MARCH 21: Eight American B-52 bombers have taken off from RAF Fairford. The giant bombers began taxiing down the runway at the Gloucestershire base just before 10am this morning.
It is the first time that so many of the jets have left the base in one sortie.
The huge bombers, 14 of which have been at the base since the first week of March, have been expected to take part in attacks on Iraq.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a giant bomber that can fly 8,000 miles and drop an awesome payload, including cruise missiles.
And the thunder-like drone of its eight engines strikes fear into troops below.
The aircraft is capable of dropping 30 tonnes of bombs and missiles - three B-52s working in formation can leave a crater one mile square and 50ft deep.
The long range bomber can also fly 8,000 miles (12,872 kilometres) without refuelling.
American B-52 bombers flew 60 missions in 1991 from RAF Fairford, dropping more than 1,158 tonnes of high explosive in sorties against Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard and other key targets in Iraq and Kuwait.
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