US has likely moved nuclear weapons to UK for the first time since 2008

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 defence analysts and open-source data.

The C-17 flight involved the US Air Force’s Prime Nuclear Airlift Force, which transports nuclear weapons, and did not fly over any other nation’s territory, according to Mr William Alberque, a Europe-based senior fellow at the Pacific Forum, a non-profit foreign policy research institute based in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

The US and UK governments have longstanding policies of not commenting on the status nor location of their nuclear weapons.

US Department of Defence 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 Mr Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project.

Mr 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 towards strengthening,” Mr 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 Dr 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 theatre-level non-strategic nuclear weapons,” he added. 

US President Donald Trump has hardened his approach to Mr 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 does not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days.

On July 28, Mr Trump said he would reduce that deadline, adding that the was “disappointed” in Mr Putin.

The UK announced in June 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 Defence 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 Royal Air Force for the first time since the UK retired its sovereign air-launched nuclear weapons after the Cold War,” the Ministry of Defence 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 be used against small military targets as well as population centres.

The apparent shipment to the UK means the bomb is now fully deployed in Europe at seven bases across six Nato countries, Mr Kristensen said. 

US nuclear weapons, even those in other countries’ territory, can be used only after direct authorisation from the US President. BLOOMBERG