About Lakenheath

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Nuclear Weapons

It is believed that Lakenheath is home to up to 110 B61 plane dropped nuclear bombs. http://www.nukestrat.com/pubs/EuroBombs.pdf. Although the base can 'neither confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath' they have yearly nuclear inspections including one in 2007.http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/doctrine/usaf/afei91-125-2007.pdf

In June 2003 ''Operation Dimming Sun'' took place to test the response in the event of a USAF plane crashing with unarmed nuclear weapons on board http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030630/text/30630w12.htm.

Tactical versions (Mods 3, 4, and 10) can be set to 0.3, 1.5, 5, 10, 60, 80, or 170 kiloton explosive yield. Strategic versions (B61 Mod 7) have a yield of 340KT.

The B61 Mod 11 is the earth penetrating version. Estimates of the yield varies greatly from 10KT to 340KT. We are not sure what type of B61 Lakenheath has. To see the effects of the bomb see the Nuke Your House[http://www.easterncnduk.org/NukeHouse/index.php] site on the Eastern Region CND website.

Recent Missions

Afghanistan 2007

14 F-15Es from the 492 squadron flew out on the 11 March 2007 to Bagram airbase. On the 7 June 2007 another 18 planes flew out. It seems likely that some of the F-15Es had returned to Lakenheath during the intervening period since we are only aware of 27 or 28 F-15Es being in the squadron.

They returned on Sunday 23rd of September 2007. During their time at Bagram they carried out a massive amount of bombing. We were able to determine this since the pilots painted logos on the side of their plane for every bomb they dropped. For more information see http://www.easterncnduk.org/News/afghan02.php

Friendly Fire

On the 23rd August they managed to kill British soldiers (Privates Aaron McClure, 19, who lived in Ipswich, Robert Foster, 19, of Harlow, Essex, and John Thrumble, 21, from Chelmsford, Essex).

Iraq 2006 / 2007

A large number of support personnel and planes flew out in September 2006. Planes from the 492 and 494 Squadrons also flew out. They were known to have dropped GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs on Bagdhad on the 5 October 2007 http://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123028471.

Missile Defence

It is reported that Lakenheath may play an important role in the US missile defence system http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/08/nmissiles108.xml

The 1956 Nuclear Accident

Telex from General Walsh, Commander 7th Air Division, South Ruislip, England, to General Curtis Le May, Commander, Strategic Air Command, classified TOP SECRET OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE, concerning accident July 27 1956

PERSONAL FOR CINC LEMAY FROM WALSH. MORE TO MY PHONE CALL. HAVE JUST COME FROM WRECKAGE OF B-47 WHICH PLOUGHED INTO AN IGLOO IN LAKENHEATH ADS. THE B-47 TORE APARE THE IGLOO AND KNOCKED ABOUT 3 MARK SIXES. A/C THEN EXPLODED SHOWERING BURNING FUEL OVER ALL. CREW PERISHED , MOST OF A/C WRECKAGE PIVOTED ON IGLOO AND CAME TO REST WITH A/C NOSE JUST BEYOND IGLOO BANK WHICH KEPT MAIN FUEL FIRE OUTSIDE SMASHED IGLOO. PRELIMINARY EXAM BY BOMB DISPOSAL OFFICER SAYS A MIRACLE THAT ONE MARK SIX WITH EXPOSED DETONATORS DIDN'T GO OFF. FIRE FIGHTERS EXTINGUISHED FIRE AROUND MARK SIXES FAST. PLAN INVESTIGATION TO WARRANT DECORATING FIREMEN.

The chain of events began when a B-47 bomber, rotated to England as a part of the Strategic Air Command's program to place medium-range bombers closer to targets in the Soviet Union, crashed while practicing takeoffs and landings.

Blazing jet fuel ran down a hill to a storage building containing the three Mark VI atomic bombs, which were considerably more powerful than the bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The newspaper said the possibility of a nuclear explosion was highly remote, but the possibility of an explosion of TNT, used as the arming mechanism, was very real.

The steel casing of the Mark VI was relatively thin and the resistance to heat was not especially great. Each bomb contained about 8,000 pounds of TNT, which had it exploded, would have produced a geyser of radioactive material, the newspaper said.

Air Force Master Sgt. L. H. Dunn, the base fire chief riding in the lead truck, moved as close as possible to the building containing the A-bombs and poured flame-suppressing foam on the fire.

Dunn, who ignored the four B-47 crew members trapped inside the wreckage on the presumption they were dead, utilized four foam trucks in extinguishing the fire around the storage building, the newspaper reported.

Had the TNT exploded, "it is possible that a part of Eastern England would have become a desert," a retired Air Force major general told the World-Herald.