US nuclear jets ‘fully operational’ at RAF station in Suffolk — the public deserve answers

Two US warplanes capable of carrying nuclear bombs are now at ‘full operating capacity’ at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. This is according to a statement from UK armed forces minister, Alistair Carns. It fuels debates surrounding the combined use of warplanes and nuclear jets.

RAF Lakenheath, leased to the US Air Force, is alleged to have received at least one delivery of US nuclear weapons in summer 2025.

‘Evidence’ that US nuclear weapons landed at Lakenheath in 2025

On 22 July, Nukewatch UK, a nuclear watchdog, published reported evidence that the US Air Force had delivered US nuclear weapons to Lakenheath. According to their report, US nuclear bombs were delivered on Thursday 17 July, potentially involving the use of nuclear jets. This was part of NATO plans to deploy new battlefield nuclear weapons in Europe.

In a follow-up post, Nukewatch reported that a second US Prime Nuclear Airlift force arrived at Lakenheath on 24-25 July. They delivered high-priority hazardous cargo. This raises questions about the involvement of nuclear jets in these operations.

These developments are fuelling concerns that the UK is facilitating the Trump administration’s military objectives in Europe, through NATO’s nuclear strategy.

This follows the UK’s existing commitment to the so-called continuous-at-sea deterrent (CASD)—a fleet of four nuclear-armed submarines. This fleet is increasingly reliant on US-made rockets to carry British-made warheads.

Government confirms US nuclear-capable jets ‘fully operational’

During a parliamentary session, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty asked the government, referring to page 34 of the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report, when the two USAF F-35 squadrons at RAF Lakenheath would reach full operating capacity.

Responding on 27 November 2025, Ministry of Defence (MOD) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Al Carns said:

The two US Air Force F-35 squadrons stationed at RAF Lakenheath have reached full operating capacity, which was achieved in Autumn 2025.

In response to recent news from the ministry of defence, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) general secretary Sophie Bolt told the Canary:

F35A fighter jets are designed specifically to launch the US B61-12 nuclear bombs now based at RAF Lakenheath. Special nuclear flights were tracked and spotted arriving there in July. Despite the huge risks these nuclear bombs place on the British population, the government has no say – or apparently knowledge – into training operations and whether they involve nuclear weapons. There is a history of very serious accidents at the base that resulted in nuclear near misses, but Suffolk County Council won’t be prepared for such an eventuality because they have not
officially been told that the nuclear weapons are there.

In September 2025, the Canary revealed that Suffolk County Council has no evacuation plans for incidents involving nuclear materials at RAF Lakenheath. However, they do have plans in place for radioactive risks at Sizewell nuclear power stations.

Bolt continued:

What’s more, US troops stationed at bases in Britain are exempt from the country’s nuclear safety standards due to a declassified MoD exemption uncovered by CND earlier this year. The British public deserve to know the truth about this dangerous deployment and Keir Starmer should make a public statement on the matter – not purchase F-35As of his own for the same NATO nuclear mission.

An MOD spokesperson told the Canary:

It remains a long-standing UK and NATO policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location.

Experts suggest US nukes will likely appear at RAF Marham

Okopi Ajonye, a research manager at Nuclear Information Service, told the Canary he believes that US nuclear weapons in the UK were more likely to be deployed at RAF Marham near King’s Lynn in west Norfolk, than at RAF Lakenheath. This conjecture increases speculation about the strategic placement of nuclear jets.

Consistent with the UK policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons on its territory, there is no official confirmation that nuclear weapons have returned to RAF Lakenheath.

Still, open-source reporting and U.S. documentation strongly suggest the return of these bombs to this location. Also, both the F-35 and F-15 aircraft stationed at RAF Lakenheath are technically capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Given this information, one could then be tempted to conclude that these aircraft at Lakenheath may eventually be paired with nuclear weapons, but the F-35As that were announced by the government to be used as part of NATO’s nuclear mission, and hence the most likely to eventually carry nuclear weapons under that arrangement, will be based at RAF Marham.

Importantly, there is also lingering uncertainty over whether the U.S. nuclear bombs will be stored at Lakenheath or at Marham.

The lack of transparency about nuclear weapons at RAF-operated sites raises serious safety and accountability concerns. The British public deserves clear answers, considering the UK’s critical role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence strategy.

Featured image via the Canary