US B-52 bomber fails to take off from UK airbase
An American B-52 bomber armed with 12 cruise missiles failed to take off from RAF Fairford after suffering engine trouble.
An American B-52 bomber carrying 12 cruise missiles was grounded at a UK airbase after developing engine problems. Two US Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers had been scheduled to depart from RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, this afternoon (07/04).
While one of the aircraft successfully took to the skies, the second remained on the ground following reports of a fault with one of its eight engines.
Aviation enthusiasts observing the aircraft picked up the issue via radio communications as engineers spent several hours attempting to rectify the problem.
RAF Fairford has been utilised by the US to operate aircraft amid escalating tensions with Iran.
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The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers boast a maximum take-off weight of 220 tonnes and are capable of carrying 70,000lbs of weaponry.
The war between Iran and the US and Israel has lasted over a month now since it started on February 28 with joint American and Israeli airstrikes.
On Tuesday US President Donald Trump threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to meet his latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while the Islamic Republic urged young people to form human chains around power plants and other potential targets.
Trump’s expansive threat did not seem to account for potential harm to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some United Nations officials and scholars in military law to say such strikes would violate international law.
Tehran’s representative at the UN said the threats “constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide.”
Amir-Saeid Iravani said Iran would "take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures” if Trump launches devastating strikes.
Even before the deadline, airstrikes hit two bridges and a train station, and the US hit military infrastructure on Kharg Island. It was the second time American forces struck the island, a key hub for Iranian oil production.
House Democratic leaders issued a joint statement calling Trump “completely unhinged” and asked the House to be brought back immediately into legislative session.
“His statement threatening to eradicate an entire civilization shocks the conscience and requires a decisive congressional response,” said the joint statement from Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and four other top House Democrats.
“The House must come back into session immediately and vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III,” the Democratic lawmakers said.
They called on House Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and “join Democrats in stopping this madness".
