List of Royal Air Force stations
This list of RAF Stations is a list of all current Royal Air Force stations, airfields, and administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force. Also included are airfields operated by the Ministry of Defence but no longer considered as RAF stations, MOD air weapons ranges and stations operated by the US Visiting Forces.
RAF stations and MOD airfields in the UK
Royal Air Force (RAF)
RAF front-line operations are focussed on seven main operating bases -- RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham and RAF Lossiemouth
- RAF Waddington
- RAF Brize Norton
- RAF Benson and RAF Odiham
Stations such as RAF College Cranwell and RAF Valley 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 is focused at RAF Cosford and MOD St Athan.
The Control and Reporting Centre at RAF Boulmer is tasked with compiling a Recognised Air Picture of UK airspace and providing tactical control of the Quick Reaction Alert Force. In order to achieve this Boulmer is supported by a network of eight Remote Radar Heads spread the length of the UK.
Ministry of Defence (MOD)
Several former RAF stations are still owned by the Ministry of Defence and are operated by QinetiQ in the test and evaluation role. The main facility providing this role is MOD Boscombe Down which still has a significant RAF presence.A small number of former RAF stations, still owned by the MOD but no longer considered as stations, are regularly used by the RAF as relief landing grounds or training areas.
British Army barracks such as at Kinloss and Leuchars are listed as they perform a RLG role for the RAF.
Name | Constituent country | County | Units and purpose |
MOD Aberporth | Wales | Ceredigion | Former RAE Aberporth, operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD as a test & evaluation range. |
RAF Barkston Heath | England | Lincolnshire |
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RAF Barnham | England | Suffolk | |
RRH Benbecula | Scotland | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The station was formerly known as RAF Benbecula. |
RAF Benson | England | Oxfordshire | Home of the RAF's Puma Support Helicopter Force fleet operating under Joint Helicopter Command, comprising No. 33 Squadron and No. 230 Squadrons operating the Westland Puma HC2 and No. 28 Squadron operating the Puma and Boeing Chinook HC4. |
MOD Boscombe Down | England | Wiltshire | Test & evaluation airfield operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD. Home to the Aircraft Test and Evaluation Centre, Empire Test Pilots School, Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron and the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron. |
RAF Boulmer | England | Northumberland | Non-flying station, home to the UK Air Surveillance and Control Systems Force Command, RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management and a NATO Control and Reporting Centre responsible for monitoring UK airspace. |
RAF Brize Norton | England | Oxfordshire | The RAF's largest station, home to the strategic and tactical air-transport and air-to-air refuelling fleets. |
RRH Brizlee Wood | England | Northumberland | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The station was formerly known as RAF Brizlee Wood. |
RRH Buchan | Scotland | Aberdeenshire | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer The station was formerly known as RAF Buchan. |
Chetwynd Airfield | England | Shropshire | Former RAF station, now an unmanned grass airfield used for training purposes by helicopters of the Defence Helicopter Flying School from RAF Shawbury. |
RAF Coningsby | England | Lincolnshire | |
RAF Cosford | England | Shropshire | |
RAF Cranwell | England | Lincolnshire | |
RAF Digby | England | Lincolnshire | Non-flying station providing specialist communications support under command of Defence Intelligence. Station personnel are drawn from all three UK armed forces and the US military. Home to the Joint Services Signals Organisation Headquarters, Joint Signals Service Unit, No. 591 Signals Unit and the Aerial Erector School. |
RAF Fylingdales | England | North Yorkshire | Non-flying station providing an uninterrupted ballistic missile early warning and space surveillance capability to the UK and US Governments. |
RAF Halton | England | Buckinghamshire | |
MOD Hebrides | Scotland | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Former RAF Benbecula, operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD as a test and evaluation range. |
RAF Henlow | England | Bedfordshire | |
RAF High Wycombe | England | Buckinghamshire | Non-flying administrative support station, home to Headquarters RAF Air Command, No. 1 Group, No. 2 Group, No. 11 Group, No. 22 Group and No. 38 Group. |
RAF Honington | England | Suffolk | Support station, home to the vast majority of the RAF Regiment including the RAF Force Protection Headquarters and Force Protection Centre, and numerous RAF Regiment squadrons including No. 20 Wing in the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear role. The station also hosts RAF Police Headquarters and No. 3 RAF Police Wing. |
Kenley Airfield | England | Surrey | Former RAF station, now home to No. 615 Volunteer Gliding Squadron flying the Grob Viking T1. |
Keevil Airfield | England | Wiltshire | Former RAF station, now an unmanned airfield used for training purposes predominately by aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. Has also been used by the British Army for ground exercises and by Joint Helicopter Command. |
Kinloss Barracks | Scotland | Moray | Relief Landing Ground for RAF Lossiemouth, maintained by a small number of RAF personnel. Formerly RAF Kinloss, the station is now a British Army barracks. |
Kirknewton Airfield | Scotland | Midlothian | Former RAF station, now home to No. 661 Volunteer Gliding Squadron flying the Grob Viking T1. |
RAF Leeming | England | North Yorkshire | |
Leuchars Station | Scotland | Fife | Relief Landing Ground for RAF Lossiemouth, maintained by a small number of RAF personnel operating the airfield and air traffic control radar. The former RAF station is now a British Army barracks but continues to accommodate the East of Scotland Universities Air Squadron and No. 12 Air Experience Flight and No. 612 Squadron in the medical support role. |
RAF Linton-on-Ouse | England | North Yorkshire | |
Little Rissington Airfield | England | Gloucestershire | Former RAF station, home to No. 637 Volunteer Gliding Squadron and used for military exercises. |
RAF Lossiemouth | Scotland | Moray | |
RAF Marham | England | Norfolk | |
RAF Mona | Wales | Isle of Anglesey | Relief Landing Ground for Hawk T2s operating from RAF Valley. |
RRH Neatishead | England | Norfolk | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The station was formerly known as RAF Neatishead. Part of the site is now the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum. |
RAF Northolt | England | Greater London | |
RAF Odiham | England | Hampshire | Home of the RAF's Chinook fleet operating under Joint Helicopter Command, comprising No. 18 Squadron, and No. 27 Squadrons. No. 7 Squadron operates its Chinooks. |
RRH Portreath | England | Cornwall | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The station was formerly known as RAF Portreath. |
RRH Saxa Vord | Scotland | Shetland Islands | Remote Radio Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The site was brought back to full operational capability in 2018, although with no permanent personnel. |
RAF Scampton | England | Lincolnshire | Home of the RAF Aerobatic Team flying the BAE Systems Hawk T1A. Non-flying units include No. 1 Air Control Centre and the RAF Mobile Meteorological Unit. In July 2018, the MOD announced that Scampton would close by 2022; all units would be relocated to other RAF Bases. |
RAF Shawbury | England | Shropshire | Home of the tri-service Defence Helicopter Flying School, comprising 60 Squadron, No. 660 Squadron Army Air Corps and 705 Naval Air Squadron, flying the Airbus Juno HT1. Elements of the Central Flying School Squadron train helicopter flying instructors and the School of Air Operations Control trains air traffic controllers for the RAF and Royal Navy. |
MOD St. Athan | Wales | Vale of Glamorgan | Training station, home to No. 4 School of Technical Training and the University of Wales Air Squadron flying the Grob Tutor T1. |
RAF St Mawgan | England | Cornwall | Non-flying station with the airfield part now operating as Newquay Airport. The station is home to the tri-service Defence Survival Training Organisation and No. 505 Squadron RAuxAF. It is also used by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to accommodate personnel utilising the Defence Training Estate within the south west of England. |
RRH Staxton Wold | England | North Yorkshire | Remote Radar Head forming part of the UK Air Surveillance and Control System which is managed from RAF Boulmer. The station was formerly known as RAF Staxton Wold. |
RAF Swanwick | England | Hampshire | RAF Swanwick is the military element of London Area Control Centre. The unit also operates the UK's Distress and Diversion Cell and provides air traffic control services for RAF Northolt. |
RAF Syerston | England | Nottinghamshire | Home of No. 2 Flying Training School headquarters, the Central Gliding School and No. 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. |
Ternhill Airfield | England | Shropshire | Former RAF station, now an unmanned airfield used for training purposes by helicopters of the Defence Helicopter Flying School from RAF Shawbury. |
RAF Topcliffe | England | North Yorkshire | Closed as a flying station in 2019. Was formerly a Relief Landing Ground for Shorts Tucano T1s operating from RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Also former home to No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadrons flying the Grob Vigilant T1. |
RRH Trimingham | England | Norfolk | Remote Radar Head, satellite station of RRH Neatishead. |
RAF Valley | Wales | Isle of Anglesey | |
RAF Waddington | England | Lincolnshire | |
MOD West Freugh | Scotland | Dumfries and Galloway | Former RAF station, operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD as a test and evaluation range. The airfield is disused and unlicensed but available for military exercises. |
RAF Weston-on-the-Green | England | Oxfordshire | Force Development Training Centre, used by No. 1 Parachute Training School as a parachute drop-zone. |
Defence CBRN Centre, Winterbourne Gunner | England | Wiltshire | The Defence Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Centre is managed by RAF Air Command. It is responsible for all training issues related to CBRN warfare for the UK armed forces. |
RAF Wittering | England | Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire | |
RAF Woodvale | England | Merseyside | Training station home to Liverpool University Air Squadron, Manchester and Salford Universities Air Squadron, No. 10 Air Experience Flight all flying the Grob Tutor T1 and No. 631 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. The Station is also home to No. 611 Squadron RAuxAF. |
RAF Wyton | England | Cambridgeshire | Non-flying station operated under Joint Forces Command. Home to the Joint Forces Intelligence Group, the Defence Intelligence Fusion Centre, No. 42 Engineer Regiment of the British Army. |
RAF stations operated by the United States Visiting Forces
At the invitation of the UK Government, the United States has had military forces permanently stationed in the UK 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. An RAF 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 501st Combat Support Wing manages and supports operations at RAF Alconbury, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Molesworth and RAF Welford.
In January 2017 the US Department of Defence announced through their European Infrastructure Consolidation programme that they would be withdrawing from RAF Mildenhall, and activities at RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth would be moved to RAF Croughton. In April 2017 it was reported by the US European Command was reviewing the decision to close these stations.
Name | Constituent country | County | Units and purpose |
RAF Alconbury | England | Cambridgeshire |
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RAF Barford St John | England | Oxfordshire | Non-flying station operated as a signals intelligence relay station by the USAF. The facility is a satellite station of RAF Croughton and controlled remotely. |
RAF Croughton | England | Northamptonshire | Non-flying station operated as a signals intelligence facility by the USAF and US intelligence agencies. The station is operated by the USAF 422nd Air Base Group. |
RAF Fairford | England | Gloucestershire | |
RAF Feltwell | England | Norfolk | Non-flying station, operated as a space intelligence facility by the USAF 18th Intelligence Squadron, part of the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. Feltwell is parented by the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath. |
RAF Lakenheath | England | Suffolk | |
RAF Menwith Hill | England | North Yorkshire | Joint UK/US signals intelligence gathering station which functions primarily as a field station of the US National Security Agency. Operations are supported by the USAF 421st Air Base Squadron which is part of the 501st Combat Support Wing. |
RAF Mildenhall | England | Suffolk | |
RAF Molesworth | England | Cambridgeshire | |
RAF Welford | England | Berkshire | Non-flying station used as ammunition depot in support of bomber operating from RAF Fairford. The station is operated by the USAF 420th Munitions Squadron. |
MOD air weapons ranges
Air weapons ranges within the UK, previously operated by the RAF, are the responsibility of the Service Delivery part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. 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 in 2014 as part of a contract covering the wider MoD Defence Training Estate.Name | Constituent country | County | Units and purpose |
DIO Cape Wrath | Scotland | Highland | Parented by DIO Tain. |
DIO Donna Nook Air Weapons Range | England | Lincolnshire | Parented by RAF Coningsby. |
DIO Holbeach Air Weapons Range | England | Lincolnshire | Parented by RAF Marham. |
DIO Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range | Wales | Carmarthenshire | |
DIO Tain Air Weapons Range | Scotland | Highland | Parented by RAF Lossiemouth. |
RAF Spadeadam | England | Cumbria | Electronic warfare range. |
RAF stations and locations overseas
Permanent Joint Operating Bases
The UK operate Permanent Joint Operating Bases in the four British Overseas Territories of Ascension Island, Cyprus, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. The PJOB's contribute to the physical defence and maintenance of sovereignty of the British Overseas Territories and enable the UK to conduct expeditionary military operations. Although command and oversight of the PJOB's is provided by Joint Forces Command, the airfield elements are known as RAF stations.Semi-permanent operations
The RAF have a semi-permanent presence at several overseas locations. Active military operations in the Middle East are supported by Expeditionary Air Wings which have been established at foreign airfields in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The RAF have a presence within Eastern European countries on a rotational basis as part of the NATO's Baltic Air Policing and Southern Air Policing missions.Two squadrons are located within the United States, to operate the MQ-9A Reaper collaboratively with the USAF at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and to assist the RAF bring the F-35A Lighting II into full operational service
Name | Country | Units and purpose |
RAF Akrotiri | Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia |
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Al Minhad Air Base | No. 906 Expeditionary Air Wing was established in January 2013 to provide a Middle East air transport and refuelling hub. | |
Al Udeid Air Base | No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group was established in April 2006 as the headquarters for all RAF assets in the Middle East and is responsible for UK air operations as part of Operation Kipon and Operation Shader. | |
RAF Ascension Island | Permanent Joint Operating Base predominately operating as an air-bridge between RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands. Also used by the United States Air Force and NASA as a communications and satellite tracking station. | |
MCAS Beaufort | No. 617 Squadron personnel are training on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, embedded within VMFAT-501 of the US Marine Corps. The squadron is expected to transfer to RAF Marham in mid 2018. | |
RRH Byron Heights | Remote Radar Head located on West Falkland. | |
Creech Air Force Base | No. 39 Squadron operate the MQ-9A Reaper. | |
Edwards Air Force Base | No. 17 Squadron formed at Edwards in April 2013 to test and evaluate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. | |
RAF Gibraltar | Permanent Joint Operating Base acting as a strategic staging airfield. Also functions as Gibraltar International Airport which comprises a civilian passenger terminal operated by Government of Gibraltar. | |
RRH Mount Alice | Remote Radar Head located on West Falkland. | |
RRH Mount Kent | Remote Radar Head located on East Falkland. | |
RAF Mount Pleasant | Permanent Joint Operating Base opened in 1985 after the Falklands War. No. 905 Expeditionary Air Wing operates four permanently based Typhoon FGR4s, one Voyager KC2, one Hercules C5 and two Chinook HC4s. | |
RAF Troodos | Signals intelligence gathering and radar station located in the Troodos Mountains, outside the Sovereign Base Areas. Operated by golf section of the Joint Service Signal Unit. |