Emergency UK incident of American bomber from Cotswolds

The B‑52H Stratofortress circling over the south coast at around 10,000 feet before beginning a “controlled descent” on Tuesday morning, March 24.

The United States Air Force bomber is based at RAF Fairford, just over the Oxfordshire border in Gloucestershire – a site which recently saw Oxfordshire protesters attend.

Flight data indicates the crew transmitted a Squawk 7700 — the international signal for a general emergency — before turning north towards Gloucestershire.

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But the jet landed safely at Fairford’s Runway 27 at 9.38am.

Sources have suggested the emergency was due to a depressurisation issue. These situations occur when the air pressure inside the cabin drops, requiring an immediate descent to a safer altitude.

Although a UK base, RAF Fairford is maintained by the Americans and frequently supports long‑range NATO missions and training flights.

Sir Keir Starmer had previously granted the US permission only for “defensive” action against Iranian missile sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

US Air Force B1 bombers were seen taking off from RAF Fairford as the Trump administration indicated an escalation in its raids on Iran.

Four 146ft B-1 Lancer bombers arrived at RAF Fairford earlier this month.

A Merlin helicopter is also being sent to the region to help with surveillance from the air and RAF Typhoon and F-35 jets are continuing air operations over Jordan, Qatar and Cyprus.