RAF Mildenhall

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RAF Mildenhall
Mildenhall, Suffolk in United Kingdom
A Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker of the 100th ARW at RAF Mildenhall.
Ut aquilae volent (Latin for 'That eagles may fly')
RAF Mildenhall Shown within Suffolk
Coordinates	52°21′54″N 000°28′51″E / 52.36500°N 0.48083°E / 52.36500; 0.48083Coordinates: 52°21′54″N 000°28′51″E / 52.36500°N 0.48083°E / 52.36500; 0.48083
Type	RAF station (US Visiting Forces)
Area	482 hectares[1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA)
Condition	Operational
Website	www.mildenhall.af.mil
Site history
Built	1934 (1934)
In use	1934 – 1950 (Royal Air Force) 1950 – 1959 (Joint RAF/USAF) 1959 – present (US Air Force)
Garrison information
Garrison	100th Air Refueling Wing 352d Special Operations Wing 501st Combat Support Wing
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: MHZ, ICAO: EGUN, WMO: 03577
Elevation	10 metres (33 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 10/28 2,810 metres (9,219 ft) Concrete/Asphalt

Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall (IATA: MHZ, ICAO: EGUN) is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing (100 ARW).

During World War II, RAF Bomber Command used the station for operational combat missions until 1945. Placed on standby status after the war, it was reopened by the Royal Air Force and became a USAF-RAF joint operation base on 11 July 1950. Assigned to Strategic Air Command (SAC) to station B-29 Superfortress bombers that date. It became a B-50 Superfortress base in 1952, and a B-47 Stratojet and KC-97 Stratofreighter base in 1953 until 1958. Closed for runway repairs throughout 1958, the Military Air Transport Service transferred its main United Kingdom terminal to Mildenhall from RAF Burtonwood on 1 March 1959; and the airfield became 'The Gateway to the United Kingdom', for most U.S. military personnel and dependents arriving or departing the United Kingdom since. Assigned from Strategic Air Command to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) on 1 September 1959, and RAF relinquished joint operations status that date. Has been in continuous USAFE operation to present.

On 8 January 2015, the United States Department of Defense announced that operations at RAF Mildenhall would end and be relocated to Germany (Spangdahlem Air Base) and elsewhere within the UK. After a period of uncertainty it was confirmed in July 2020 that the relocation of operations would no longer take place.

History[]

Early years (1930s)[]

In order to meet a perceived 'continental threat', the British military developed the idea to site a Royal Air Force bomber base at Mildenhall in the late 1920s. Shortly thereafter, the government purchased the land in 1929, followed by the completion of the first buildings in 1931. Three years later, RAF Mildenhall opened on 16 October 1934,^[2] as one of the RAF's largest bomber stations. On the same day, Wing Commander Francis Linnell,^[3] assumed his position as the first station commander. Although open, the airfield had yet to receive its first complement of military aircraft.

RAF Mildenhall's premature inauguration was due in large part with its selection to host the Royal Aero Club's prestigious MacRobertson Air Race on 20 October 1934. At the time, the air race stood as the longest race ever devised, and attracted over 70,000 spectators to the airfield. Even more telling of the race's significance in the world's sporting spotlight, on short notice King George V and Queen Mary visited RAF Mildenhall the day before the race. In the end, pilots Tom Campbell Black and C. W. A. Scott flying the de Havilland Comet Grosvenor House, crossed the finish line first at Melbourne, Australia, less than 72 hours after starting the race.

Following this favourable beginning, RAF Mildenhall received its first squadron and aircraft with the arrival of No. 99B Squadron, equipped with Handley Page Heyford bombers. King George V reviewed 350 aircraft at Mildenhall in 1935 on the occasion of his Silver Jubilee. This historical event is commemorated by a memorial tablet located in front of the Building 562, the current 100th Air Refueling Wing headquarters.

The threat the RAF had envisioned in the late 1920s materialised during the Munich Crisis. Between 26 September 1938 and 4 October 1939, the airfield completed its installation of its defence systems. After a brief reprieve from war, the airfield prepared for war, bringing station defences and squadrons to full combat readiness. On 3 September 1939, three days after Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Later that same day, three Vickers Wellington aircraft from Mildenhall were dispatched to bomb the German naval fleet at Wilhelmshaven.

Second World War (1939 – 1945)[]

Throughout Second World War, RAF Mildenhall remained active as in addition to its own airfield, the base had responsibility for RAF Newmarket, RAF Tuddenham, and RAF Lakenheath. During the course of the war, the base witnessed the transition from the two-engine Wellington, to the four-engine Short Stirling, and finally to the Avro Lancaster.

For the duration of the war, except for a brief period to have concrete runways laid in 1943, Mildenhall was involved in most of RAF Bomber Command's offensives and was attacked several times by the German Luftwaffe but was never out of commission for more than a day.

By the end of the war, aircraft from Mildenhall and its satellite airfields had dropped over 23,000 tons of explosives, laid 2,000 mines and flew over 8,000 sorties. The airfield also saw the loss of over 200; Wellington, Stirling, and Lancaster bombers with the loss of over 2,000 aircrew. One of those killed, was Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, an Australian who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and is buried at St. Johns Church^[4] cemetery in Beck Row after his body was washed ashore.^[5]

Target for Tonight[]

During the last two weeks of March and the first two weeks of April 1941, Mildenhall was used for the making of the film Target for Tonight.^[6] So as not to give away important information to the enemy, Mildenhall took the fictitious name of Millerton Aerodrome and several other aspects involving the day-to-day operations were altered. The film, produced by the Crown Film Unit, focused on the planning and execution of an air raid on Germany, as seen by the crew of Vickers Wellington OJ-F 'F for Freddie'. Wellingtons and their crews from the resident No. 149 Squadron, coded OJ were used for the filming. The exception to this was Percy Pickard who was at that time Squadron Leader with No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron.^[7] Pickard played the part of Squadron Leader Dickson, the captain of 'F for Freddie'. Pickard would go on to lead daring raids such Operation Biting and the later Operation Jericho on Amiens Prison, in which he was killed.

Post war (1945 –1950)[]

After the war, aircraft from Mildenhall flew home repatriated prisoners of war in Operation Exodus, and participated in Operation Manna, dropping relief supplies to the Dutch people stranded by the flooding caused by the retreating German Wehrmacht. By the end of 1945, Mildenhall's operational activity experienced a drastic decrease and despite a brief flurry of flying activity in the late 1940s, the RAF reduced the base to 'care and maintenance' status. The only remaining RAF unit of significance was Headquarters No. 3 Group of Bomber Command, which remained on station until 1967.

The following RAF units operated from Mildenhall:^[8]

Cold War (1950 – 1991)[]

Arrival of US Air Force[]

After the 1950 invasion of South Korea by Communist forces, it was decided to re-establish a strong American force in Europe.^{[citation needed]} On 11 July 1950, RAF Mildenhall was made available by the UK's Ministry of Defence to the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) as B-29 Superfortress bomber airfield, with joint operations with RAF units.

Prior to SAC's role at Mildenhall, US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) established the Third Air Force at South Ruslip Air Station in 1948, to command B-29 operations in England. Third Air Force was subsequently placed directly under USAF orders, with SAC establishing the 7th Air Division Headquarters at Mildenhall. The collocation of the two headquarters within the United Kingdom allowed USAFE to discharge its responsibilities in England, while at the same time allowing SAC to continue in its deterrent role while retaining operational control over flying activities at Mildenhall.

Strategic Air Command[]

Boeing B-50D Superfortress

The initial SAC unit to use Mildenhall was the 7511th Air Base Group (later redesignated 3910th Air Base Group), being activated on 11 July 1950, to prepare the facility for operational use by SAC aircraft. On 1 May 1951, SAC took control of the station rotated bomb wings in and out of Mildenhall on temporary duty assignments. The first operational strategic unit to use the airfield was the Boeing B-50D Superfortress equipped 2nd Bomb Wing, arriving on Temporary Duty (TDY) on 4 May 1951 from Hunter AFB in Georgia, departing on 12 December 1951.

Other rotational strategic bomb wings at Mildenhall were:

• 22nd Bombardment Wing^[9] (7 September 1951 – 12 December 1951) (B-50D, KB-29P) (TDY from March AFB California)
• 93rd Bombardment Wing^[10] (16 December 1951 – 8 March 1952) (B-50D, KB-29P) (TDY from Castle AFB California)
• 509th Bombardment Wing^[11] (4 June 1952 – 2 September 1952) (B-50D, KB-29P) (TDY from Walker AFB New Mexico)

Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1951

In 1953, Mildenhall's mission was changed from a B-50 bomber airfield to a Boeing B-47 Stratojet and KC-97 Stratofreighter aerial tanker dispersal base. This series of temporary deployments generally involved an entire wing of about forty B-47s and about twenty tankers being held at readiness for several months, then being relieved by another unit that was based at a different airfield in the UK with the bombers and tankers also at different airfields. This meant SAC could spread out its potential as a Soviet target by placing its short range B-47s, weapons, and personnel on a ring of overseas bases from Greenland to North Africa, of which Mildenhall was one.

• 55th Air Refueling Squadron (April 1953 – June 1954) (KB-50, KB-29P) (TDY from Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico)
• 306th Air Refueing Squadron (June 1953 - September 1953) (KC-97) (TDY from MacDill AFB, Florida)
• 305th Air Refueling Squadron (September 1953 – December 1953) (KC-97) (TDY from MacDill AFB, Florida)
• 22nd Air Refueling Squadron (7 December 1953 – 5 March 1954) (KC-97) (TDY from March AFB, California)
• 303rd Air Refueling Group (17 March 1954 – 5 June 1954) (KC-97) (TDY from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona)
• 1370th Photo Mapping Group (June 1954 – September 1954) (RB-50G) (Photographic Reconnaissance) (TDY from Morrison AFB, Florida)
• 97th Bombardment Wing (Summer 1954) (RB-50E/G, KB-29P) (Electronic Reconnaissance) (TDY from Biggs AFB, Texas)
• 43rd Air Refueling Group (August 1954 – December 1954) (KC-97) (TDY from Carswell AFB, Texas)
• 306th Air Refueling Squadron (7 December 1953 – 5 March 1954) (KC-97) (TDY from MacDill AFB, Florida)
• 98th Air Refueling Squadron (7 November 1955 – 31 January 1956) (KC-97) (TDY from Lincoln AFB, Nebraska)
• 

  Boeing RB-47H-1-BW Stratojet AF Serial No. 53-2496
  Mildenhall Task Force (Provisional) (1 July 1956 – May 1958) (RB/ERB-47H) (Electronic Reconnaissance and Countermeasures) (TDY from 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Forbes AFB, Kansas)
• 380th Air Refueling Squadron (3 April 1957 – 3 July 1957) (KC-97) (TDY from , Kansas)
• 44th Air Refueling Squadron (Autumn 1957) (KC-97) (TDY from Chennault AFB, Louisiana)

These temporary deployments became a heavy burden for both SAC as well as Military Air Transport Service (MATS), which had to transport thousands of personnel and tons of material to and from the United States in just a few days to support these rotations. In 1958, it was decided that these rotational deployments would be replaced by a new system of overseas deployments called Reflex. From then on, rather than being deployed for a few months, a permanent SAC presence would be established at bases with aircraft being deployed for three weeks from several SAC bases, being kept on full alert status ready for instant takeoff at their 'Reflex Bases'.

Route of Mildenhall Task Forces RB-47H

Boeing RB-47 Stratojet aircraft based at RAF Mildenhall performed some of the most sensitive reconnaissance missions of the Cold War. During its service, at least two of these planes were lost flying missions over the Soviet Union. One incident occurred during a photographic mission over the Soviet Union. The plane was intercepted and fired upon by Soviet aircraft and sustained wing damage. Fortunately, it was able to outrun them at altitude and return to RAF Mildenhall. The RB-47s were eventually phased out and replaced with the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71.

In 1958 and the first half of 1959, the Mildenhall runway was closed for repairs, and on 1 September 1959, the RAF ceased regular flying operations, making the USAF the sole operator of the base. The host base SAC support unit at Mildenhall was the 3910th Air Base Group, changing to the 3932d Air Base Squadron and lastly 3934th Air Base Squadron. These units provided the administrative, maintenance and logistical support necessary to the rotating operational wings and squadrons.

7513th Tactical Group[]

WB-50D of the 58th Weather Squadron

SAC departed Mildenhall in 1959, as its runway requirements no longer met the requirements for its newer aircraft. On 17 July 1959, SAC and USAFE reached an agreement facilitating and substantially increasing Third Air Force's role in making operational decisions regarding the USAF units in the UK. On 1 July 1959, USAFE took control of Mildenhall from SAC and the 7543rd Air Base Squadron was activated as the host unit. On 1 September, the 7513th Tactical Group took over host unit responsibilities.

Mildenhall became the home for the Military Air Transport Service (later Military Airlift Command) main air passenger terminal for the UK on 1 March 1959, with the 1625th Support Squadron providing military personnel and dependents service at the terminal with the drawdown at the Burtonwood Air Depot.

The 53rd Weather Squadron was transferred to Mildenhall from RAF Alconbury on 10 August 1959, flying the WB-50D Superfortresses and was assigned with collecting weather data that was transmitted to weather stations for use in preparing forecasts required for the Air Force Military Air Transport Service and the US Weather Bureau. It was inactivated on 18 March 1960.

On 15 November 1965 Mildenhall welcomed the arrival of the and the 7120th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (7120 ACCS) previously stationed at , France. Upon its arrival at Mildenhall, the 7120th ACCS converted from the Douglas C-118^[12] to the Boeing EC-135 which were used as airborne command posts under the code name Operation Silk Purse.

513th Tactical Airlift Wing[]

A EC-135H Silk Purse of the 10th Air Control Center Squadron flying over Mildenhall during 1983

On 1 July 1966, the 513th Troop Carrier Wing arrived at Mildenhall from Evreux-Fauville Air Base in France. With its activation on Mildenhall, the 513th TCW assumed operational control of two rotational (7441st, 7742nd) Troop Carrier Squadrons of twenty C-130 Hercules and received the 7120th ACCS / Silk Purse Control Group from Chateauroux Air Station and the five Boeing EC-135H Silk Purse for European Command.^[13]

On 8 July 1958, the USAF re-designated the 513th TCW as the 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (513 TAW), with no change in its mission.

For the next four years, Mildenhall witnessed little change, with only the 10th ACCS replacing the 7120th ACCS on 1 January 1970, and assuming its mission. However, in June 1972, the base added to the list of its tenants with the arrival of Headquarters Third Air Force, which relocated from South Ruislip Air Station.

In May 1969, mechanic Sergeant Paul Meyer, homesick for his wife in Virginia, stole a Hercules C-130E transporter and flew south, eventually ditching in the English Channel. In April 2018 an underwater search of the aircraft, using sonar, was announced by the Deeper Dorset group.^[14][15]

306th Strategic Wing[]

On 1 July 1978, the 306th Strategic Wing of SAC was transferred to Mildenhall from Ramstein Air Base, West Germany with a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air refuelling and a Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance mission. The 306th SW also functioned as the focal point for all SAC operations in Europe, and became the host unit at Mildenhall. Military Airlift Command cargo and passenger transport operations continued under the 435th Tactical Airlift Group.

With the arrival of the 306th SW, Mildenhall also became known as SAC's European Reconnaissance centre. For many years, various types of RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft were observed regularly arriving and departing from Mildenhall. Most of these aircraft came from the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (55th SRW) at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, and had the capability to receive radar and radio signals from far behind the borders of the Communist Eastern Bloc. From Mildenhall, RC-135s flew electronic intelligence and communications intelligence missions along the borders of Poland, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. The twenty or so specialists on board the RC-135s during such missions listened to and recorded military radio frequencies and communications.

A SR-71A Blackbird of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing's Detachment 4 seen taking off from Mildenhall in 1985

The next significant event in Mildenhall's history came with the arrival of Detachment 4, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (9th SRW) in 1976, which controlled rotational U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird operations from the base. It is not known when SAC first began making reconnaissance flights in Europe with these aircraft. There are indications that these fast aircraft had been operating in Europe since the end of the 1960s, with an SR-71 making a stopover in August 1970 at RAF Upper Heyford before a mission over the Middle East. These aircraft carried out strategic photo reconnaissance missions for NATO and the USAF within the framework of the SALT I Agreement of 1972. Under this agreement, the Soviet Union and the United States reached agreement on a partial freeze on the number of offensive nuclear weapons, and these flights were to check that the Soviets were adhering to the agreement. As well as the photo missions, the 9th SRW gathered telemetry signals from Soviet missile systems. Such missions were carried out using the SR-71 and U-2/TR-1 aircraft, and RC-135s from the 55th SRW. This information was analysed, together with information originating from reconnaissance satellites, to present an intelligence picture for analysis to assemble a good picture of Soviet activities for national decision-making.

The 306th SW also played a major role in the success of Operation El Dorado Canyon, the American attack on the Libyan capital of Tripoli in 1986. In support of this 14-hour, radio-silence rendezvous mission, the unit deployed the largest number of refuelling aircraft ever flown over Europe, and the largest fleet of McDonnell Douglas KC-10A ever airborne at one time. In addition, the day after the attack, 9th SW aircraft made several unmolested flights over the bombed military targets in and around Tripoli and Benghazi.

From their arrival, until the departure of the last SR-71 on 18 January 1990, the 306th Strategic Wing's SR-71 and U-2 aircraft came to symbolise RAF Mildenhall in the local public's eye.

On 18 June 1987, the USAFE designated the 513th TAW as the 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing (513th ACCW), with responsibility for the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft at Mildenhall. The 513th ACCW's mission was to provide theatre and Air Force commanders with trained aircrews and maintenance personnel and systems for airborne surveillance, warning and control of US and allied military aviation assets. Nearly five years later, during the Air Force's transition to the objective wing structure, the Air Force inactivated the 513th ACCW on 31 January 1992.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, and lessening of Cold War tensions, the 'Silk Purse' mission of the 10th ACCS came to an end on 31 December 1991, and the unit was inactivated.

Post Cold War (1990s)[]

Team Mildenhall logo

The 306th Strategic Wing operated at RAF Mildenhall until 1 February 1992, when the 100th Air Refueling Wing of USAFE, assumed the 306th SW responsibilities, and became host unit at Mildenhall, along with becoming Headquarters European Tanker Task Force with its KC-135 Stratotankers.

The 100th ARW provides aerial refuelling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, as well as aircraft of allied nations. Its aircraft are also capable of carrying out aeromedical evacuations.

In May 1993, as part of the drawdown of forces in Europe, it was announced that the majority of the USAF-operated base at RAF Alconbury was to be returned to the British Ministry of Defence. As a part of this return, the 352nd Special Operations Group and its associated aircraft, the MC-130E Combat Talon, HC-130P/N Combat King and MH-53 Pave Low, transferred to RAF Mildenhall in March 1995.

On 1 July 1994, the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron was activated at Mildenhall, essentially taking over the mission of the inactivated 306th Strategic Wing.

2000 – present[]

Tail of a KC-135R Stratotanker assigned to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, displaying the badge of RAF Mildenhall and the historic 'Square D' badge as used by the unit during the Second World War

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 491st Air Expeditionary Group (491st AEG) operated from the base, with the 491st Air Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 744th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, flying the Lockheed C-141C Starlifter.^[16] Also attached to the 491st AEG was the 791st Expeditionary Aeromedical Airlift Squadron, now located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.^[17] The 491st AEG had nearly 800 personnel, staging Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard Starlifters and their aircrew and aeromedical crews from RAF Mildenhall, Rhein-Main and Ramstein AB NAS Sigonella, Sicily, and NAS Rota, Spain. At one point, eighteen C-141Cs were on the ground at RAF Mildenhall at the same time.

RAF Mildenhall was, until 2003, the home of the largest military-sponsored air show in Europe, when it was cancelled because of increasing operational requirements.

The 501st Combat Support Wing was activated at RAF Mildenhall on 21 May 2005. It was a non-flying unit that provides administration and operation of units at RAF Croughton (422nd Air Base Group), RAF Alconbury (423rd Air Base Group) and RAF Fairford (420th Air Base Group). The wing moved to RAF Alconbury on 1 May 2007.^[18]

On June 9 2021 President of the United States Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden flew to RAF Mildenhall on Air Force One for the 47th G7 summit and their first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. President Biden addressed troops on base shortly after landing.^[19]

Major US Air Force units assigned[]

Reference^[20]

Role and operations[]

RAF Mildenhall, together with its sister base RAF Lakenheath, have the largest United States Air Force presence in the United Kingdom.^[21]

100th Air Refueling Wing[]

A KC-135R Stratotanker of the Mildenhall based 100th Air Refueling Wing

The host unit at RAF Mildenhall is the 100th Air Refueling Wing (100 ARW), which deploys aircraft for and manages the , a rotational force which provides air refuelling to US and NATO aircraft in the European Theatre. It is the only permanent USAF air refuelling wing in the Europe. The wing provides an air refuelling 'bridge' that allows the Expeditionary Air Force to deploy around the globe. The tactical component of the 100 ARW is the 351st Air Refueling Squadron flying the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker.

352nd Special Operations Wing[]

The 352nd Special Operations Wing (352 SOW) is the air force component for US Special Operations Command Europe, a sub-unified command of the US European Command. The mission of the 352nd SOW is to serve as the focal point for all US Air Force special operations activities throughout the European theatre, including Africa and the Middle East. It is tasked to conduct a variety of high priority, low-visibility missions supporting US and allied special operations forces during peacetime, joint operations exercises and combat operations. It develops and implements peacetime and wartime contingency plans. It uses fixed-wing and personnel assets in infiltration by, exfiltration by and resupplying of US and allied special operations forces. The tactical components of the 352nd SOW are the:

• 

  A CV-22B Osprey of the Mildenhall based 352nd Special Operations Wing
  7th Special Operations Squadron (Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey)
• 67th Special Operations Squadron (Lockheed MC-130J Commando II)
• 321st Special Tactics Squadron
• 352nd Special Operations Support Squadron
• 352nd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron
• Joint Special Operations Air Component-Europe (JSOAC-E)

95th Reconnaissance Squadron[]

A Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint of the 55th Wing seen at RAF Mildenhall during 2010

The 95th Reconnaissance Squadron of the US Air Force conducts RC-135 Rivet Joint flight operations in Europe and Mediterranean; as tasked by National Command Authorities and European Command. The squadron provides all operational management, aircraft maintenance, administration, and intelligence support to produce politically sensitive real-time intelligence data vital to national foreign policy. The squadron supports RC-135, OC-135 Open Skies, and E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post missions when theatre deployed.^[22]

488th Intelligence Squadron[]

The (488 IS) primary mission is the collection, analysis, and reporting of signals intelligence about foreign command and control, communications, and weapons systems. Currently assigned to the 488th Intelligence Squadron for administrative purposes is Operating Location Souda Bay, Crete.

The present 488th Intelligence Squadron traces its lineage back to the 6954th Security Squadron which was originally designated Detachment 1 of the 6985th SS at RAF Upper Heyford, England, in June 1967. The unit was transferred to RAF Mildenhall, England, and in August 1970, and in 1974 was designated as the 6954th SS.

In August 1979, the 6954th Security Squadron was re-designated as the 6988th Electronic Security Squadron in honour of the unit that operated out of Yokota, Japan, for nearly 20 years.^[23] On 9 January 1981, the 6988th ESS received the first operational deployment of the 'Block III' electronically modernised RC-135 Rivet Joint. The unit was also responsible for the maintenance of U-2R reconnaissance aircraft deployed for Central European Theater operations during the Cold War until 10 February 1982, when the TR-1 variant of that aircraft replaced it.^[24] In November 1990, the operations of all RC-135 aircraft in the European theatre were assigned to the 6988th ESS upon the inactivation of the 6916th Electronic Security Squadron at Hellenikon Air Base, Greece. Until Hellenikon operations ceased in March 1991, they were conducted through the unit's Operating Location-RH detachment.

In October 1991, the 6988th ESS became part of the Air Force Intelligence Command (AFIC), a consolidation of the Air Force's intelligence operations and the successor to the ESC. On 1 October 1993, the unit was re-designated the 488th Intelligence Squadron. In February 2000, the 488th IS operated the first 'Baseline 8' RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft which was a major external reconfiguration of that platform.^[24] On 1 October 2002, the 488th IS was re-aligned from the 67th Information Operations Wing to the 55th Wing to consolidate all operations of the different RC-135 platforms. The unit became part of the AFISRA, which became the successor of the AIA in June 2008.

The 488th Intelligence Squadron, under its different unit designations, has received nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.^{[citation needed]}

727th Air Mobility Squadron[]

The (727 AMS) is a unit of the US 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The 727 AMS is part of Air Mobility Command's en-route system that provides fixed and deployed maintenance, aerial port, and command and control support to deployed command forces across the globe. The squadron provides the necessary support, such as fleet service, maintenance, and passenger service to allow aircraft and crews to depart for their next destination or stay overnight for crew rest. The squadron was redesignated as the 727 AMS on 15 March 2001. Prior to that, it was designated as the 627th Air Mobility Support Squadron assigned to the . The change in designation was undertaken to better reflect the operations nature of the group's overall mission as an operational rather than support one.

Fleet Industrial Supply Center Sigonella, Detachment Mildenhall[]

A US Navy UC-12 Huron of the former Naval Air Facility Mildenhall

Fleet Industrial Supply Center Sigonella, Detachment Mildenhall is a United States Navy detachment of Fleet Industrial Supply Center Sigonella, Italy. The detachment was originally an aviation command known as Naval Air Facility Mildenhall, supporting Commander, US Naval Forces Europe (COMUSNAVEUR) headquarters in London. As NAF Mildenhall, the command was home to three UC-12 Huron aircraft, and provided support for transient US Navy and US Marine Corps aircraft. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the frequency of US naval aircraft transiting Mildenhall dissipated, and with US Naval Forces Europe subsequent relocation to Naples, Italy, the command's aircraft were also reassigned. After being at Mildenhall for more than 40 years, NAF Mildenhall was disestablished in 2005, downsized and then re-established as FISCSI Detachment Mildenhall. The mission of FISCSI Det Mildenhall is U.S. Navy fleet support in the UK and Northern Europe. The support includes receiving and shipping high priority parts and mail to the US naval units within that area.^[25]

Based units[]

Flying and notable non-flying units based at RAF Mildenhall.^[26]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Mildhenhall, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force[]

United States Navy[]

United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-CNA)

• Fleet Industrial Supply Center Sigonella, Detachment Mildenhall (Naval Supply Systems Command)

Future[]

On 8 January 2015, the United States Department of Defense announced that as part of their European Infrastructure Consolidation (EIC) programme, they would be withdrawing from RAF Mildenhall to help save $500 million a year across Europe.^[27] In January 2016, as a result of the proposed US withdrawal, the UK government announced the site was one of twelve that would be sold as part of their strategy for the Ministry of Defence estate, although no date for the sale was given.^[28] It was planned to relocate units based at Mildenhall to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany.^[29]

A change in political administration in the United States, heightened security concerns on the part of the United States, the UK and NATO pertaining to Europe and the Middle East, and a variety of other issues prompted a reassessment on Mildenhall's closure. By 2017, the closure process had been put on indefinite hold and in February 2020, it was reported it had been extended to at least 2027.^[30][31] In July 2020, the Department of Defense announced that the US military would in fact be withdrawing from Spangdahlem and that the 100th Air Refueling Wing and 352nd Special Operations Wing would remain at Mildenhall, thereby keeping the base open for the foreseeable future.^[29]

Protests[]

Aircraft parked at RAF Mildenhall during 2014

Since the beginning of its use by the USAF, Mildenhall has been the site of many anti-war protests by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and other peace groups. In January 2003, students cut a hole in the perimeter fence and accessed the base.^[32] Later, in April 2003, protestors with Stop the War Coalition broke into the base to unfurl a banner with the words: “Stop Killing Each Other”.^[33]

Notable protesters include MP and former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and former CND chair Kate Hudson.^[34][35]

See also[]

• List of Royal Air Force stations
• RAF Thorpe Abbotts
• Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom
• RAF Lakenheath

References[]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "RAF Mildenhall".

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
• Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
• Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present
• Strategic-Air-Command.com

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Mildenhall.

• Official website
• UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Mildenhall (EGUN)