RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford US Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa | |||||||
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Condition | Operational | ||||||
Site history | |||||||
Built | 1943 | ||||||
In use | 1944–1950 (Royal Air Force) 1950 – present (US Air Force) | ||||||
Events | Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) | ||||||
Garrison information | |||||||
Occupants |
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Airfield information | |||||||
Identifiers | AMSL | ||||||
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Source: UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication[2] |
Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford (
RAF Fairford was the only
RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), an annual air display. RIAT is one of the largest airshows in the world, with the 2003 show recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest military airshow ever, with an attendance of 535 aircraft.[6]
History
Second World War
Construction started in 1943 as part of a programme to open fourteen airfields in southern England to be used by British and American troop carrier transports and
The following units were also here at some point:[11]
- No. 3 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF
- No. 4 Flying Training School RAF
- No. 10 Squadron RAF
- No. 22 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF
- No. 27 Group Communication Flight RAF
- No. 53 Squadron RAF
- No. 113 Squadron RAF
- No. 204 Advanced Flying School RAF
- No. 241 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
- No. 283 (Airborne Forces) Wing RAF
- No. 295 Squadron RAF
- No. 297 Squadron RAF
- No. 1528 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
- No. 1529 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF
- No. 1555 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
- No. 1556 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
- No. 2706 Squadron RAF Regiment
- Central Flying School
Cold War
In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) would be based in the UK. Bases had already been established in East Anglia, at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, but they were considered to be vulnerable to bomber attack and airfields further behind the RAF fighter defences were sought. Four RAF airfields were selected to receive SAC units: RAF Brize Norton, RAF Fairford, RAF Greenham Common and RAF Upper Heyford. In 1948 the Americans occupied RAF stations including Fairford, Brize Norton, Burtonwood, Greenham Common, Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Woodbridge to build up a deterrent in Europe against the Soviets.[12]
In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the United States Air Force for strategic bomber operations. A 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runway was constructed for long-range bomber operations.[12]
The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first
Due to the long runway Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft until 1977.[16]
The U.S. Air Force returned with
Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation. Aircraft and crews operated from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Keflavik, Iceland; Zaragosa, Spain; Lajes Field, Azores; Sigonella NAS, Italy; and Hellenikon, Greece. The unit retained the 11th Strategic Group designation, but was inactivated on 7 August 1990.[18]
KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported
Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force. It was used in the first
21st century
In the 2003
Due to the deteriorating airfield facilities and its unique NATO heavy bomber mission, RAF Fairford underwent a $100 million upgrade of its runway and fuel systems in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War. This work lasted from May 2000 through May 2002.[12] Additional improvements continued until 2008, including the construction of two climate-controlled hangars for B-2 stealth bombers and a low-observability maintenance dock.[22]
On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group (420 ABG) was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units (GSUs) that had been aligned beneath the
On 12 May 2005, USAFE activated the 501st Combat Support Wing, with headquarters at RAF Alconbury, to provide support to its GSUs in the United Kingdom.[24]
In 2010 USAF withdrew all its uniformed staff from the station by September 2010 leaving a civilian operating unit to maintain the base on a "care and maintenance" basis. However the base remains a designated standby airfield for heavy bomber operations, capable of immediate reactivation within 24–48 hours and it continues to host the Royal International Air Tattoo every July.[25]
In September 2014 Fairford was used as the staging base for US
Since June 2014 RAF Fairford has seen regular heavy bomber exercises return with B-52H, B-2A and in September 2016, B-1B aircraft for short duration exercises by Air Force Global Strike Command and US Air Force Reserve units from Barksdale, Minot, Whiteman and Dyess Air Force Bases. These exercises include participation in NATO exercises Baltops, Saber Strike and Ample Strike. Baltops, mainly a maritime exercise, takes place off the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, while Saber Strike saw the B-52s flying close air support missions in Poland. Taking advantage of B-52 deployment in 2014 were two flights of two B-2 Spirits, which made brief visits to Fairford as part of Global Power training flights. The Ample Strike exercise in September 2016 was the first time that US Air Force Reserve had deployed two types of heavy bombers (B-1Bs and B-52Hs) under the same parent operating Wing (307BW).[27] March 2019 saw the largest deployment of B-52Hs to RAF Fairford since Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, when six bombers arrived from the 2nd Bomb Wing.[28][29]
In November 2018, it was announced that the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron and 488th Intelligence Squadron would relocate to Fairford by 2024. The squadrons, based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, are both part of the 55th Operations Group and support Boeing RC-135 surveillance aircraft when forward deployed on temporary duty to the UK from the United States. The move, part of the US Department of Defense's European Infrastructure Consolidation programme, was expected to see 500 personnel and RC-135 operations transfer to Fairford.[30] However, in December the proposal was cancelled and it was confirmed that Mildenhall would be retained as the RC-135's UK operating location.[31]
In September 2019, the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (99th ERS) began a Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady detachment from Beale Air Force Base, California.[32]
On 22 August 2020, six
In February 2022, four B-52H bombers from the 69th Bomb Squadron were deployed to RAF Fairford for six weeks.[36]
Role and operations
RAF Fairford is a Forward Operating Location made available to the United States by the UK Government. It is the only bomber forward operating location in Europe and is predominately used by US Air Force deployments of the B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress aircraft taking part in Air Force Global Strike Command's Bomber Task Force missions.[37][38]
Since September 2019, Fairford has hosted a detachment of U-2S Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft, operated by the 99th ERS.[39]
Base and mission support is provided by the 420th Air Base Squadron, a Geographically Separate Unit of the 501st Combat Support Wing based at RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire.[38]
Based units
Notable units based at RAF Fairford.[40][39]
United States Air Force
- 501st Combat Support Wing
- 422nd Air Base Group
- 420th Air Base Squadron
- 420th Munitions Squadron
- 422nd Air Base Group
Air Combat Command (ACC)
- Sixteenth Air Force
- 9th Reconnaissance Wing
- 9th Operations Group
- 9th Reconnaissance Wing
Royal International Air Tattoo
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), is held annually at Fairford over the third weekend in July. RIAT is held in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust and has attracted an attendance of up to 185,000 spectators over the weekend, with several hundred military aircraft belonging to air-arms from around the world taking part in static and flying displays.[41]
Former RAF Fairford unit emblems
See also
- List of Royal Air Force stations
- United States Air Forces in Europe
- United States Air Force in the United Kingdom
- Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom
- Flying Scholarships for Disabled People
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Citations
- ^ "Defence Estates Development Plan 2009 – Annex A". GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 3 July 2009. p. 43. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "AD 2-EGVA-1-3, Fairford, UK MIL AIP" (PDF). UK Military AIP. No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ USAF Yearbook 2000 p.13
- ^ "BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE: STRATEGIC BOMBERS SOAR THROUGH NATO'S EASTERN FLANK, COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL 2-MONTH ROTATION". Allied Air Command. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Key Facts About Defence: Did You Know..." Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Largest military air show".
- ^ "Historic England Research Records – Raf Fairford". Heritage Gateway. Historic England. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Balch, Adrian M (19 March 2020). "RAF Fairford: An illustrious history". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Woolfoot, Andy (16 September 2009). "Timeline of the history of RAF Fairford". Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Arnhem: The Surprise Survivor". Britain at war. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Fairford". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "RAF Fairford". Airforce Technology. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Red Arrows". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "RAF Fairford, UK". Global Security. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- OCLC 1149748553.
- ^ "The story of Concorde". Aerospace Bristol. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ 11th Strategic Group Lineage,8th AF History Office,7 Apr 1982
- ^ "11th Wing History". Joint Base Andrews. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "USAF Visiting Forces in the UK" (PDF). USAF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "UK countdown to air strikes". BBC. 25 March 1999. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Norris, Phil; Chipperfield, Daniel. "Why U-2 spy plane from the USA has been seen flying over the South West". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "The B-2 Spirit now has a new home away from home". Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (Air Force Print News). 17 December 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "RAF Fairford takes next step in its rich history". 501st Combat Support Wing. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Fact Sheet". 501st Combat Support Wing. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "US Air Force to pull out of base". BBC News. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ "President Obama has landed at RAF Fairford". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- Aviation Week. 22 June 2015. Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "US B-52 bombers conduct training in Europe". North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 14 March 2019. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Air Force B-52s deploy to RAF Fairford". Ellsworth Air Force Base. 14 March 2019. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ Howard, William (19 November 2018). "US Air Force surveillance mission moving to RAF Fairford by 2024". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ "USAF To Maintain Rivet Joint Operating Location At UK's Mildenhall | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week Network. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft deploy to RAF Fairford". usafe.af.mil. U.S. Air Forces in Europe & Air Forces Africa. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Air Force B-52s return to Europe for ally, partner training". 501csw.usafe.af.mil. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "USAF's 5th BW takes part in B-52 training mission at RAF Fairford". airforce-technology.com. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Bombers & Allied Aircraft Integrate to Fly Over All 30 NATO Nations in a Day". thecaterer.com. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ "B-52H Bomber Missions Begin at RAF Fairford". Royal Air Force Mildenhall. US Air Force. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b "420th Air Base Squadron". 501st Combat Support Wing. US Air Force. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b Oliver, Senior Airman Eugene (14 July 2020). "U-2 Dragon Lady supports U.S, NATO objectives". Royal Air Force Mildenhall. US Air Force. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Units". 501st Combat Support Wing. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ "The Airshow". Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
Bibliography
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6