Royal Air Force station

This list of Royal Air Force stations is an overview of all current stations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training airbases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used for training, intelligence gathering stations and an early warning radar network.

The list also includes RAF stations occupied by the United States Visiting Forces, former RAF stations now operated by defence contractor QinetiQ on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and air weapons ranges operated by the MOD.

Overseas, the RAF operates airfields at four Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) which are located in British Overseas Territories.

RAF stations and MOD airfields in the UK

Royal Air Force

RAF front-line operations are centred on seven main operating bases (MOBs):
* RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham, and RAF Lossiemouth — Air Combat
* RAF Waddington — Combat Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance
* RAF Brize Norton — Air Transport
* RAF Benson and RAF Odiham — Support Helicopter Force, operating under Joint Aviation Command

Operations are supported by numerous other flying and non-flying stations, with activity centred at RAF Honington which coordinates Force Protection, and RAF Leeming and RAF Wittering which have a support enabler role.

Stations such as RAF Cranwell, RAF Valley and RAF Shawbury form part of the UK Military Flying Training System, which is dedicated to training aircrew for all three UK armed services. Specialist ground crew training takes place at RAF Cosford and MOD St Athan.

The Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) at RAF Boulmer is tasked with compiling a Recognised Air Picture of UK airspace and providing tactical control of the Quick Reaction Alert Force. Boulmer is supported by a network of seven Remote Radar Heads (RRHs) spread throughout the UK.

Ministry of Defence

Several former RAF stations are still owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and are operated by defence contractor QinetiQ in the test and evaluation role. The main facility is MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, which still has a significant RAF presence.

A small number of former RAF stations remain in MOD ownership even though they are used by the RAF in the relief landing ground (RLG) role, flying by Volunteer Gliding Squadrons or other training purposes. They are described as ''airfields'' and are typically unmanned.

RAF stations

Non-RAF stations used by the RAF

These are MOD or British Army facilities (most former RAF stations) listed in recognition of the RAF retaining a presence at each site.

Remote Radar Heads

Remote Radar Heads (RRHs) are the UK's air defence radar sites. The RRHs can now be monitored centrally with only limited on-site radar maintenance support. This has enabled the release of the majority of RAF personnel previously based permanently at these locations. The sites are maintained and operated primarily by Serco. The MOD finished installing new state-of-the-art communications buildings, radar towers and bespoke perimeter security on the sites in 2023 under Programme HYDRA.

RAF stations operated by the United States Visiting Forces

At the invitation of the UK Government, the United States has had military forces (known as US Visiting Forces) permanently stationed in the United Kingdom since the Second World War. The 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement and the Visiting Forces Act 1952, along with other bilateral acts, establishes the legal status of the USVF in the UK. Several military sites within England are made available for the USVF's purposes.

A Royal Air Force commander is present at the main USVF sites, and is normally of the rank of Squadron Leader, whereas a US Colonel will normally command US personnel at each station. The role of the RAF commander is to liaise with the US base commander, and act as head of establishment for Ministry of Defence employees. The use of UK bases for combat operations by the United States is a joint decision by both governments.

The United States Air Force (USAF) 501st Combat Support Wing manages and supports operations at RAF Alconbury, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Welford, whereas RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall are managed by their respective host wings.

MOD air weapons ranges

Air weapons ranges (AWR) within the United Kingdom, previously operated by the Royal Air Force, are the responsibility of the Service Delivery (SD) part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). QinetiQ were awarded a three-year contract by the DIO in 2010 to manage the ranges, but this role was taken over by Landmarc Support Services (part of Interserve) in 2014 as part of a contract covering the wider MOD Defence Training Estate.

Map of stations within the UK

Map of the United Kingdom showing active RAF stations, Ministry of Defence (MOD) airfields (non-Royal Navy or Army Air Corps), MOD air weapons ranges and RAF stations occupied by the United States Visiting Forces (USVF).

Overseas

Permanent Joint Operating Bases

The United Kingdom operates Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) in four British Overseas Territories, namely Ascension Island, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

The Falklands Islands also have three Remote Radar Heads, forming part of an early warning and airspace control network.

The PJOBs contribute to the physical defence and maintenance of sovereignty of these British Overseas Territories and enable the UK to conduct expeditionary military operations.

The Director of Overseas Bases, Strategic Command, controls and oversees the PJOBs.

Overseas operations

The Royal Air Force has a presence at several overseas locations. Active military operations in the Middle East are supported by Expeditionary Air Wings (EAW) which have been established at foreign airfields in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The RAF has a presence within Eastern European countries on a rotational basis as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing and Southern Air Policing missions. No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron is located in the United States at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where test and evaluation of the F-35B Lighting II is undertaken. Donnelly Lines, a permanent UK military facility at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) air base, was opened most recently, in 2024.

See also

* List of air stations of the Royal Navy
* List of airfields of the Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)
* List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies
*List of British Army installations
*List of United States Air Force installations
* Structure of the Royal Air Force

References

Citations

Bibliography

*

External links

Royal Air Force – List of RAF Stations

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Stations

United Kingdom