Destination Lakenheath

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The US Air Force capabilities already deployed at Lakenheath or likely to be deployed there in the coming months include:

Fifth generation F35A Lightening II aircraft

These aircraft were deployed at Lakenheath in December 2021. According to the manufacturers website (f35.com): “The F-35 delivers an unrivaled advantage for our pilots, nation, and global partners. A decisive differentiator in near-peer warfare, the F-35 is the most advanced node in the networked 21st Century Warfare operational vision.” The website of the US Air Forces in Europe (usafe.af.mil) reports that: “The F-35A is an agile, versatile, high-performance, 9g-capable multirole fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion and unprecedented situational awareness. The aircraft will belong to the 495th Fighter Squadron, which was nicknamed the ‘Valkyries’ during a voting contest in 2020. The new F-35 squadron will consist of 24 aircraft, delivered in a phased approach.” Those familiar with Wagner’s Operas or Norse mythology will know that Oden sent his Valkyries to the battlefields to decide which of the dead were worthy of a place in Valhalla. The “multirole” and “versatile” F35A is nuclear capable. It seems unlikely that this ‘Valkyrie’ will return to the scene of nuclear devastation.

B61-12 Nuclear Bomb

B61 nuclear bombs have been deployed in Europe under US nuclear sharing arrangements for some time. Originally designed as a Cold War weapon in the 1960s, the B61-12 (modification 12) entered production in December 2021 with the aim of extending the lifespan of these nuclear weapons. The latest modification includes ‘steerability’ and ‘dialable yields’, which means that the bombs can be launched some distance from their target (‘standoff capability’ meaning that pilots can reasonably expect not to be impacted by a nuclear blast) and that the explosive power of the bombs can be set as ‘usable’ on the battlefield. The development and deployment of these bombs to Lakenheath (and elsewhere in Europe) represents a significant and dangerous expansion of the US nuclear bootprint and an escalation in tension between nuclear-armed states.