US Has Likely Moved Nuclear Arms to UK for First Time Since 2008
A US Air Force C-17 military aircraft.
Photographer: Jeffrey Groeneweg/AFP/Getty Images
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
- The US has likely stationed nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time since 2008, according to defense analysts and open-source data, in a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that it remains committed to European security.
- The US Air Force's Prime Nuclear Airlift Force flew a C-17 from a US nuclear weapons depot to an airbase in the UK city of Lakenheath, with the flight's transponder on, making its identification and location publicly visible.
- Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project, said "there are strong indications" that the US has returned nuclear weapons to the UK, which likely included the new B61-12 thermonuclear bombs.
The US has likely stationed nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time since 2008, in a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that it remains committed to European security.
On July 16, a US military aircraft flew with its transponder on — making its identification and location publicly visible — from a US nuclear weapons depot at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to an airbase in the UK city of Lakenheath, according to defense analysts and open-source data.
The C-17 flight involved the US Air Force’s Prime Nuclear Airlift Force, which transports nuclear weapons, and didn’t fly over any other nation’s territory, according to William Alberque, a Europe-based senior fellow at the Pacific Forum.
The US and UK governments have longstanding policies of not commenting on the status or location of their nuclear weapons.
US Department of Defense budget documents show that millions of dollars of work on “surety” facilities — the term the Pentagon uses to describe nuclear weapon security - has been in progress at Lakenheath for several years.
The weapons the aircraft most likely delivered were the new B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, increasing the number of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe for the first time since the Cold War.
“There are strong indications” that the US has returned nuclear weapons to the UK, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project.
Alberque said the decision to leave the flight transponders on indicates the US wants to show Russia that it is not reducing its nuclear capability in Europe. NATO officials declined to immediately comment.
“This is a down payment that there’s more to come on shifting NATO’s deterrence posture toward strengthening,” Alberque said. “Returning US nuclear weapons to the UK is no small feat.”
The move also signals that the US is committing more flexible nuclear capabilities to Europe, creating a wider range of options for its forces, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
“Capabilities such as the B61 can contribute to limiting the impact of Russia’s large advantage in theater-level nonstrategic nuclear weapons,” Kaushal said.
US President Donald Trump has hardened his approach to Putin in recent weeks, agreeing to send Ukraine more US-made Patriot missiles through European purchases and threatening to hit Russia with secondary tariffs if it doesn’t agree to a cease fire within 50 days. On Monday, Trump said that he would reduce that deadline, adding that the was “disappointed” in Putin.
The UK announced last month that it would purchase at least a dozen new US-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying B61-12 nuclear bombs. This week, its Ministry of Defense stated in an updated policy document that “NATO’s nuclear deterrence also relies on US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and supporting capabilities and infrastructure provided by Allies.”
The new jets will be available to fly NATO’s nuclear mission, according to the document.
“This decision reintroduces a nuclear role for the RAF for the first time since the UK retired its sovereign air-launched nuclear weapons after the Cold War,” the MoD said in the document.
B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs carry a warhead with a yield adjustable between 0.3 kilotons and 50 kilotons, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. They can be carried on F-35A fighter jets as well as other US and NATO aircraft.
Yield measures the explosive power of a nuclear weapon, measured in the equivalent in tons of conventional explosives.
Designed to be much more accurate than previous B61 models, its variable yield means it can used against small military targets as well as population centers. The apparent shipment to the UK means the bomb is now fully deployed in Europe at seven bases across six NATO countries, Kristensen said.
US nuclear weapons, even those on other countries’ territory, can only be used after the direct authorization of the US President.
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