Colerne Airfield

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Colerne Airfield
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorBritish Army
LocationColerne
Elevation AMSL593 ft / 181 m
Coordinates51°26′21″N 002°17′11″W / 51.43917°N 2.28639°W / 51.43917; -2.28639Coordinates: 51°26′21″N 002°17′11″W / 51.43917°N 2.28639°W / 51.43917; -2.28639
Map
EGUO is located in Wiltshire
EGUO
EGUO
Location in Wiltshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 1,095 3,593 Asphalt
07/25 1,664 5,459 Asphalt
"Airport information for EGUO". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006.

Colerne Airfield (ICAO: EGUO), now known as Azimghur Barracks, is a British Army site at Colerne, Wiltshire, England. From 1939 to 1976 it was the home of RAF Colerne.

History[]

From 1940 to 1955 RAF Fighter Command units were based here. During the Battle of Britain the airfield served as a satellite field to RAF Middle Wallop, and squadrons rotated back and forth from there on a daily basis.[1]

Present day[]

The site is a ground station for the Skynet 5 military satellite system that provides battlefield support (e.g. real-time imagery from remote-piloted drones[2] in various theatres of war). It is also in close proximity to the underground Corsham Computer Centre.

The site is also the location of Azimghur Barracks, home to 21st Signal Regiment.[3]

Future[]

In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the airfield would close in 2018 (later extended to 2025[4]), and Azimghur Barracks in 2031.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ RAF, Groups in the Battle of Britain, accessed February 2009
  2. ^ "UK Skynet: Not to be confused with The Terminator". BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  3. ^ "21st Signal Regiment (Air Support) & Air Formation Signals History" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces News. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. ^ "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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