MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a
military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:
* Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of
Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settle ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England. The site is managed by
QinetiQ,
the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) between 1995 and 2 July 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation. It was regarded by its official hi ...
(DERA) in 2001 by the
UK Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
(MoD).
[
The base was originally conceived, constructed, and operated as Royal Air Force Boscombe Down, more commonly known as RAF Boscombe Down, and since 1939, has evaluated aircraft for use by the ]British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
. The airfield has two runways, one in length, and the second . The airfield's evaluation centre is currently home to Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron
The Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTES) is a tri-service UK military organisation based at MoD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. Primarily, the squadron is responsible for test and evaluation of rotary wing aircraft and equipment, or their ...
(RWTS), Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS), Handling Squadron, and the Empire Test Pilots' School
The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type. T ...
(ETPS).
History
First World War
An aerodrome opened at the Boscombe Down site in October 1917 and operated as a Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
Training Depot Station. Known as Royal Flying Corps Station Red House Farm, it trained aircrews for operational roles in France during the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Between opening and early 1919 the station accommodated No. 6 Training Depot, No. 11 Training Depot and No. 14 Training Depot. When the United States entered the war in April 1917, the Royal Flying Corps began training groundcrew and aircrew of Aviation Section of the US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
at the airfield. During 1918 the 166th Aero Squadron
The 166th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Day Bombardment Squadron, performing long-range bombing attacks on roads and railroads; destr ...
and 188th Aero Squadron were present. At the end of the war in November 1918, the airfield became an aircraft storage unit until 1920 when it closed and the site returned to agricultural use.
Inter-war period
In 1930 the site reopened as Royal Air Force Boscombe Down, a bomber station in the Air Defence of Great Britain
The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was a RAF command comprising substantial army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles. It lasted from 1925, following recommendations that the RAF take control of homeland air ...
command, the fore-runner of RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...
. The first unit to operate from the new airfield was No. 9 Squadron which started operating the Vickers Virginia
The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy.
Design and development
Work on the Virginia was started in 1920, as a replacement for the Vimy. Two prototypes were ordered on 13 ...
heavy bomber on 26 February 1930. A second Virginia unit, No. 10 Squadron, arrived on 1 April 1931 and also operated the Handley Page Heyford
The Handley Page Heyford was a twin-engine biplane bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page. It holds the distinction of being the last biplane heavy bomber to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF).
The ...
.
The following RAF squadrons were based at Boscombe Down between 1930 and 1939:
* No. 9 Squadron RAF
Number 9 Squadron (otherwise known as No. IX (Bomber) Squadron or No. IX (B) Squadron) is the oldest dedicated Bomber Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed in December 1914, it saw service throughout the First World War, including at the Somm ...
; between 1930 and 1935, with the Vickers Virginia
The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy.
Design and development
Work on the Virginia was started in 1920, as a replacement for the Vimy. Two prototypes were ordered on 13 ...
;
* No. 10 Squadron RAF; between 1931 and 1937, with the Virginia
* No. 51 Squadron RAF
Number 51 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Since 2014 it has operated the Boeing RC-135W Airseeker R.1, more commonly referred to as the Rivet Joint, from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.
It had previously flown the Hawker Siddel ...
; between 1937 and 1938, with the Virginia, Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...
, and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was a British medium bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was one of three twin-engined, front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the Second World ...
;
* No. 58 Squadron RAF; between 1937 and 1938, with the Anson, and the Whitley;
* No. 78 Squadron RAF
No. 78 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, is the squadron number plate of RAF (Unit) Swanwick based at London Area Control Centre, Swanwick, Hampshire, Swanwick, Hampshire. The squadron was allocated the role in early 2021.
Between January 2008 and ...
; between 1936 and 1937, with the Heyford;
* No. 88 Squadron RAF
Number 88 Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) squadron.
First World War
After forming at Gosport in July 1917, the squadron was moved to Fran ...
; between 1937 and 1939, with the Hawker Hind
The Hawker Hind was a British light bomber of the inter-war years produced by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force. It was developed from the Hawker Hart day bomber introduced in 1931.
Design and development
An improved Hawker Hart bomber d ...
, and the Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hi ...
;
* No. 97 Squadron RAF
No. 97 (Straits Settlements) Squadron, was a Royal Air Force squadron formed on 1 December 1917 at Waddington, Lincolnshire.
World War I
The squadron formed on 1 December 1917 at RAF Waddington, and was initially a training unit.Melinski ''Ai ...
; between 1935 and 1937, with the Heyford;
* No. 150 Squadron RAF; between 1938 and 1939, with the Battle;
* No. 166 Squadron RAF
No. 166 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that formed just after the end of World War I. It was the first and one of only three to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500 heavy bomber.
History
The squadron was formed on 13 June 1918 ...
; between 1936 and 1937, with the Heyford;
* No. 214 Squadron RAF
No. 214 Squadron is a former unit of the Royal Air Force.
History
World War I
No 214 Squadron was formed from No. 14 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), itself formerly ''No. 7A Squadron RNAS'' only taking on the new number on 9 December ...
; between 1935 and 1935, with the Virginia;
* No. 217 Squadron RAF
No. 217 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the RAF. It was formed and disbanded four times between 1 April 1918 and 13 November 1959. In World War I it served in a strike role against enemy bases and airfields in Belgium. In World War II as part ...
; between 1937 and 1937, with the Anson;
* No. 218 Squadron RAF
No. 218 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron after the Governor of the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) and people of the Gold Coast officially adopted the squadron.
History
World War I ...
; between 1938 and 1939, with the Battle;
* No. 224 Squadron RAF
No. 224 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars.
History
It was formed on 1 April 1918, at Alimini, Italy from part of No. 6 Wing RNAS, equipped with the de Havilland DH.4. In Jun ...
; between 1937 and 1937, with the Anson.
Second World War
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work ...
(A&AEE) arrived from RAF Martlesham Heath
Royal Air Force Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of ...
, Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, on 9 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The move marked the beginning of A&AEE Boscombe Down and aircraft research and testing at the station, a role which it has retained into the 21st century. About fifty aircraft and military and civilian personnel had arrived by mid-September 1939. The necessary facilities required for the specialist work carried out by the A&AEE were lacking at Boscombe Down, and its expansion resulted in many temporary buildings being constructed at the station in an unplanned manner.
* No. 35 Squadron RAF;[ during 1940, with the ]Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.
The Halifax has its or ...
I;
* No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed ''the Firebirds'' for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful Squadron (aviation), squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of ...
;[ during 1940, with the ]Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
I;
* No. 109 Squadron RAF;[ between 1940 and 1942, with the Whitley, Anson, and ]Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...
;
* No. 249 Squadron RAF
No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron, active in the sea-patrol, fighter and bomber roles during its existence. It was one of the top scoring fighter squadrons of the RAF in World War II.
History
First formation
No. ...
;[ during 1940, with the Hurricane.
Throughout the war, the airfield continued to have only grass runways and remained within its pre-war boundaries.]
Cold War
Boscombe was used to test and evaluate many aircraft flown by the British Armed Forces during the Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. First flights of notable aircraft include the English Electric P 1, forerunner of the English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It was capable of a top speed of above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufa ...
, the Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical combat aircraft, it wa ...
and Midge
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...
, Hawker P.1067 (the prototype Hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
), Westland Wyvern
The Westland Wyvern was a British single-seat carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft built by Westland Aircraft that served in the 1950s, seeing active service in the 1956 Suez Crisis. Production Wyverns were powered by a turboprop engine dr ...
, and the BAC TSR.2. Part of the base was also used by the RAF School of Aviation Medicine.
The first hard-surface runway opened in October 1945 and was followed by two more runways with parallel taxiways to create the present-day layout. The runways extend into Idmiston
Idmiston is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about southeast of Amesbury and northeast of Salisbury. The parish includes the villages of Porton and Gomeldon; all three villages are on the River Bourne and are l ...
and Allington parishes.
Aviation trial and evaluation centre
With the end of the Cold War, the site was renamed the Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment (AAEE) in 1992. All experimental work was moved to the Defence Research Agency
The Defence Research Agency (DRA) was an executive agency of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) from April 1991 until April 1995. At the time, the DRA was Britain's largest science and technology organisation. In April 1995, the DRA was combined wi ...
(DRA). Responsibility for the site passed from the MoD Procurement Executive
The MoD Procurement Executive was the acquisition organisation of the Ministry of Defence.
The Procurement Executive (widely known as ''PE'') was established on 2 August 1971 as a single procurement agency for all three services with Derek Rayner ...
to the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) in 1993, which was amalgamated into the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) between 1995 and 2 July 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation. It was regarded by its official hi ...
(DERA) in 1995.
During this period, the station may have been involved in assisting the United States with its black project A black project is a highly classified, top-secret military or defense project that is not publicly acknowledged by government, military personnel, or contractors. Examples of United States military aircraft developed as black projects include the ...
s. On 26 September 1994, after an aircraft crashed on landing due to a nosewheel collapse, a USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
C5 Galaxy C5, C05, C V or C-5 may refer to:
Military use
* Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, a military transport aircraft
* C-5 North Star, a 1940s Canadian military aircraft
* , a 1906 Royal Navy C-class submarine
* , a 1908 United States Navy C-class submarine
* , ...
was redirected to the station. It is speculated that the crashed plane was an Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, a hypersonic spy plane. Whatever it was, it was disassembled and returned to the US by the C5 Galaxy. Both the British and American Governments have refused to comment on the incident.
21st century
Following the creation of QinetiQ in 2001, a 25-year Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) was established with the MoD, covering 16 sites including Boscombe Down. Under the agreement, Boscombe Down remains a government military airfield
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
, but is operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MoD. The Joint Test and Evaluation Group (JTEG) was established under the control of RAF Air Command
Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
...
, and together with QinetiQ, forms the Air Test and Evaluation Centre (ATEC).
From 1 May 2007, Boscombe Down became the home of the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron
The Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS), informally known as Crash and Smash, is a combined Royal Navy and Royal Air Force squadron that is tasked with the recovery and surface transportation of aircraft under the aegis o ...
(JARTS) which was combined from the two Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and Royal Air Force elements who were responsible for aircraft moves and post-crash management.
In October 2007, it was announced that RAF Boscombe Down would become a Quick Reaction Alert
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of readiness and '' modus operandi'' of air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Airspace Control Alert'.
Some non-NATO c ...
(QRA) airfield from early 2008, offering round-the-clock fighter coverage for the South and South West of UK airspace.
In April 2022, the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine
The RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine (RAF CAM) is a medical organisation run by the Royal Air Force and based at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. It is the main organisation conducting aviation medicine research in the UK.
History Formation
The centr ...
retired its two BAE Systems Hawk T1 which were based at Boscombe Down. The aircraft were used for trials by the centre's Aviation Medicine Flight. The flight moved to RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England.
RAF Scampton stands on the site of a First ...
to continue its work using Hawks operated by the Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams ...
.
Past units
The Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS) at RAF Boscombe Down was responsible for the flight testing
Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops specialist equipment required for testing aircraft behaviour and systems. Instrumentation systems are developed using proprietary transducers and data acquisition systems. D ...
of heavy aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
(multi-engine types). The department subsequently became known as Fixed Wing Test Squadron (FWTS); however, during the late 1980s, the title once more changed to that of the Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron.
The following units were located at the base at some point:
* No. 4 Group Experimental Flight[
* No. 6 Training Depot Station][
* No. 11 Training Depot Station][
* No. 13 Joint Services Trials Unit][
* No. 22 Joint Services Trials Unit][
* No. 29 Joint Services Trials Unit][
* ]No. 42 Squadron RAF
Number 42 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served during the First World War as an army co-operation squadron and during the Second World War in various roles. Between 1992 and 2010, it was the Operational Conversion Unit (OC ...
[
* ]No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF
The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a Typography, typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal number, ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For exampl ...
[
* ]819 Naval Air Squadron
819 Naval Air Squadron (819 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
History
Along with No. 815 Squadron, it performed the successful night attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto on 11 November 1940. The attack was perfo ...
[
* ]893 Naval Air Squadron
893 Naval Air Squadron (893 NAS) was a List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons, Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
References
800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons
Military units and formations established in 1942
Milita ...
[
* ]899 Naval Air Squadron
899 Naval Air Squadron (899 NAS) was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom.
It was most recently based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) as the British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 training squadron until it was decommissioned in March ...
[
* ]No. 2780 Squadron RAF Regiment
This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties.
First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...
[
* ]No. 2786 Squadron RAF Regiment
This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties.
First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...
[
* ]Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work ...
[
* Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment RAF][ became Test and Evaluation Centre
* Aircraft Gun Mounting Establishment RAF][
* Assessment and Evaluation Centre RAF][
* ]Blind Approach Training and Development Unit RAF
Blind may refer to:
* The state of blindness, being unable to see
* A window blind, a covering for a window
Blind may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop
* ''Blind' ...
[ became Wireless (Intelligence) Development Unit RAF
* Bomber Development Unit RAF][
* Bustard Flying Club][
* Handling Flight RAF][ became Handling Squadron RAF][
* High Altitude Flight (A&AEE)][
* Intensive Flying Development Flight RAF][
* Intensive Flying Development Unit][
* ]Meteorological Research Flight RAF
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
[ became Meteorological Research Unit RAF
* RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine Flight][
* ]Special Duties Flight RAF
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work ...
[
* Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit (SAOEU)][
* Tornado Operational Evaluation Unit RAF][
]
Based units
The following flying and non-flying units are based at MOD Boscombe Down.
Royal Air Force
No. 1 Group (Air Combat) RAF
* Air and Space Warfare Centre
The Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) is a Royal Air Force research and testing organisation based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. It has a training branch nearby as a lodger unit of RAF Cranwell and other branches elsewhere, including ...
** Air Test and Evaluation Centre (operated in partnership with QinetiQ) – DA42 Twin Star, JAS 39 Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...
, PC-21, G120TP, RJ70, RJ100
*** Empire Test Pilots School
The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type ...
– DA42 Twin Star, JAS 39 Gripen, PC-21, G120TP, RJ70, RJ100
*** Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron
The Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTES) is a tri-service UK military organisation based at MoD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. Primarily, the squadron is responsible for test and evaluation of rotary wing aircraft and equipment, or their ...
(RWTES) – A109E Power, Bell 412
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.
Design and development
Development began in the ...
and H125
H1, H-1, H01, H I may refer to:
Places
*Interstate H-1, a highway in Hawaii
* Area H1, the area of Hebron controlled by the Palestinian Authority under the Hebron Protocol
Science
* H1 (particle detector)
* Histamine H1 receptor
* Histone H1, ...
***744 Naval Air Squadron
744 Naval Air Squadron (744 NAS) is a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
The squadron formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent on .
The squadron re-formed as an anti-submarine training unit on 6 March 1944 and continued in this role unti ...
– Merlin HM2
The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirement ...
and Chinook HC5/6
No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF
* Support Force
** No. 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing
*** Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron
The Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS), informally known as Crash and Smash, is a combined Royal Navy and Royal Air Force squadron that is tasked with the recovery and surface transportation of aircraft under the aegis o ...
No. 22 Group (Training) RAF
* No. 6 Flying Training School
** Bristol University Air Squadron
Bristol University Air Squadron is a University Air Squadron connected to the University of Bristol, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north ...
– Grob Tutor T1
**Southampton University Air Squadron
Southampton University Air Squadron (SUAS ) is a unit of the Royal Air Force which provides basic flying training, adventurous training and personal development skills to undergraduate students of the University of Southampton, University of Portsmo ...
– Grob Tutor T1
** No. 2 Air Experience Flight – Grob Tutor T1
See also
* List of aerospace flight test centres Flight test centers around the world all have similar missions: to conduct flight research and testing of new aircraft concepts and prototypes. Notable centers are listed below (by year of foundation):
Government establishments
* U.K. Aeroplane an ...
* List of Royal Air Force stations
The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
MOD Boscombe Down
– Long Term Partnering Agreement website
UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Boscombe Down (EGDM)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boscombe Down
Airports in England
Amesbury
Buildings and structures in Wiltshire
Installations of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Qinetiq
Research institutes in Wiltshire