United States Air Force in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Since 1941 the United States has maintained air bases in the United Kingdom. Major Commands of the USAF having bases in the United Kingdom were the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), Strategic Air Command
(SAC), and Air Mobility Command
(AMC).
in the UK can be traced to a series of agreements made between 27 January and 27 March 1941 which provided for American naval, ground and air support for campaigns against Nazi Germany. As a result, a special US Army Observer Group was activated in London on 19 May 1941. One of the first tasks of that unit was to reconnoitre areas regarded as potential sites for United States Army Air Force (USAAF) installations.
On 2 January 1942 the order activating the Eighth Air Force
was signed and the headquarters was formed at Savannah, Georgia
on 28 January. The War Department
in Washington, D.C. announced that US ground forces were sent to Northern Ireland
. On 8 January the activation of US Forces in the British Isles (USAFBI) was announced, and VIII Bomber Command (VIII BC) was established in England during February 1942. VIII BC was established at RAF Bomber Command
Headquarters at High Wycombe
on 22 February.
From these origins the presence of the United States Air Force in the United Kingdom has been maintained to current times.
.
In Europe, the aim was to maintain a small USAAF organization, exclusively for communication and transport purposes. On 7 August 1945, the word Strategic was removed from USSAFE, and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) was established. By the end of 1946, USAFE had only about 75,000 personnel and fewer than 2,000 aircraft.
Tensions with the Soviet Union
began as early as 1946 and President Harry S Truman decided to realign USAFE into a combat-capable force. In November, six B-29 bombers from SAC
's 43d Bombardment Group were sent to RAF Burtonwood
, and from there to various bases in West Germany
as a "training deployment". In May 1947, additional B-29s were sent to the UK and Germany to keep up the presence of a training program. These deployments were only a cover-up, as the true aim of these B-29s were to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe.
All B-29 operations in England were placed under the command of USAFE's 3d Air Force, established at RAF Marham
. At the close of World War II, most of the air bases used by the USAAF were returned to the British government and were in various states of repair by 1948. The Ministry of Defence
made available airfields at Marham, Scampton, Waddington and Lakenheath for B-29 operations. Lakenheath
was refurbished with an extended runway to accommodate the giant Convair B-36
, however the B-36s were maintained at Carswell Air Force Base
in Texas for the time being.
During 1950/51 it was decided that the USAF would re-establish a larger presence in the United Kingdom and the refurbishment of several additional World War II airfields would take place. However these bases were far from adequate in their World War II configuration, both in their flying facilities and in their accommodations, so plans were designed for a major expansion to accommodate the new jet aircraft and other operational facilities. On-going construction of airfield facilities and the conversion of temporary wartime buildings to permanent structures continued for some years.
(USAFE) was occupied with supporting the movement of men and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command
(SAC) to bases in England.
Tensions with the Soviet Union
began as early as 1946 and President Harry S. Truman
decided to realign USAFE into a combat-capable force. In November six B-29 Superfortress
bombers from SAC's 43d Bombardment Group
were sent to RAF Burtonwood
, and from there to various bases in West Germany
as a "training deployment".
In May 1947, additional B-29s were sent to the UK and Germany to keep up the presence of a training program. These deployments were only a cover-up, as the true aim of these B-29s were to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe.
In 1948, Berlin had become the focal point of East-West confrontation and when surface entry into the city was cut by the Soviets, the Allies countered with the now famous Berlin Airlift. To counter further moves by the Communists, SAC again deployed units to the United Kingdom.
SAC continued rotational deployments of its strategic bomber force, keeping a strategic bomber force in Europe for almost 20 years until 1966, when the B-47 Stratojet
was phased out of SAC's inventory with the UK bases being returned to the British or converted into USAFE tactical bases.
was that aircraft.
On 12 May 1965 the first F-4 Phantom arrived in the UK, with an RF-4C arriving at RAF Alconbury
to replace the 10th TRW's RB-66s. In October, the F-101C "Voodoos" at Bentwaters/Woodbridge were also replaced by F-4Cs, as well as the F-100s at RAF Lakenheath.
The F-4 Phantoms remained in the UK for the next 20 years, being replaced by the next generation of F-15/F-16s in the mid 1980s. In the 1970s, the General Dynamics F-111
arrived at Upper Heyford.
announced that France would loosen its ties to NATO. He announced that French forces were no longer available to the Allies, and all foreign army and air force units, as well as NATO Headquarters must be removed from France by 1 April 1967.
Losing the French bases was a painful blow to USAFE. At the time it comprised eleven tactical units plus four interceptor squadrons. A large-scale relocation plan, Operation FRELOC was developed to remove all USAF aircraft and equipment, as well as 33,000 USAFE personnel and their families from France.
As a result of FRELOC, USAFE's presence in England grew considerably. Three fighter wings, the 20th TFW at RAF Wethersfield
, the 48th TFW at RAF Lakenheath
and the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters
came under 3d Air Force. Between these three wings, about 225 aircraft, mainly F-100 Super Sabre
and F-4 Phantom II
s. USAFE in England also included two Tactical Reconnaissance Wings, the 10th at RAF Alconbury
and the 66th at RAF Upper Heyford
with between them about 100 RF-101
s and RF-4Cs
, along with the 513th Troop Carrier Wing at RAF Mildenhall
.
Also, RAF Burtonwood
, which was operating as a reserve USAFE base since the opening of Châteauroux-Déols Air Base
in the early 1950s was turned over to the US Army in 1966 and was renamed Burtonwood Army Depot. The Army transferred all of its stores and equipment in France to Burtonwood and operated the facility as its primary storage and logistics depot for 7th Army support in Europe until the mid 1990s.
established a permanent facility at RAF Mildenhall
after the phaseout of the SAC Reflex mission. The 313th Tactical Airlift Wing operates C-5 Galaxy
and C-141 Starlifter
flights to and from the UK from bases worldwide. The group also operates Lockheed C-130 Hercules
flights within USAFE from TDY units on a rotational bases from the US.
In addition to the logistics mission, the 513th MAW was responsible for operations of four Boeing EC-135H "Looking Glass" Flying Command Posts of the 10th Airborne Command And Control Squadron, which would have been responsible for SAC command and control in the event of a Nuclear War with the Soviet Union. In addition for many years variants of Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft were observed regularly at Mildenhall. Most of those aircraft came from the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Offut AFB, Nebraska. Those aircraft were used to fly ELINT and COMINT missions along the borders of Poland, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, monitoring and recording military communications.
Also at Mildenhall, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
s from the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California were deployed on a routine basis. Besides standard photo reconnaissance flights, the SR-71s at Mildenhall were involved in ELINT and TELINT missions that were carried out within the framework of the SALT I Agreement of 1972. Under this agreement, the U.S. and Soviet Union reached agreement on a partial freeze on the number of nuclear weapons and these flights were to verify that the Soviets were adhering to the agreement.
Telemetry gathering missions were also flown by the SR-71s to record data from Soviet rocket systems. Electronic gathering flights were primarily aimed at gathering signals from the Soviet missile center at Plesetsk. This information, along with information being gathered from spy satellites, enabled the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to assemble a good picture of Soviet activities. SR-71s at Mildenhall also played a key role in the 1986 Operation El Dorado Canyon
involving American retaliatory action in Libya. The day after the attack, SR-71s made several unmolested flights over the bombed military targets around Tripoli
and Benghazi
.
aircraft arrived at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbrige. Originally six squadrons were assigned to the 81st TFW, however later two squadrons were moved to the 10th TFW at RAF Alconbury. Close Air Support missions made the A-10 vulnerable to ground fire, so most of the underside of the aircraft is made of armoured titanium. To stay out of reach of hostile radar, many of the A-10's missions were flown at nearly ground level. The A-10s in the UK were painted in a special camouflage scheme designed for European weather conditions, made from a special type of paint that can absorb 60% of the suns's rays. Because different densities of paint were used, its colors tended to change in different light conditions.
in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the need for large numbers of USAF forces in the UK no longer existed and plans were made for significant cuts.
Bases at Bentwaters, Chicksands, Greenham Common, Sculthorpe and Upper Heyford were closed by the end of 1993. Alconbury's flightline was closed, and its base support functions were taken over by RAF Molesworth. Consolidations were made both at Lakenheath and Mildenhall, leaving them the only two fully equipped USAFE bases in the UK.
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC), and Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(AMC).
Origins
The origins of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in the UK can be traced to a series of agreements made between 27 January and 27 March 1941 which provided for American naval, ground and air support for campaigns against Nazi Germany. As a result, a special US Army Observer Group was activated in London on 19 May 1941. One of the first tasks of that unit was to reconnoitre areas regarded as potential sites for United States Army Air Force (USAAF) installations.
On 2 January 1942 the order activating the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
was signed and the headquarters was formed at Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
on 28 January. The War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
in Washington, D.C. announced that US ground forces were sent to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. On 8 January the activation of US Forces in the British Isles (USAFBI) was announced, and VIII Bomber Command (VIII BC) was established in England during February 1942. VIII BC was established at RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
Headquarters at High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group...
on 22 February.
From these origins the presence of the United States Air Force in the United Kingdom has been maintained to current times.
USSAFE / USAFE
With the end of World War II, the United States began to demobilize most of the Air Force which it created in the United Kingdom. On 7 May 1945, the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSAFE) commanded about 17,000 aircraft and an organization made up of about 500,000 personnel. Many personnel and much flying equipment were being transferred to the Pacific Theater of OperationsPacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
.
In Europe, the aim was to maintain a small USAAF organization, exclusively for communication and transport purposes. On 7 August 1945, the word Strategic was removed from USSAFE, and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) was established. By the end of 1946, USAFE had only about 75,000 personnel and fewer than 2,000 aircraft.
Tensions with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
began as early as 1946 and President Harry S Truman decided to realign USAFE into a combat-capable force. In November, six B-29 bombers from SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
's 43d Bombardment Group were sent to RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood was a Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles north-west of Warrington, Lancashire. During World War II and the Cold War it was used by the United States Air Force and was also known as USAAF station 590.- Overview :...
, and from there to various bases in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as a "training deployment". In May 1947, additional B-29s were sent to the UK and Germany to keep up the presence of a training program. These deployments were only a cover-up, as the true aim of these B-29s were to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe.
All B-29 operations in England were placed under the command of USAFE's 3d Air Force, established at RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
. At the close of World War II, most of the air bases used by the USAAF were returned to the British government and were in various states of repair by 1948. The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
made available airfields at Marham, Scampton, Waddington and Lakenheath for B-29 operations. Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
was refurbished with an extended runway to accommodate the giant Convair B-36
Convair B-36
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
, however the B-36s were maintained at Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located about northwest central of Fort Worth, Texas, United States; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement...
in Texas for the time being.
Establishment of NATO
By 1948, the Soviet Union's obstinacy concerning Berlin and other issues in Europe had caused great anxiety among the governments of Western Europe. In response, the Western leaders decided to co-operate and jointly defend Western Europe against a Soviet attack. This joining of forces took shape in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreement of 4 April 1949 when the ministers of ten Western European countries, the United States and Canada guaranteed each other's safety against Soviet attack and saw an armed attack on the territory of one of the member states an attack on all of them.During 1950/51 it was decided that the USAF would re-establish a larger presence in the United Kingdom and the refurbishment of several additional World War II airfields would take place. However these bases were far from adequate in their World War II configuration, both in their flying facilities and in their accommodations, so plans were designed for a major expansion to accommodate the new jet aircraft and other operational facilities. On-going construction of airfield facilities and the conversion of temporary wartime buildings to permanent structures continued for some years.
SAC in England
During the mid to late 1940s the United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
(USAFE) was occupied with supporting the movement of men and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) to bases in England.
Tensions with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
began as early as 1946 and President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
decided to realign USAFE into a combat-capable force. In November six B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bombers from SAC's 43d Bombardment Group
43d Airlift Wing
The 43rd Airlift Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Pope Army Airfield, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.The 43 AG performs en route operations support at Pope AAF to include mission command & control, aircrew management, aircraft maintenance, aircraft loading, aircraft fueling...
were sent to RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood was a Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles north-west of Warrington, Lancashire. During World War II and the Cold War it was used by the United States Air Force and was also known as USAAF station 590.- Overview :...
, and from there to various bases in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as a "training deployment".
In May 1947, additional B-29s were sent to the UK and Germany to keep up the presence of a training program. These deployments were only a cover-up, as the true aim of these B-29s were to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe.
In 1948, Berlin had become the focal point of East-West confrontation and when surface entry into the city was cut by the Soviets, the Allies countered with the now famous Berlin Airlift. To counter further moves by the Communists, SAC again deployed units to the United Kingdom.
SAC continued rotational deployments of its strategic bomber force, keeping a strategic bomber force in Europe for almost 20 years until 1966, when the B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
was phased out of SAC's inventory with the UK bases being returned to the British or converted into USAFE tactical bases.
Modernisation
By the early 1960s, the USAF in England had a very mixed collection of aircraft. RF-101s, various versions of the B-66 and B-57, and F-84s and F-86s comprised USAFE's tactical aircraft arsenal. This large number of different aircraft was a maintenance and logistics nightmare because all the different parts for all the different aircraft had to be kept in stock. Indeed, this issue was not confined to the UK or just USAFE. There was a need for standardization and also to modernize for an aircraft which could perform many different tasks from air defense to ground support and aerial reconnaissance. The McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom II
The 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 United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
was that aircraft.
On 12 May 1965 the first F-4 Phantom arrived in the UK, with an RF-4C arriving at RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
to replace the 10th TRW's RB-66s. In October, the F-101C "Voodoos" at Bentwaters/Woodbridge were also replaced by F-4Cs, as well as the F-100s at RAF Lakenheath.
The F-4 Phantoms remained in the UK for the next 20 years, being replaced by the next generation of F-15/F-16s in the mid 1980s. In the 1970s, the General Dynamics F-111
General Dynamics F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" was a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the...
arrived at Upper Heyford.
Operation "FRELOC"
On 21 February 1966, French President Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
announced that France would loosen its ties to NATO. He announced that French forces were no longer available to the Allies, and all foreign army and air force units, as well as NATO Headquarters must be removed from France by 1 April 1967.
Losing the French bases was a painful blow to USAFE. At the time it comprised eleven tactical units plus four interceptor squadrons. A large-scale relocation plan, Operation FRELOC was developed to remove all USAF aircraft and equipment, as well as 33,000 USAFE personnel and their families from France.
As a result of FRELOC, USAFE's presence in England grew considerably. Three fighter wings, the 20th TFW at RAF Wethersfield
RAF Wethersfield
MDPGA Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England; it is located north of the village of Wethersfield—about north-west of the town of Braintree...
, the 48th TFW at RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
and the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters
RAF Bentwaters
RAF Bentwaters, now known as Bentwaters Parks, is a former Royal Air Force station about 80 miles NE of London, 10 miles ENE of Ipswich, near Woodbridge, Suffolk in England...
came under 3d Air Force. Between these three wings, about 225 aircraft, mainly F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
and F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The 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 United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
s. USAFE in England also included two Tactical Reconnaissance Wings, the 10th at RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
and the 66th at RAF Upper Heyford
RAF Upper Heyford
RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training...
with between them about 100 RF-101
F-101 Voodoo
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
s and RF-4Cs
F-4 Phantom II
The 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 United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, along with the 513th Troop Carrier Wing at RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
.
Also, RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood
RAF Burtonwood was a Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles north-west of Warrington, Lancashire. During World War II and the Cold War it was used by the United States Air Force and was also known as USAAF station 590.- Overview :...
, which was operating as a reserve USAFE base since the opening of Châteauroux-Déols Air Base
Châteauroux-Déols Air Base
Châteauroux-Déols Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Indre département of France, located about 3 miles northeast of Châteauroux and about 1 mile northeast of Déols on the east side of the Départemental 920 road in Central France.During the Cold...
in the early 1950s was turned over to the US Army in 1966 and was renamed Burtonwood Army Depot. The Army transferred all of its stores and equipment in France to Burtonwood and operated the facility as its primary storage and logistics depot for 7th Army support in Europe until the mid 1990s.
Air Transport/Special Operations
Although most USAF bases in the UK had tactical or strategic combat missions, in 1966, Military Air Transport ServiceMilitary Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
established a permanent facility at RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
after the phaseout of the SAC Reflex mission. The 313th Tactical Airlift Wing operates C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
and C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
flights to and from the UK from bases worldwide. The group also operates Lockheed C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
flights within USAFE from TDY units on a rotational bases from the US.
In addition to the logistics mission, the 513th MAW was responsible for operations of four Boeing EC-135H "Looking Glass" Flying Command Posts of the 10th Airborne Command And Control Squadron, which would have been responsible for SAC command and control in the event of a Nuclear War with the Soviet Union. In addition for many years variants of Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft were observed regularly at Mildenhall. Most of those aircraft came from the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Offut AFB, Nebraska. Those aircraft were used to fly ELINT and COMINT missions along the borders of Poland, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, monitoring and recording military communications.
Also at Mildenhall, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
SR-71 Blackbird
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by the Lockheed Skunk Works. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the...
s from the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California were deployed on a routine basis. Besides standard photo reconnaissance flights, the SR-71s at Mildenhall were involved in ELINT and TELINT missions that were carried out within the framework of the SALT I Agreement of 1972. Under this agreement, the U.S. and Soviet Union reached agreement on a partial freeze on the number of nuclear weapons and these flights were to verify that the Soviets were adhering to the agreement.
Telemetry gathering missions were also flown by the SR-71s to record data from Soviet rocket systems. Electronic gathering flights were primarily aimed at gathering signals from the Soviet missile center at Plesetsk. This information, along with information being gathered from spy satellites, enabled the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to assemble a good picture of Soviet activities. SR-71s at Mildenhall also played a key role in the 1986 Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised the joint United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. The attack was carried out in response to the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.-Origins:Shortly after his...
involving American retaliatory action in Libya. The day after the attack, SR-71s made several unmolested flights over the bombed military targets around Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
.
Close Air Support
In 1978 the first of about 120 A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
aircraft arrived at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbrige. Originally six squadrons were assigned to the 81st TFW, however later two squadrons were moved to the 10th TFW at RAF Alconbury. Close Air Support missions made the A-10 vulnerable to ground fire, so most of the underside of the aircraft is made of armoured titanium. To stay out of reach of hostile radar, many of the A-10's missions were flown at nearly ground level. The A-10s in the UK were painted in a special camouflage scheme designed for European weather conditions, made from a special type of paint that can absorb 60% of the suns's rays. Because different densities of paint were used, its colors tended to change in different light conditions.
Post Cold War drawdown
With the fall of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the need for large numbers of USAF forces in the UK no longer existed and plans were made for significant cuts.
Bases at Bentwaters, Chicksands, Greenham Common, Sculthorpe and Upper Heyford were closed by the end of 1993. Alconbury's flightline was closed, and its base support functions were taken over by RAF Molesworth. Consolidations were made both at Lakenheath and Mildenhall, leaving them the only two fully equipped USAFE bases in the UK.
USAF bases in the United Kingdom
- RAF AlconburyRAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
(USAFE)- 7560th Air Base Group (ABG) (1953–1959)
- 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing /Tactical Fighter Wing (1959–1994)
- 423d Air Base Group (1995– )
- RAF Barford St JohnRAF Barford St JohnRAF Barford St John is an air force station just north of the village of Barford St. John, Oxfordshire, England. It is now a non-flying facility, operated by the United States Air Force as a communications centre with many large communications aerials, and is a satellite of RAF...
- 422d ABG (1993– )
- RAF BentwatersRAF BentwatersRAF Bentwaters, now known as Bentwaters Parks, is a former Royal Air Force station about 80 miles NE of London, 10 miles ENE of Ipswich, near Woodbridge, Suffolk in England...
/RAF WoodbridgeRAF WoodbridgeRoyal Air Force Station Woodbridge, more commonly referred to as RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force military airbase situated to the east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England...
(USAFE) *- 79th Fighter Squadron (FS) (1952–1970) (RAF Woodbridge)
- 81st Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) (1951–1993)
(RAF Bentwaters to 1958, Bentwaters/Woodbridge to 1993)
- RAF BurtonwoodRAF BurtonwoodRAF Burtonwood was a Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles north-west of Warrington, Lancashire. During World War II and the Cold War it was used by the United States Air Force and was also known as USAAF station 590.- Overview :...
(Air Materiel Command) *- 59th Air Depot Wing (1948–1965)
- RAF Blenheim CrescentRAF Blenheim CrescentRAF Blenheim Crescent is a non-flying Royal Air Force station located in Ruislip in Greater London.-Units:The primary units assigned to the base are branch offices of the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development; the Office of Naval Research Global, the Naval Criminal Investigative...
(EOARDS/USAFE)- 422d Air Base Group (2007– )
- RAF ChelvestonRAF ChelvestonRAF Station Chelveston was a military airfield located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom....
(SAC/USAFE) *- SAC Reflex Base (1952–1959)
- 42d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron/10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (1959–1962)
- RAF ChicksandsRAF ChicksandsRAF Chicksands was a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, which closed in 1997 when responsibility for the camp was taken over by the British Army Intelligence Corps...
(USAFSS) *- 10th Radio Sq (1950–1951)
- 7534th Air Base Squadron (ABS) (1951–58)
- 6950th Radio/Security Gp (1958–1978)
- 7274th Air Base Group (1978–1993)
- RAF CroughtonRAF CroughtonRAF Croughton is a United States Air Force communications base in Northamptonshire, England, to the southeast of the village of Croughton. The station is home to the 422nd Air Base Group and operates one of Europe's largest military switchboards and processes approximately a third of all U.S...
(USAFE)- 1969th Communications Squadron (CS) (1950–1955)
- 1230th Airways and Air Communications
Service Squadron (AACS) (1955–1961) - 2130th Communications Squadron (1961–1971, 1983–1986)
- 2130th Communications Group (1971–1980, 1986–1993)
- 2168th Communications Squadron (1980–1983)
- 630th Communications Squadron (1993–1994)
- 603d Communications Squadron (1994–1996)
- 422d Air Base Squadron (1996–2005)
- 422d Air Base Group (2005– )
- RAF FairfordRAF FairfordRAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...
(SAC/USAFE)- 7507th Air Base Group (1950–1952)
- 3919th Air Base Group (1952–1964)
- 7020th Air Base Group (1979–1989)
- 11th Strategic Group (1984–1992)
- 420th Air Base Group (2004– )
- RAF FeltwellRAF FeltwellRAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is currently used by the United States Air Forces Europe. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and is in the borough of King's Lynn at approximate Ordnance Survey grid reference .A former Second World War...
(USSC)- 5th SSS/21st SW
- RAF Greenham CommonRAF Greenham CommonRAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of Thatcham; about west of London....
(SAC/USAFE) *- 7501st Air Base Squadron (1951–1953)
- 3909th Air Base / Combat Support Group (1953–1964)
- 7551st Combat Support Group (CSG) (1964–1968)
- OLA, 20th TFW (1976–1979)
- 501 TMW (1982–1991)
- RAF LakenheathRAF LakenheathRAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
(SAC/USAFE)- 7460th BCS (1948–1949)
- 7504th ABG (1949–1953)
- 3913th ABS (1953–1955)
- 3910th ABG (1955–1960)
- 99th ADS (1959–1960)
- 48th TFW (1960– )
- RAF ManstonRAF ManstonRAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
(USAFE) *- 123d FBG (1951–52)
- 406th FIW (1952–1958)
- RAF Little RissingtonRAF Little RissingtonRAF Little Rissington is an RAF aerodrome and former RAF station in Gloucestershire, England. It was once home to the Central Flying School, the Vintage Pair and the Red Arrows.Built during the 1930s, the station was opened in 1938 and closed in 1994...
(USAFE) *- 870th Contingency Hospital (1981–93)
- 20th TFW (1981–93) accommodation for RAF Upper Heyford
- RAF Menwith HillRAF Menwith HillRAF Menwith Hill is a Royal Air Force station near Harrogate, North Yorkshire which provides communications and intelligence support services to the United Kingdom and the United States of America...
- RAF MildenhallRAF MildenhallRAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
(SAC/USAFE/AMC)- 7511th ABG (1950–1955)
- 3913th ABG (1955–1959)
- 7513th ABG (1959–1966)
- 513th MAW (1966 – )
- 100th ARW (1992 – )
- RAF MolesworthRAF MolesworthRAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
(SAC/USAFE)- 582d Air Resupply Group (1951–1956)
- 482d Troop Carrier Sq (1956–1957)
- 303d TMW (1986–1989)
- 423d ABG (1989– )
- RAF SculthorpeRAF SculthorpeRAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...
(SAC) *- 47th BW (1952–1962)
- RAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force base in Suffolk England 9 miles NE of Bury St Edmunds.The base was built for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force during World War II. However the facility was not used by the USAAF and was opened by 3 Group, RAF on 3 April 1944...
(USAFE) *- 116th/78th FBS (1951–1958)
- RAF Upper HeyfordRAF Upper HeyfordRAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training...
(SAC/USAFE) *- 7509th ABS (1950–1951)
- 7509th ABG (1951–1952)
- 3918th ABG (1952–1958)
- 3918th CSG (1958–1964)
- 3918th SW (1964–1966)
- 66th TFW (1966–1970)
- 20th TFW (1970–1993)
- RAF UpwoodRAF UpwoodRAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States...
(USAFE)- 10th TRW/TFW/ABW (1959–1994)
- 423d ABG (1995– )
- RAF WelfordRAF WelfordRAF Welford is an active Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northwest of Newbury; about west-southwest of London...
(USAFE)- 420th ABG (2005– )
- RAF WethersfieldRAF WethersfieldMDPGA Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England; it is located north of the village of Wethersfield—about north-west of the town of Braintree...
(USAFE) *- 20th TFW (1951–1970)
* Inactive Operating Base- AFCC: Air Force Communications Command
- AFSS: Air Force Space Command
- USAFSS: Air Force Security Service
See also
- List of RAF stations
- United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
- Strategic Air Command in the United KingdomStrategic Air Command in the United KingdomDuring the mid- to late 1940s the United States Air Forces in Europe was occupied with supporting the movement of men and aircraft of the Strategic Air Command to bases in England.-Early Cold War Tensions:...