After U.S. forces at RAF Fairford rapidly stepped up security precautions yesterday, police have now confirmed that arrests have been made and residents evacuated in the adjacent village of Whelford as explosive ordnance disposal teams investigate a number of vehicles.
Following widespread reports on Sep. 26, 2026 regarding security levels at RAF Fairford – with spotters reporting alerts audible over the base’s Giant Voice tannoy system, aircraft being dispersed across the airfield, crash gates being blocked and reinforced, and an apparent rise in security level to FPCON Delta – we now have an indication as to the kind of imminent threat the base might have been preparing for.
BREAKING: Major incident declared and number of properties evacuated in Gloucestershire after men arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.https://t.co/bvcwRBh8HP pic.twitter.com/lpBj6ePvEw
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 27, 2026
Whelford, a small village just outside RAF Fairford’s security fencing, has seen a large police presence descend and vehicles are investigated by British Army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. As a precaution, many local residents have been evacuated from their homes to a temporary emergency shelter established at a nearby leisure centre.
#UKPolice National Police Air Service
Airbus EC-135 1x
#406176 G-HEOI – POLICE 01
Another Police helicopter is currently circling Whelford Village near RAF Fairford. The last helicopter departed around 2am. https://t.co/yyMwOjdEQO pic.twitter.com/Y3Hke9Yqc7
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) September 27, 2026
Gloucestershire Police, in an official statement, said: “A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident. It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offences under the explosives act.”
“A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained,” the force added.
As well as Fairford, other U.S. bases in the UK – including RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall – have stepped up their own security. Yesterday, unusually, an air ambulance was even denied a requested transit across Mildenhall’s military air traffic zone (MATZ).
HELIMED 85, an Air Ambulance operated by East Anglian Air Ambulance, was denied transit through the Mildenhall MATZ this evening.
These helicopters frequently transit through the airspace. https://t.co/pFUzGNCStz pic.twitter.com/f0uXTr7lWE
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) September 26, 2026
While U.S. military force protection condition (FPCON) levels are not directly advertised to the public, clues to them being changed can be seen from outside the fence, and occasionally the boards advising arriving personnel of the current FPCON level can be seen at entry/exit gates.
It is still unconfirmed, though very likely, that Fairford went to FPCON Delta – the highest level possible – while other bases like Lakenheath went to FPCON Charlie.
Another user on Facebook posts:
‘Can confirm base has apparently declared FPCON Delta, meaning highest threat level, civilians are told to stay clear of the base perimeter’ https://t.co/OAACqHD7CD
— Christopher Sharp (@ChrisUKSharp) September 26, 2026
FPCON Delta is reserved for when an attack is deemed imminent or has just occurred. Entry to the base becomes limited to strictly essential personnel only, with ID and vehicle checks strictly enforced, while on the base personnel are effectively locked down to their specific place of work. FPCON Delta can sometimes be accompanied by an order to shelter in place.
Covering the situation last night, you could tell people were on edge.
Spotters were spooked upon hearing about the FPCON Delta.
I called the UK MOD for comment, they declined to issue the comment.
But the USAF did provide a statement – in essence they didn’t deny the reports… https://t.co/C6xXLsF6Fm
— Christopher Sharp (@ChrisUKSharp) September 27, 2026
Though the investigation has only just begun, eyes will almost certainly first turn towards Iran, who said any base used to support Operation Epic Fury is seen as a valid target, including those in Europe. Fairford is still home to a forward deployed contingent of B-1B Lancer strategic bombers which, along with B-52 Stratofortresses, flew daily missions from the Gloucestershire airfield during the height of the U.S.-Iran War.
Munitions, including cruise missiles, could be seen being loaded onto the aircraft before departure to the south or southwest. They would then return after almost a full day in the sky.
Iranian agents are widely known to operate quite extensively on foreign soil, and previous arrests have been made in the UK of Iranian-linked individuals under the National Security Act. Other arrests have been made of Iranian nationals under the Terrorism Act.
In many cases, agents are thought to have arrived in their assigned countries through legal means – under work or student visas – in order to attract as little attention as possible. Homegrown agents with national citizenship can also be recruited, allowing them to operate even further below ‘radar’.
Earlier this month, we reported on a security alert at RAF Fairford following the surprise landing of a civilian business jet, though in that case all details were relatively quickly resolved and the landing established as accidental.
This article concerns a developing story, and may be updated if and when new information becomes available.
