being carried internally.

In fact, the B-52 can carry eight more JASSMs internally by using the Common Strategic Rotary Launcher, increasing the total payload to 20 missiles. This is just shy of the B-1B’s payload, which can include up to 24 JASSMs internally.

Update Mar. 8: More bombers arrive

In a repeat of the mission between Mar. 6 and 7, four additional B-1Bs departed the U.S. for a mission over Iran. As in the first mission, three aircraft continued towards Iran, while the fourth aircraft landed at RAF Fairford.

According to a video released by the U.S. Air Force, these four bombers are assigned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

The next morning, the three BONEs were returning to Fairford, however they diverted to Ramstein in Germany because of low visibility at the British base. The bombers will only temporarily stay in Germany, and are set to move to Fairford at a later date.

Following this mission, a total of eight B-1B bombers are now in Europe to participate in combat missions as part of Operation Epic Fury. It is unclear at this stage if even more bombers will be deployed to the region.

Meanwhile, transport aircraft continue to arrive to support the deployment. Some of these aircraft reportedly arrive from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, a B-52H base.

Combat operations continue

We have now moved into the second week of Operation Epic Fury and its Israeli counterpart, Operation Roaring Lion. Statements from U.S. officials say the Pentagon is looking to have “firepower over Iran surge dramatically,” in an effort to dismantle Iran’s military capabilities.

CENTCOM and the Pentagon have stated multiple times that the U.S. military is actively targeting ballistic missiles sites, production facilities and storage. For instance, satellite imagery show damage to facilities related to solid rocket propellant in Parchin.

Another target similarly hit is the Yazd missile base.

Missions are also continuing to degrade Iranian air defenses and allow U.S. and Israeli air operations to continue safely. For instance, S-300 surface to air missile sites near Tehran were hit.

The F-16CM Block 50 fighters are among the platforms which are part of this effort, employing both the AGM-88 HARM and the GBU-54 Laser JDAM. A mixed loadout allows to target also non-emitting targets such as the launchers which are not equipped with a radar.

Parallel to that, airports are being targeted as part of the efforts to establish air superiority, blocking Iranian attempts to get combat aircraft in flight. In fact, while infrastructure was attacked in the opening hours, now the remaining aircraft on the ground are also being targeted.

Images emerged online confirm that AGM-158 JASSMs are being employed against targets in Iran. One of the missiles has been allegedly hit by Iranian air defenses, although it can’t be confirmed.

A number of MQ-9 Reapers have also been lost, with at least three aircraft confirmed to media to have been either shot down or crashed.

Iranians continue to retaliate with drones and missiles, although the frequency is now decreased. Both fighter jets and helicopters are being employed in a counter UAS role.

Some of the Iranian weapons were able to reach their targets, damaging some U.S. installations in the region.

Among the targets hit appears to be a AN/TPY-2 Forward Based X-band Transportable Radar, the radar employed by the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. A photo appears to show the radar destroyed, although it is not possible to verify the authenticity of the photo.

Damage to one of these systems is also visible in satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where a number of U.S. assets are located.

According to The Wall Street Journal, an unnamed U.S. official said that the military is now moving to replace the system, which has been described as “damaged.”

The THAAD and the associated AN/TPY-2 radar are a component of the network of integrated air and missile defense systems (IAMD) in the region. Specifically, THAAD is meant to be employed against short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats, and is designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere.

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By Stefano D'Urso
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Stefano D'Urso is the Deputy Editor at The Aviationist, based in Lecce, Italy. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. His areas of expertise include emerging aerospace and defense technologies, electronic warfare, unmanned and autonomous systems, loitering munitions, and the application of OSINT techniques to the analysis of military operations and contemporary conflicts.
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