RAF Gibraltar | |||||||
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| Gibraltar | |||||||
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 Guard the Gateway | |||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Permanent Joint Operating Base | ||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||
| Controlled by | British Forces Gibraltar | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  RAF Gibraltar  RAF Gibraltar  RAF Gibraltar | |||||||
| Coordinates | 36°08′58″N005°20′50″W / 36.14944°N 5.34722°W /36.14944; -5.34722 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1942 (1942) | ||||||
| In use | 1942–present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander |  Wing Commander Tom Harvey | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: GIB,ICAO: LXGB,WMO: 8495 | ||||||
| Elevation | 3.7 metres (12 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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| Airfield shared with acivilian terminal Source: RAF Gibraltar Defence Aerodrome Manual[1] | |||||||
Royal Air Force Gibraltar or more simplyRAF Gibraltar (also formerly known asNorth Front) is aRoyal Air Forcestation onGibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF and aircraft of otherNATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stopovers, exercises, or other temporary duty. Administered byBritish Forces Gibraltar, the station is a joint civil-military facility that also functions as the Rock's civilian airport –Gibraltar Airport, with the civilian airport's passenger terminal building and apron facilities located on the north side of the runway while the apron and hangar of RAF Gibraltar are located on the south side of the runway.
A total of 16 personnel were reported assigned to RAF Gibraltar as of 2023.[2]
ARoyal Naval Air Service seaplane base was opened at Gibraltar during the First World War.[3]
The airport was constructed duringWorld War II when Gibraltar was an important naval base for the British. Originally opened in 1939, it was only an emergencyairfield for theRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Arm. However, therunway was later extended byreclaiming some land from theBay of Gibraltar using rock blasted from theRock of Gibraltar while carrying out works onmilitary tunnels. This last major extension of the runway allowed larger aircraft to land at Gibraltar. At this time the airfield completely obliterated the former Gibraltarhorse racing track.[4]
On 25 September 1939,No. 200 (Coastal) Group RAF was formed as a subordinate formation to HQ RAF Mediterranean in control ofNo. 202 Squadron RAF.[5] The Group's function was the control ofRoyal Air Force units operating from Gibraltar.[5] In late 1940 the Group was transferred toCoastal Command.[5] Later a joint RN/RAF Area Combined Headquarters was formed which commenced operations in early 1942.[6]
RAF North Front opened in 1942 andRAF New Camp opened around the same time. RAF New Camp was built on reclaimed land in the harbour next toMontagu Bastion[7] and was the site for a slipway and hangar for flying boats and RAF motor launches.[8][9]
The airfield played a major part inOperation Torch, the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa (French colonial possessions inAlgeria,Tunisia andMorocco) in November 1942.[7]
Following the major reorganization of theAllied air forces at theCasablanca Conference in January 1943, RAF Gibraltar became a major sub-command of theMediterranean Air Command under Air Chief MarshalSir Arthur Tedder in February 1943.[10]
Anti-submarine warfare was a major priority of RAF Gibraltar during the later years of the Second World War and some of their aircraft were equipped with special detectors to locate GermanU-boats in the relatively shallow waters around Gibraltar. United States NavyFleet Air Wing 15 based atPort Lyautey[11] coordinated its antisubmarine warfare operations with RAF Gibraltar and assigned a ZP-14 Squadronblimp pilot/liaison officer to Gibraltar.[12][13]
On 29 May 1945 the Area Combined Headquarters was shut down and most of the personnel sent home.[14] Weather flights from Gibraltar were maintained at the end of the war byNo. 520 Squadron RAF flying Halifaxes. This was superseded by a detachment ofNo. 518 Squadron RAF from Aldergrove, and then by the arrival ofNo. 224 Squadron RAF. Initially the squadron dispatched a detachment in May 1948, but the whole squadron moved to Gibraltar in August 1951.[15] It was re-equipped withAvro Shackletons. The station officially became "RAF Gibraltar" in 1966.[16]
The RAF camp, now known asDevil's Tower Camp, which was increasingly used by theBritish Army in the 1960s and 1970s, became the home of theRoyal Gibraltar Regiment.[17]
By the 1980s RAF Gibraltar was increasingly being used as a Forward Operating Base for middle east operations.[7]
On 4 February 2011, the new RAF headquarters in Gibraltar was officially opened by The Chief of Joint Operations, Air Marshal SirStuart Peach.[18]
In 2016 a major runway resurfacing project was completed ensuring both military and civilian flights could continue.[19]
| RAF Units | Aircraft |
|---|---|
| No. 48 Squadron | Lockheed Hudson |
| No. 179 Squadron | Vickers Wellington |
| No. 202 Squadron | Consolidated Catalina |
| No. 210 Squadron | Catalina |
| No. 233 Squadron | Hudson |
| No. 248 Squadron Detachment | Bristol Beaufighter |
| No. 544 Squadron Detachment | Supermarine Spitfire |
| No. 813 Squadron,Fleet Air Arm | Fairey Swordfish |
| No. 1403 (Meteorological) Flight | Handley Page Hampden,Gloster Gladiator |
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Authority control databases: National |
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