TheAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility forBritishmilitary aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established atMartlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 toBoscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work continues following privatisation as part of theQinetiq company.
In 1917, theExperimental Aircraft Flight of theCentral Flying School was transferred fromRAF Upavon, Wiltshire to a site on the heathland atMartlesham, Suffolk, and on 16 January 1917Martlesham Heath Airfield was officially opened, as an experimental airfield. The unit was renamed theAeroplane Experimental Unit,Royal Flying Corps. After the end of theFirst World War the site continued to be used and was, once again, renamed as theAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment of theRoyal Air Force.
At the outbreak of theSecond World War, on 9 September,[1] the A&AEE was removed toRAF Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, owing to the proximity of Martlesham Heath to the east coast and its vulnerability to enemy attack. It remained part ofNo. 23 Group RAF.[2]
About fifty aircraft and the military and civilian personnel had arrived at Boscombe down by mid-September 1939.[3] The Establishment was declared "open" on 20 September though it lacked access to ranges to test weapons.[4] The site had been established as a regional control centre ("Flying Control") for RAF Bomber Command; the Blind Approach Training and Development Unit was formed there that September. However aircraft operating facilities at the time were a grass field, a small area of hardstanding, five pre-1930s hangars and a single new one, and some other permanent structures. Wartime construction was temporary and underfunded; a concrete runway – considered essential to operate the larger aircraft under test – was not completed until early 1945.
During the course of the war the A&AEE had to expand its facilities as it took on other roles. Its work including testing armaments, performance and acceptance trials for all new service aircraft and testing of "rogue" handling aircraft. It also developed improvements in aircraft equipment such as demisting equipment for windshields and exhaust flame suppression.
In 1946, in common with most other military research establishments, the A&AEE came under theMinistry of Supply. In 1950 it absorbed theAirborne Forces Experimental Establishment. When the Ministry of Supply was wound up in 1959 it passed to theMinistry of Aviation, then theMinistry of Technology in 1967, Ministry of Aviation Supply in 1970, and then to theMinistry of Defence in 1971.[5]
The A&AEE has witnessed many significant developments in the British aviation industry, including trials of many aircraft flown by the British armed forces since the Second World War, such as the first flights of the English Electric P 1, forerunner of theLightning, and theBAC TSR.2. The site was shared with the School of Aviation Medicine . In terms of amenities, the establishment was equipped with some impressive test facilities such as a wind tunnel (supporting speeds up to 400 mph (640 km/h)), a large environmental hangar (creating temperatures between −40 °C to +50 °C and humidities up to 100%) and a weighbridge that can weigh and determine the centre of gravity of aircraft up to 135 tons.[6]
In 1992, the A&AEE was renamed theAircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment when experimental work moved to theDefence Research Agency. Responsibility for the site passed from theMoD Procurement Executive to theDefence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) in 1993, and subsequently to theDefence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995. In 2001 DERA was split into two parts, one being theDefence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) which remains within the civil service, and the rest going to form part of the companyQinetiQ to which the staff at Boscombe Down were transferred.
The A&AEE's wartime organisation was twosquadrons for testing aircraft and armaments, and a small number offlights. The establishment also hosted attached units and for a period (1943–45) theEmpire Test Pilots School.
Performance Testing Squadron
Armament Testing Squadron
Others
Lodger and attached
During January 1988, A & B Squadrons joined to create theFixed Wing Test Squadron which had three flights, D Squadron was renamed theRotary Wing Test Squadron.[7]
| Divisions and subsidiaries |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shareholdings and partnerships | |||||
| Products | |||||
| Places and vessels | |||||
| Predecessors | |||||
| People | |||||
