Powerful US bomber that can carry 24 missiles arrives at UK air base as Trump warns Iran ‘the big one’ coming

An American bomber that can carry 24 missiles and reach speeds up to 900 mph landed at a UK base Friday — days after President Trump warned Iran this week that “the big one” could be imminent.

The B-1 Lancer reached RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, according to the BBC, after it was reported earlier in the week that a fleet of mighty US military aircraft was slated to arrive at that military site and Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands.

The bomber’s presence comes after the British government initially rejected the Trump administration’s request to carry out strikes from the bases. Prime Minister Keir Starmer later reversed course.

B-2 stealth bombers are slated to land at UK air bases after the British government initially rejected the Trump administration’s request to carry out strikes from the bases, according to reports. US Central Command

The US fleet, including B-2 stealth bombers, was expected to reach the UK in a “matter of days,” the Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Starmer granted permission to use the sites for limited defensive purposes after Iran started shooting indiscriminately at allies in the Middle East, the outlet reported Friday.

Nicknamed “the Bone,” the B-1 Lancer is manned by four crew members and is the fastest bomber in the US Air Force, according to the BBC. It also boasts advanced radar and GPS systems to hone in on targets, as well as decoy apparatus and electronic jammers.

“Carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1 is the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force,” the Air Force says on its website.

Military personnel work on the runway at RAF Fairford airbase in England, on Friday. REUTERS Trucks with Class 1.1 explosive hazard warning symbols arrive at RAF Fairford, England, on March 6, 2026. Getty Images

“It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time.”

Trump threatened Iran on Monday that “the big one is coming” as he vowed to ramp up strikes on the Islamic Republic after war broke out last weekend.

“We haven’t even started hitting them hard,” Trump said. “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”

A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital, Tehran, on March 3, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also said Thursday that firepower over Tehran was “about to surge dramatically” with the help of the UK bases, the Telegraph reported. 

“When we say more to come, it’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” he said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”

Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement Friday that the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign has “additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose.”

But he noted the next phase in the war that reached its 7th day would “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities”.

The B-2 stealth bombers, which targeted Iranian ballistic missile sites at the start of the conflict, cost about $2 billion each and are known as the world’s priciest aircraft, Fox News reported.