Britain hosts US bombers in war build-up

A FLEET of US B-52 bombers landed at Britain’s Fairford Royal Air Force base yesterday as Washington moved the aircraft that would play an early role in any war on Iraq closer to their targets.

To the fury of peace protesters and the delight of plane spotters, the huge grey jets roared low over the perimeter fence before opening parachutes on the runway the longest in Europe to help them rumble to a halt.

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told parliament he had agreed to a US request for 14 B-52 bombers to fly to RAF Fairford in the western county of Gloucestershire from the United States, with their extra support personnel.

"The aircraft began to arrive at the base today. This is part of continuing contingency preparations," he said. "No decision to commence military action has been made."

Eight B-52s were seen landing at the air base. A spokeswoman for the Defence Ministry said the full complement would have arrived within 48 hours. Fairford can also house US "batwing" B-2 stealth bombers, which Washington announced last week it would deploy soon.

But the Defense Ministry said Britain had received no request to base the B-2s at Fairford, a sign they would probably go to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia instead.

Even without the mysterious stealth bombers, the arrival of the B-52s caused a stir. Plane spotters and journalists gathered to watch them landing, joining a small number of protesters who have maintained a "peace camp" nearby.

Protester Brenda Burrell said: "I'm talking to you, and on my left two enormous dark grey American bombers, in our beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, are being fueled up I'm absolutely outraged that this is happening in the country I was born in.

"This is mass murder we are going to be committing. This is unspeakable," she added.