Two more US air force planes have landed at RAF Fairford, after the UK allowed Washington to use its bases to take part in defensive operations in Iran.
Footage broadcast on Sunday showed two Boeing C-17 Globemaster transportation planes landing at the airbase in Gloucestershire, days after B-1 Lancer bombers arrived.
One of the C-17s arrived from Glasgow Prestwick airport, after it was redirected there because of poor weather and visibility at Fairford. The BBC reported that the aircraft was carrying munitions and spare parts for the bombers.
Another C-17 arrived from the McGuire airbase near Wrightstown, New Jersey, according to flight tracking data.
It is unclear whether the aircraft will leave Fairford later to fly to the Middle East.
The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
It came as the UK shot down a drone launched from Iran that was heading towards Iraq on Saturday night. The MoD said RAF Typhoons and F-35 jets had flown defensive missions in the region.
A Merlin helicopter, which can carry out surveillance work, is due to arrive shortly. It can fly up to a mile high in the air, allowing it to provide early warning of drone or missile strikes.
The increase of military traffic arriving at Fairford has taken place after Donald Trump said the UK was seeking to “join wars we’ve already won” after a week of US-Israeli bombing in Iran.
Keir Starmer has allowed the US to use UK bases for “specific defensive operations”. His change in stance came after British allies and the RAF base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, were subject to retaliatory attacks in the last week.
A hanger at the Cypriot airbase was damaged by an Iranian-made drone believed to have been launched by the Tehran-backed militia group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Starmer is also sending HMS Dragon, a destroyer with air defence capabilities, to the region.
Meanwhile, the Royal Navy reduced the period of readiness needed for its flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, to five days before any potential deployment. The vessel is in dock in Portsmouth.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday night: “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.”
He added: “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
