American Nukes Are Back in the UK

July 29, 2025
By: William Lawson

The not-so-secret deployment of nuclear weapons to Europe is meant to send a signal to Russian adventurism.

American nuclear bombs appear to have returned to RAF Lakenheath for the first time since 2008. While the US Air Force and Defense Department do not comment on the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location, the F-35A-equipped 493rd Fighter Generation Squadron (FGS) seems to be making no secret of its new capability. The 493rd FGS is part of Lakenheath’s 48th Fighter Wing.

A 2023 Air Force press release stated that the 493rd and 495th FGSs joined the 492nd and 494th FGSs to replace the 748th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as part of the Air Force’s Combat-Oriented Maintenance Organization (COMO) structure. The new alignment breaks large aircraft maintenance squadrons into smaller FGSs to “foster unity of effort between maintenance and operations as well as enhance readiness of the squadrons.”

The Air Force also noted that the 493rd and 494th are the first fifth-generation squadrons of their kind in the European Theater. The other two 48th Fighter Wing Squadrons currently fly the F-15E Strike Eagle, though the Air Force has announced that its F-15Es will soon be withdrawn from Lakenheath. Their replacements have yet to be confirmed, but F-35As would make sense, especially since 2021 saw Lakenheath become the first F-35 base outside the United States.

Both the F-35A and the F-15E are capable of carrying the B-61 nuclear gravity bomb, including the precision-guided B61-12 version. Whether the now-nuclear-capable 48th Fighter Wing will adopt a strike profile or serve in a support role to other nuclear-equipped NATO units is unclear.

Circumstantial Evidence of Nuclear Weapons Deployment

The evidence for nukes at Lakenheath is circumstantial but telling. The Federation of American Scientists noted a line in the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2023 budget request referring to upgrading the infrastructure of nuclear weapons storage sites. The United Kingdom was added to the list of existing nuclear bases in Western Europe and Turkey. Satellite imagery has confirmed ongoing work on nuclear weapons infrastructure, including at Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.

Subsequent Pentagon documents have referred to “special storage” site upgrades in the UK. Lakenheath’s nuclear past makes it the only realistic candidate for such upgrades. Defense Department procurement contracts also note the 48th Fighter Squadron’s “upcoming nuclear mission,” while other documents reference specific nuclear weapons training being given to personnel at Lakenheath.

Less reliable, but still intriguing evidence comes from open-source intelligence accounts on social media noting the movement of an Air Force C-17A flight from the US to Lakenheath. The aircraft is assigned to the 62nd Airlift Wing and is known to be the only one of its kind certified for nuclear transport missions. The aircraft, callsign RCH4574, returned to its base in the United States after delivering its cargo.

Finally, the 493rd FGS itself provides a prominent clue. The squadron provided a challenge coin for last weekend’s Royal International Air Tattoo Show at RAF Fairford. It features the 493rd’s Grim Reaper logo, along with a falling bomb and the squadron’s motto, “Prepare to Meet Thy Maker.” But the key element is the “coin’s” shape. Instead of the familiar round, flat piece of metal, it is shaped like a nuclear mushroom cloud, with one side featuring orange, red, and yellow colors. Hardly subtle.

Deterring Russia Could Be the Goal

The not-so-secret deployment of nuclear weapons to Europe is meant to give pause to Russian adventurism. The US Air Force seems to have been deliberately open about this deployment. Of course, the signs are there for anyone who knows where to look, but there seems to have been little effort to camouflage the service’s movement.

Assuming that nuclear bombs are now at Lakenheath, or soon will be, the entire enterprise seems geared to serving notice to Vladimir Putin that the US Air Force is ready for any escalation of his current efforts in Ukraine.

About the Author: William Lawson

William Lawson is a military historian focusing on World War II and twentieth-century conflicts and the American Civil War. His specialty is operational-level warfare, especially American amphibious doctrine. He writes on history, politics, and firearms for multiple publications and historical journals. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the Saber & Scroll Journal and Military History Chronicles and is a member of the Society for Military History and the American Historical Association. Lawson is based in Virginia.