What makes RAF Fairford one of the UK's most important military sites?

What makes RAF Fairford one of the UK's most important military sites?

RAF Fairford has been in the spotlight after a counter-terrorism investigation was opened.

Attention has focused on RAF Fairford this week after a major incident was declared at the military airbase and a counter-terror probe began.

The situation began in the early hours of Sunday, when three vans were seen near the site, triggering a major police response. Five men arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act were released on bail on Monday.

The base, on the Gloucestershire-Wiltshire border, opened in January 1944 and has been a key site for US military operations since the Cold War.

More recently, it has been used to support operations aimed at Iran's missile capabilities.

But why has the site become one of the UK's most important military bases?

RAF Fairford has served a range of purposes since it opened 82 years ago.

It was first built in 1944 in preparation for D-Day, when troop carriers and gliders from Fairford were used in the Normandy landings on 6 June that year.

The site was also used to transport British troops for Operation Market Garden in the German-occupied Netherlands in September 1944.

During the Cold War, the US air force (USAF) used Fairford as part of a build-up of deterrence in Europe against the Soviets.

Bombers and tankers from Eaker Air Force Base in Arkansas were deployed from Fairford during the first Gulf War in 1991.

Because of its long runway, Fairford also served as the test centre for Concorde aircraft until 1977.

And in 2003, B-52 bombers were deployed by the USAF from RAF Fairford for raids on Iraq.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said RAF Fairford is one of several "forward operating" bases used by the USAF around the world.

"It's incredibly useful strategically for the US to have this platform," he added.

The USAF's other UK bases include RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk - home to the 48th Fighter Wing operating F-15 and F-35 jets - and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, which is mainly used as a base for US air refuelling tankers.

However, RAF Fairford has the longest runway of the three sites and an unrestricted load-bearing capacity, meaning it can handle larger aircraft.

The RAF base is in the Cotswolds, about four miles (6.4km) south of the town of Fairford, which lies on the River Coln, and about 15 miles (24km) north of Swindon.

The village of Whelford is next to the airbase, with Whelford Road running along the eastern end of the runway.

The Cotswolds are usually quiet, but each July they welcome about 170,000 people for the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the world's largest military air show.

The event was cancelled in 2026 because of uncertainty over access to RAF Fairford as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

RAF Fairford regularly hosts deployments of long-range American aircraft.

RAF Fairford remains owned by the Ministry of Defence but is operated by the USAF under agreements between the UK and US governments.

The base regularly hosts deployments of long-range American aircraft, including B-52 bombers and U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, and has played a role in recent operations linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Since 1 March, US heavy bombers have been taking off from RAF Fairford "for defensive missions to destroy Iran's missile capabilities".

Gloucestershire Police said it received a call about "three suspicious vehicles" heading towards RAF Fairford at 00:45 BST on Sunday.

Five men were later arrested by officers near Whelford and have since been released on bail.

Counter-terror police said the three vehicles had undergone "extensive examination" with support from military and forensic experts.

A large cordon remains in place near the base, and 85 households were told they could return home after an evacuation on Sunday.