Originally Posted by
RAFEngO74to09
RAF Mildenhall closure delayed until at least 2027 while the USAF reviews its plans..
https://www.forces.net/news/raf-mild...til-least-2027
Knowing what I do about RAF Fairford - in particular the infrastructure put in specifically to make it the only European FOL for a significant number of heavy bombers in the early 2000s (all in the public domain now) - and the significant number of B-21 now likely to be ordered (compared to the B-2) and the further modernization of the B-52H - and the new weapons coming out for each - I would not be surprised to see the closure of RAF Mildenhall cancelled and RAF Fairford remaining the FOL for bombers and the U-2..
There's not that much new infrastructure at Fairford TBH - a couple of hangars and that's about it. The yuge runway is the clincher.
It will be interesting to see what is planned to accommodate the RC135s or whatever is planned to move there in the next few years.