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MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a
military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, 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 ...
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 settl ...
,
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 h ...
(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 state ...
(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 (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 ...
(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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. 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; dest ...
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 Brita ...
. The first unit to operate from the new airfield was No. 9 Squadron which started operating the Vickers Virginia 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 following RAF squadrons were based at Boscombe Down between 1930 and 1939: * No. 9 Squadron RAF; between 1930 and 1935, with the Vickers Virginia; *
No. 10 Squadron RAF Number 10 Squadron is a Royal Air Force squadron. The squadron has served in a variety of roles (observation, bombing, transport and aerial refuelling) over its 90-year history. It currently flies the Airbus Voyager KC2/KC3 in the transport/tan ...
; 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 Sidde ...
; 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) ...
, 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 Number 58 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. History First World War No. 58 Squadron was first formed at Cramlington, Northumberland, on 8 June 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps from a nucleus split off from the Home ...
; between 1937 and 1938, with the Anson, and the Whitley; *
No. 78 Squadron RAF ("Nobody unprepared") , battle_honours = *Home Defence (1916–1918)* *Fortress Europe (1940–1944)* *Ruhr (1940–1945)* *Invasion Ports (1940) *Biscay Ports (1940–1945) * Berlin (1940–44)* *Channel and North Sea (1942–19 ...
; between 1936 and 1937, with the Heyford; * No. 88 Squadron RAF; between 1937 and 1939, with the Hawker Hind, 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 ...
; *
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 ''A ...
; between 1935 and 1937, with the Heyford; * No. 150 Squadron RAF; between 1938 and 1939, with the Battle; * No. 166 Squadron RAF; between 1936 and 1937, with the Heyford; * No. 214 Squadron RAF; 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 par ...
; 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 ...
; 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 o ...
,
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 ...
, 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 opposi ...
. 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 I; * No. 56 Squadron RAF; 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 b ...
I; *
No. 109 Squadron RAF No. 109 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force. History The squadron first formed on 1 November 1917 as 109 Squadron Royal Flying Corps at South Carlton and began training on the de Havilland DH.9 bomber but was disbanded on ...
; 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 ...
; * No. 249 Squadron RAF; 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 t ...
. 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 mi ...
, 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 dri ...
, and the
BAC TSR.2 The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 is a cancelled Cold War strike and reconnaissance aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The TSR-2 was designed ...
. 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 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 combine ...
(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 h ...
(DERA) in 1995. During this period, the station may have been involved in assisting the United States with its black projects. 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 Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...
C5 Galaxy 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, 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, 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 Fr ...
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 ...
(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 cent ...
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 Fi ...
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 team ...
.


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 flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...
(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 * No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF *
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 per ...
*
893 Naval Air Squadron 893 Naval Air Squadron (893 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land ...
* 899 Naval Air Squadron * No. 2780 Squadron RAF Regiment * No. 2786 Squadron RAF Regiment *
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 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 became Meteorological Research Unit RAF * RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine Flight * Special Duties Flight RAF * 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, includin ...
** 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 (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 ***
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 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 No. 6 Flying Training School RAF is a Flying Training School (FTS) within No. 22 (Training) Group of the Royal Air Force that delivers flying training to University Air Squadrons and Air Experience Flights. History The school was formed by renam ...
** Bristol University Air SquadronGrob 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