| MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury,Wiltshire in United Kingdom | |||||||||
 AEurofighter Typhoon at MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||
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| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Military test and evaluation airfield | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | QinetiQ andRoyal Air Force | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  MOD Boscombe Down Shown within Wiltshire | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°09′27″N01°44′49″W / 51.15750°N 1.74694°W /51.15750; -1.74694 | ||||||||
| Area | 572 hectares (1,410 acres)[1] | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1917 (1917)[2] | ||||||||
| In use | 1917 – present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Occupants | |||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: EGDM,WMO: 03746 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 123.7 metres (406 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
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| Source: UK MIL AIP Barkston Heath[3] | |||||||||
MOD Boscombe Down(ICAO:EGDM) is the home of amilitary aircraft testing site, on the south-eastern outskirts of the town ofAmesbury,Wiltshire, England. The site is managed byQinetiQ,[2] the private defence company created as part of the breakup of theDefence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 2001 by theUKMinistry of Defence (MoD).[2]
The base was originally conceived, constructed, and operated asRoyal Air Force Boscombe Down, more commonly known asRAF Boscombe Down, and since 1939, has evaluated aircraft for use by theBritish Armed Forces. The airfield has one active runway 3,212 metres (10,538 ft) in length. The airfield's evaluation centre is currently home toRotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTS), Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS), Handling Squadron, and theEmpire Test Pilots' School (ETPS).[4] It will be home to an anti-jamming test facility by 2026.
An aerodrome opened at the Boscombe Down site in October 1917 and operated as aRoyal Flying Corps Training Depot Station.[5] Known asRoyal Flying Corps Station Red House Farm, it trained aircrews for operational roles in France during theFirst World War.[2] Between opening and early 1919 the station accommodated No. 6 Training Depot, No. 11 Training Depot and No. 14 Training Depot.[6] When the United States entered the war in April 1917, the Royal Flying Corps began training groundcrew and aircrew ofAviation Section of theUS Army at the airfield. During 1918 the166th Aero Squadron and 188th Aero Squadron were present.[6] 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.[5]
In 1930 the site reopened asRoyal Air Force Boscombe Down, a bomber station in theAir Defence of Great Britain command, the fore-runner ofRAF Fighter Command.[5] The first unit to operate from the new airfield wasNo. 9 Squadron which started operating theVickers Virginia heavy bomber on 26 February 1930. A second Virginia unit,No. 10 Squadron, arrived on 1 April 1931 and also operated theHandley Page Heyford.[7]
The following RAF squadrons were based at Boscombe Down between 1930 and 1939:
TheAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) arrived fromRAF Martlesham Heath,Suffolk, on 9 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of theSecond World War.[6] The move marked the beginning ofA&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.[18] 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.[5]
Throughout the war, the airfield continued to have only grass runways and remained within its pre-war boundaries.[5]
Boscombe was used to test and evaluate many aircraft flown by the British Armed Forces during theCold War. First flights of notable aircraft include the English Electric P 1, forerunner of theEnglish Electric Lightning, theFolland Gnat andMidge, Hawker P.1067 (the prototypeHunter),Westland Wyvern, and theBAC TSR.2.[22] Part of the base was also used by theRAF School of Aviation Medicine.[23]
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.[5] The runways extend intoIdmiston andAllington parishes.[24]
With the end of the Cold War, the site was renamed theAircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment (AAEE) in 1992. All experimental work was moved to theDefence Research Agency (DRA). Responsibility for the site passed from theMoD Procurement Executive to the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) in 1993, which was amalgamated into theDefence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995.[25] On 15 August 1995 the first Dominie T.2 for the RAF arrived for trials.[26] On 31 October 1997 the firstPanavia Tornado GR.4 in the RAF arrived for evaluation.[27]
During this period, the station may have been involved in assisting the United States with itsblack projects. On 26 September 1994, after an aircraft crashed on landing due to a nosewheel collapse, aUSAFC5 Galaxy was redirected to the station.[28] It is speculated that the crashed plane was anAurora, a hypersonic spy plane.[29] 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.[30][31]
Following the creation ofQinetiQ in 2001, a 25-year Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) was established with the MoD, covering 16 sites including Boscombe Down.[32] Under the agreement, Boscombe Down remains a governmentmilitary airfield, but is operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MoD. The Joint Test and Evaluation Group (JTEG) was established under the control ofRAF Air Command, and together with QinetiQ, forms the Air Test and Evaluation Centre (ATEC).[33]
From 1 May 2007, Boscombe Down became the home of theJoint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS) which was combined from the twoRoyal Navy and Royal Air Force elements who were responsible for aircraft moves and post-crash management.[34]
In October 2007, it was announced that RAF Boscombe Down would become aQuick Reaction Alert (QRA) airfield from early 2008, offering round-the-clock fighter coverage for the South and South West of UK airspace, when required.[35]
In April 2022, theRAF Centre of Aviation Medicine retired its twoBAE Systems Hawk T.1 which were based at Boscombe Down. The aircraft were used for trials by the centre's Aviation Medicine Flight. The flight moved toRAF Scampton to continue its work using Hawks operated by theRed Arrows.[36]
An anti jamming test facility is to be built at Boscombe Down by 2026. QinetiQ will build one of Europe’s largestanechoic chambers that will be capable of housing large military assets such asProtector drones,Chinook helicopters, andF-35 fighter jets for testing against electronic warfare threats.[37][38]
The Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS) at RAF Boscombe Down was responsible for theflight testing of heavyaircraft (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.[39]
The following units were located at the base at some point:
The following flying and non-flying units are based at MOD Boscombe Down.[43][44][45][46][47]
No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF
Media related toRAF Boscombe Down at Wikimedia Commons
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