Britain Gives U.S. Permission for B-52 Base

LONDON — Britain has agreed to an American request to base B-52 long-range bombers in Britain for raids on Iraqi targets, Defense Secretary Tom King announced today.

“A limited number of B-52s (will) be temporarily based at RAF Fairford to undertake missions with conventional weapons against Iraqi military or strategic targets, which are supporting the continued Iraqi occupation of Kuwait,” King told the House of Commons.

The Fairford air base at Gloucester is equipped as a forward base for B-52s, which have a range of 6,700 miles and can carry up to 60,000 pounds of bombs.

King also announced that the number of British troops stationed in the Gulf had exceeded 40,000 and the cost of operation for the nation was $2.94 billion, excluding the cost of munitions and replacing lost equipment.