Four USAF B52 bombers have flown out of RAF Fairford in England this morning. The huge planes have been stationed at the Gloucestershire base for more than a month.
Their mission on Wednesday, which has seen them head out over the North Sea, comes after a televised address from Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he announced a partial mobilisation and issued a nuclear threat to the West.
The B52s from 5th Bomb Wing have conducted a number of missions since arriving in the middle of August and their arrival at RAF Fairford from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota was part of a pre-arranged deployment. There is nothing to suggest today's flight is directly linked to the Russian leaders address and the USAF usually provides details of missions after the planes have returned to base.
