RAF Akrotiri
RAF Akrotiri Group Captain Simon Cloke | |||||||
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Source: United Kingdom Military Aeronautical Information Publication[1] |
Royal Air Force Akrotiri, commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri (
The
History
RAF Akrotiri was first constructed in the mid-1950s to relieve pressure on the main RAF station in the centre of the island, RAF Nicosia.[3]
Suez Crisis
In late 1956, relations between the United Kingdom and Egypt had reached a crisis. The
1960s
After the Suez Crisis, the main emphasis of life on the airfield shifted to helping fight the
Akrotiri, along with
1970s
In August 1970, detachment 'G' of the
Up until 1974, RAF Akrotiri had a balanced force of aircraft assigned to it, including No. 9 Squadron and No. 35 Squadron, both flying Avro Vulcan strategic bombers. The Vulcans provided a bomber force for CENTO, one of the three main anti-Communist mutual defence pacts signed in the early days of the Cold War.[8] However, during that year, Turkish forces invaded Cyprus in connection with a Greek-sponsored coup. The UK then evacuated most of the RAF from Akrotiri as the CENTO treaty had degenerated to the point of uselessness. The two Vulcan squadrons left for UK stations in 1975. What was left at the airfield was the flying unit that is permanently assigned to the station to this day; No. 84 Squadron, a helicopter search and rescue unit.[9] In addition, the role of No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment provided support.[10]
In September 1976, the US U-2 operations were reassigned to the
1980s
Due to the station's relative proximity to the Middle East, it was used for the reception of American casualties after the
Between April 1983 and September 1984, RAF
In the mid-1980s, the US launched
2000s–2010s
In July 2006, RAF Akrotiri played a major role as a transit point for personnel evacuations out of Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon War (see international reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War and Joint Task Force Lebanon).[16]
Akrotiri was the location of the main transmitter of the well known numbers station, the Lincolnshire Poacher, although transmissions ceased in 2008.[17]
In March 2011, the station was used as a staging base for support aircraft involved in Operation Ellamy, the UK's contribution to the NATO-led military intervention in Libya. Tanker support and logistical units were based here to support aerial operations over the country.[18]
In August 2013, six RAF Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft were deployed to Akrotiri to defend the base, "to ensure the protection of UK interests and the defence of our sovereign base areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region". Earlier, two RAF TriStar aerial refuelling aircraft and a Sentry AEW1 had been deployed to Akrotiri.[19][20]
The station hosted the main hospital for British Forces Cyprus, The Princess Mary's Hospital (TPMH), located on Cape Zevgari. This closed in October 2012, and cases too serious to be dealt with at the base health clinic are sent to the private Ygia Polyclinic in Limassol.[1][21]
In August 2014, six RAF
The station was used to support the
In June 2019, the station launched the RAF's first
2020s
Flight logs indicated that UK military transport aircraft made numerous flights from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv’s
Four Typhoons based in Akrotiri struck Houthi targets in Yemen on 12 January 2024.[28]
The RAF reportedly assisted Israel during the Iranian strikes on Israeli territory from jets that had taken of from RAF Akrotiri and were flying over Iraq.[29][30]
Controversy
Radar
In 2007, a large over-the-horizon radar antenna was erected within the base. Several demonstrations and protests took place, with the most memorable incident being the act of MP (MEP since 2004) Marios Matsakis chaining himself to the antenna. Matsakis stated "It is outrageous that in the 21st century there are Cypriot villages living under British military rule, neither under their own government's jurisdiction nor under the protection of the EU treaties".[31]
US surveillance flights
In 2010, U-2s from the United States Air Force's 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities. These flights were the topic of acrimonious leaked diplomatic cables between British officials and the American embassy, with David Miliband saying that "policymakers needed to get control of the military". The British were concerned that the flights over Lebanon were authorised by the Lebanese Ministry of Defence, rather than the entire cabinet, and that the intelligence so gained could lead to the UK being complicit in the unlawful torture of detainees. After warnings that these issues "could jeopardise future use of British territory", John Rood, a senior Bush administration official, and Mariot Leslie, the Foreign Office's director general for defence and intelligence, became involved. Leslie said that the U.S. was not actually expected to check on detained terrorists, but that future spy missions would require full written applications.[32]
Based units
Units based at RAF Akrotiri.[33][34]
Royal Air Force
No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF
No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF
- No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing
- Operation Shader (anti-ISIL operations)/anti-Houthi operations (2024)
- Detachment of Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 from RAF Coningsby[36] and RAF Lossiemouth[37]
- Elements of the RAF Air Mobility Force:
- Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft (replaced previously operated Hercules C5 aircraft withdrawn from RAF service in 2023)
- Elements of the RAF ISTAR Force:
- MQ-9A Reaper UAVs (No. 13 Squadron RAF) and RC-135W Rivet Joint (No. 51 Squadron RAF) (aircraft may operate from locations other than RAF Akrotiri)[39][40]
- Shadow R1 aircraft from No. 14 Squadron RAF[41]
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war).[42]
- Elements of the RAF A4 Force
- Operation Shader (anti-ISIL operations)/anti-Houthi operations (2024)
- RAF Akrotiri Volunteer Band
Joint service units
- Cyprus Operations Support Unit
United States Air Force
- 9th Reconnaissance Wing
- 9th Operations Group (Detachment 1) – Lockheed U-2S
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
AirTanker | Charter: RAF Brize Norton Seasonal charter: Birmingham, East Midlands |
See also
- Richard Haine
- List of Royal Air Force stations
- United States Air Forces in Europe
- Dreamer's Bay
References
Citations
- ^ a b "United Kingdom Military Aeronautical Information Publication AD 2 - LCRA – Akrotiri" (PDF). AIDU.MoD.uk. Ministry of Defence. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ "RAF Akrotiri - The Station". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ISSN 1361-4231. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-1841764184.
- ^ Lee, 1989, 172-176.
- ISBN 978-1783831890.
- UK Parliament: House of Commons. 15 June 1990. col. 380W. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- HMSO Books.
- ^ "84 Squadron". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 1 September 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ISSN 0035-8614.
- ^ "UK overruled on Lebanon spy flights from Cyprus, WikiLeaks cables reveal". The Guardian. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ March 1989, p. 88.
- ^ "Report of the DoD Commission on Beirut Int'l Airport terrorist act, October 23, 1983 – part eight". Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ Cotter 2008, p. 71.
- ^ "British base on Cyprus attacked: two wounded". The New York Times. 5 August 1986. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "News in English". HRI.org. Cyprus News Agency. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Mason, Simon (30 October 2009). "E3 Lincolnshire Poacher". Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Second UK strike against Libyan defence assets". MoD.uk. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ Rankin, Ben (29 August 2013). "Syria: RAF Typhoon jets sent to Cyprus". Mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- HM Government. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ISBN 9780992798017.
- ^ "RAF planes bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq for the first time". The Guardian. 30 September 2014.
- ^ "RAF jets sent on Iraqi combat mission". BBC.co.uk. BBC News.
- ^ "Syria air strikes: UK confident strikes were successful, says PM". BBC.co.uk. BBC News. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "UK stealth fighter jets join fight against Islamic State". BBC.co.uk. BBC News. 25 June 2019.
- ^ "UK reportedly using Akrotiri for military flights to Tel Aviv since Gaza war". in-cyprus.philenews.com. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "UK gags MPs from asking questions about alleged arms supply to Israel". Middle East Monitor. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "US, British militaries launch massive retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen". news.yahoo.com. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "British fighter jets dispatched from Akrotiri after Iran launches attack against Israel". cyprus-mail.com. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Η βάση της RAF στο Ακρωτήρι επανήλθε στην προσοχή για τον ρόλο της στη σύγκρουση στη Λωρίδα της Γάζας: Η στρατηγική σημασία της βρετανικής εγκατάστασης στην Κύπρο". Hellasjournal.com. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "MEP arrested at UK base in Cyprus". News.BBC.co.uk. BBC News. 12 April 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard; Leigh, David (1 December 2010). "UK overruled on Lebanon spy flights from Cyprus, WikiLeaks cables reveal". The Guardian.
- ^ "RAF Akrotiri". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "U-2S/TU-2S 'Dragon Lady'". United States Air Force Air Power Yearbook 2021. Key Publishing: 113. 2021.
- ^ "RAF Akrotiri helicopter capability transfers from Griffin to Puma". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ a b Air Forces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. January 2016. p. 4.
- ^ "Royal Air Force and US attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen: What we know so far". Forces Net. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "RAF Typhoons destroyed all Houthi rebel targets during second wave of strikes, PM says". Forces Net. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- HM Government. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- Flight Global. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "RAF Shadow R1". Milavreachout.org. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Sheridan, Danielle (12 October 2023). "Royal Navy to send ships and aircraft to support Israel".
- ^ "BAE102 flight activity history". uk.FlightAware.com. Flight Aware. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
Bibliography
- Cotter, J. (2008). Royal Air Force celebrating 90 years. ISBN 978-0-946219-11-7.
- Lee, David (1989). Wings in the Sun: A history of the Royal Air Force in the Mediterranean 1945–1986. HMSO Books.
- March, P. (1989). Royal Air Force Yearbook 1989. Fairford, UK: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.