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Arevetment, inmilitary aviation, is a parking area for one or more aircraft that is surrounded byblast walls on three sides. These walls are as much about protecting neighbouring aircraft as it is to protect the aircraft within the revetment; if a combat aircraft loaded with fuel and munitions was to ignite, a chain reaction might lead to the destruction of its neighbours. The blast walls around a revetment are designed to channel any blast and damage upwards and outwards, away from neighbouring aircraft.
Ablast pen was a specially constructedE-shaped double bay at BritishRoyal Air Force (RAF)Second World Warfighter stations, being either 150 ft (46 m) or 190 ft (58 m) wide and 80 ft (24 m) front-to-back, accommodating aircraft for safe-keeping against bomb blasts andshrapnel during air-attacks.
Although the pens were open to the sky, the projecting sidewalls preserved the aircraft from all lateral damage, with 12 in (300 mm) thick, 9 ft (2.7 m)-high concrete centres and banked-up earth on either side, forming a roughly triangular section 18 ft (5.5 m) wide at their base. The longer spine section behind the parking areas usually encloses a narrow corridor for aircrew and servicing personnel to employ as anair raid shelter.
Examples may seen at the presentKenley Aerodrome and atNorth Weald Airfield, although some pens have had their second bay removed, becoming U-shaped rather than E-shaped. There are also a large number at the formerRAF Catterick, and some atRAF Wittering. TheImperial War Museum Duxford has one that is open to the public. While common onFighter Command airfields, other RAF Stations such asRAF Benson andRAF Brize Norton did not have blast pens.
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