In a post on X, OSINT analyst @DefenceGeek reported that late on 29 July 2026, two B-1B Lancer bombers from RAF Fairford (EGVA) departed on a training sortie off the southwest coast of the UK as LANE90 and LANE91, supported by a single tanker CLEAN71 from RAF Mildenhall (EGUN). They returned to Fairford, likely for a crew change, then departed again around 01:45 local time as HARPO40 and HARPO41, flying to meet three KC-46A Pegasus tankers from Lajes Airport (LPLA) using callsigns CLEAN91, CLEAN92, and CLEAN93. The mission simulated a contingency route to Iran via Gibraltar in case of overflight denial over France, a scenario used during Operation Epic Fury. After completing refueling practice, both bombers returned to RAF Fairford by about 04:15 local time, and the tankers returned to Lajes.