RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It also borders Northamptonshire for just 19 metres, England's shortest county boundary...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been commanded by
Group CaptainGroup Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
John Hitchcock since 15 December 2008.
The station is the home of
No. XVII(R) SquadronNo. 17 Squadron is an active squadron of the Royal Air Force and the Operational Evaluation Unit for the Typhoon T.1 and F.2.-History:The first No 17 Squadron was formed in the Royal Flying Corps in 1915...
- the Operational Evaluational Unit,
No. 29(R) SquadronNo. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operational Conversion Unit for the RAF's newest fighter.-Service in World War I:This unit was...
- the Operational Conversion Unit and
No. 3(F) SquadronNo. 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2 and T1 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.-Foundation and First World War:No. 3 Squadron was formed at Larkhill on 13 May 1912 from No 2 Company of the Air Battalion Royal Engineers...
- the first Typhoon Operational Squadron, flying the
Eurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
F2The Eurofighter Typhoon is in service with five nations: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. BAE Systems describes the Eurofighter as the world's most advanced multi-role aircraft. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia, with the first aircraft already delivered...
and
T1The Eurofighter Typhoon is in service with five nations: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. BAE Systems describes the Eurofighter as the world's most advanced multi-role aircraft. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia, with the first aircraft already delivered...
. No 11 Squadron joined the station as a Typhoon unit in 2007.
Since June 2007 the Typhoons of No.
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It also borders Northamptonshire for just 19 metres, England's shortest county boundary...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been commanded by
Group CaptainGroup Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
John Hitchcock since 15 December 2008.
The station is the home of
No. XVII(R) SquadronNo. 17 Squadron is an active squadron of the Royal Air Force and the Operational Evaluation Unit for the Typhoon T.1 and F.2.-History:The first No 17 Squadron was formed in the Royal Flying Corps in 1915...
- the Operational Evaluational Unit,
No. 29(R) SquadronNo. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operational Conversion Unit for the RAF's newest fighter.-Service in World War I:This unit was...
- the Operational Conversion Unit and
No. 3(F) SquadronNo. 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2 and T1 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.-Foundation and First World War:No. 3 Squadron was formed at Larkhill on 13 May 1912 from No 2 Company of the Air Battalion Royal Engineers...
- the first Typhoon Operational Squadron, flying the
Eurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
F2The Eurofighter Typhoon is in service with five nations: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. BAE Systems describes the Eurofighter as the world's most advanced multi-role aircraft. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia, with the first aircraft already delivered...
and
T1The Eurofighter Typhoon is in service with five nations: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. BAE Systems describes the Eurofighter as the world's most advanced multi-role aircraft. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia, with the first aircraft already delivered...
. No 11 Squadron joined the station as a Typhoon unit in 2007.
Since June 2007 the Typhoons of No. 3(F) Squadron have formed part of air defence of the UK along with
RAF LeemingRAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, UK.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Leeming.The station opened in 1940 as a bomber station during the Second World War. In 1943 the station was assigned to No. 6 Group Royal Canadian Air Force with a...
near Northallerton in
North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county, located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county in that region and also partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest ceremonial...
and
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
near St Andrews,Fife,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, both of which were equipped with
Tornado F3The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine combat aircraft, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy. There are three primary versions of the Tornado; the Tornado IDS fighter-bomber, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR and the Tornado ADV ...
fighters but Leeming lost its last Tornados in 2008 with the disbandment of 25 Squadron and its concentration on being the RAFs communications hub.
The station is also home to
No. 121 Expeditionary Air WingOn 1st April 2006 Expeditionary Air Wings were formed at nine of the RAF's Main Operating Bases. Each EAW has its own identity and is led by the Station Commander, supported by his Station management team...
.
History
The base was opened in 1940 as a bomber base.
No. 106 SquadronNo. 106 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron during the second world war, equipped with Avro Manchesters and Avro Lancasters in 1942, when Guy Gibson, later of Dambusters fame, was a squadron pilot.-Aircraft operated:...
and
No. 97 SquadronNo. 97 Squadron, was a Royal Air Force squadron formed on December 1, 1917 at Waddington, Lincolnshire, first as a training unit, until moving to Netheravon in March 1918, and re-equipping with the Handley Page O/400 heavy bomber. The squadron served in France for the remainder of the war,...
arrived in 1941.
No. 617 SquadronNo. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
were at the base from August 1943 - January 1944. Following
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the base received its first jet aircraft - the
CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. It proved to be highly adaptable, serving in such varied roles for tactical bombing, photographic, electronic, and meteorological reconnaissance...
- in 1953. In 1956, the base expanded with the runway being extended.
Avro VulcanThe Avro Vulcan is a delta wing subsonic jet bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was also used in a conventional bombing...
s arrived in 1962, which were transferred to
RAF CottesmoreRAF Cottesmore is a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station houses all the operational Harrier GR7 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing.- Station crest :...
in November 1964. From 1964-66, the station had been designated to receive the proposed RAF fighter, the
TSR2The British Aircraft Corporation Tactical Strike/Reconnaissance 2 was an ill-fated Cold War strike aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation for the Royal Air Force in the early 1960s...
project, which was cancelled for economic reasons in April 1965. Its intended replacement, the
F-111The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" is a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also fills the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s and first entering service in 1967, the United States Air Force ...
was shelved when its costs overshot the UK's budget.
SpeyThe Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine originally designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 40 years...
-engined
PhantomsThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
(the plane the government eventually bought) arrived in 1966, with all RAF Phantom training taking place on the base, and the base became part of
Fighter CommandFighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the Royal Air Force for much of the mid-20th century...
until December 1967. The Phantoms were initially in a ground attack role, changing to air defence in October 1974 when the base joined
RAF Strike CommandThe Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's combat aircraft from 1968 until 1 April 2007. That day it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command....
in
No. 11 GroupNo. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-World War 1:No. 11 Group was...
. In November 1984, the Tornado F3 squadrons began to form. Tornado training took place until April 1987, when the Phantoms left (to
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
) and Coningsby had the first (No. 29) Tornado air defence squadron. To accommodate these new aircraft extensive
hardened aircraft shelterHardened Aircraft Shelters , or Protective Aircraft Shelter , are a reinforced structure to house and protect military aircraft from enemy attack...
s (HAS) and support facilities were built.
Coningsby was the first airfield to receive the Phantoms, the Tornado ADV and was the first to receive its replacement, the Eurofighter Typhoon.
56 SquadronNumber 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
was based there until March 2003 but relocated to
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
and in 2008 to
RAF WaddingtonRAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Early History:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
to allow airfield improvements required for the arrival of the Typhoon.
5 SquadronNo. 5 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the operator of the new Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar aircraft and is based at RAF Waddington.-History:As No...
also flew F3s from Coningsby until its disbandment in 2003 (this unit is now at Waddington). Typhoon arrived in May 2005 with
No. 17 SquadronNo. 17 Squadron is an active squadron of the Royal Air Force and the Operational Evaluation Unit for the Typhoon T.1 and F.2.-History:The first No 17 Squadron was formed in the Royal Flying Corps in 1915...
, after the RAF first publicly displayed the aircraft at Coningsby in December 2004. In July 2007, the Typhoon became operational from the base (and the UK).
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF)
Coningsby is also the home to the
Battle of Britain Memorial FlightThe Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
(since March 1976 when it arrived from
RAF ColtishallThe former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....
) and their Visitor Centre. The BBMF operate one of two remaining airworthy
Avro LancasterThe Avro Lancaster was a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF and squadrons from other...
bombers in the world besides five
SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries through the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a front line fighter and in secondary roles...
s of various types, two
HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some production of the Hurricane was carried out in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd....
s, a
DakotaThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, two
ChipmunkThe de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years...
s and at least one De Havilland Tiger Moth - these latter two types being used for pilot training.
Operational Evaluation Units
Also based at Coningsby is the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU), a merger of the Strike/Attack OEU (previously at
Boscombe DownMoD Boscombe Down is an aircraft testing site located south of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. It is run and managed by QinetiQ, the company created as part of the break up of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 2001 by the UK Ministry of Defence...
), the Tornado F.3 OEU (previously at
RAF WaddingtonRAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Early History:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
) and the Air-Guided Weapons OEU (previously at
RAF ValleyRAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, less formally known as Anglesey Airport. It provides fast-jet training using the BAE Hawk....
). Today, the unit operates under the shadow squadron numberplate of No.41(R) Sqn since 1 April 2006 and is tasked with operational testing and evaluation of existing and forthcoming aircraft and weapons.
No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing was formed at Coningsby on 1 April 2006 and encompasses most of the non-formed unit personnel. The EAW does not include any of the flying squadrons. The
Station Commander is triple-hatted as the Commanding Officer of the Wing and as Typhoon Force Commander.
Current structure
The RAF Coningsby structure as of April 2008:
- 121 Expeditionary Air Wing
- Air Combat 1 Group
- No. 3 Squadron RAF
No. 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2 and T1 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.-Foundation and First World War:No. 3 Squadron was formed at Larkhill on 13 May 1912 from No 2 Company of the Air Battalion Royal Engineers...
- operating Typhoon F2, T1The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
- No. 6 Squadron RAF
No. 6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Jaguar GR.3 from RAF Coltishall, Norfolk until April 2006, moving to RAF Coningsby and operating until May 2007....
- no planes assigned (in future Eurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
)
- No. 11 Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon F2, FGR4, T1
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
- No. 29 (Reserve) Squadron RAF
No. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operational Conversion Unit for the RAF's newest fighter.-Service in World War I:This unit was...
- Typhoon F2, T1The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
- Air Warfare Centre
- No. 17 (Reserve) Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon FGR4, T3
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986...
- No. 41 (Reserve) Squadron RAF
No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The squadron celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2006, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War:As No...
- operating Harrier GR9/GR9A, Tornado GR4The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine combat aircraft, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy. There are three primary versions of the Tornado; the Tornado IDS fighter-bomber, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR and the Tornado ADV ...
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
Station Commanders
- Air Cdre
Air Commodore is an air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
David Strong CBThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
1957-9
- AVM
Air Vice-Marshal is an air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries...
Michael Le Bas CB CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
1959-61
- AVM Frank Dodd CBE DFC
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
1961-3
- Air Chf Mshl
Air Chief Marshal is a senior air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir John Rogers CBE 1967-9
- AVM Dennis Allison CB 1974-6
- AVM Derek Bryant CB OBE 1976-8
- Group Captain/Gp Capt Christopher Sprent 1978-80
- Air Chf Mshl Sir William Wratten
Air Chief Marshal Sir William John Wratten GBE, CB, AFC was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Strike Command from 1994.-Flying career:...
CBE CB 1980-2
- Air Mshl
Air Marshal is a 3 star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries...
Sir Christopher CovilleAir Marshal Sir Christopher Charles Cotton Coville KCB BA FCIPD FRAeS RAF is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander.Christopher Coville was brought up in Liverpool and joined the RAF in 1964, at the height of the Cold War...
CB 1986-8
- Air Mshl Clifford Spink
Air Marshal Clifford Rodney Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS RAF R'td was a senior Royal Air Force officer during the early 1990s and is now a Spitfire display pilot on the national air display circuit. The first Spitfire he ever flew belonged to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, during his tenure as...
CB CBE 1990-3
- AVM Peter Ruddock CBE 1999-2000
The following Station Commanders are listed in the rank held at the time of appointment:
List incomplete
- Gp Capt
Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
R JudsonAir Commodore Bob Judson RAF is a senior serving Royal Air Force Officer and was the first Station Commander of RAF Coningsby of the Eurofighter Typhoon-era....
- 2004 – 2006
- Gp Capt
Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
S D AthaAir Commodore Stuart David Atha DSO ADC is a serving senior officer of the Royal Air Force and is currently Air Officer Commanding No 83 Expeditionary Air Group .Atha joined the RAF after graduating from Glasgow University in 1984...
DSOThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.The DSO was instituted on 6 September 1886 by...
- 2006 – 2008
- Gp Capt
Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
J J Hitchcock - 2008 –
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