RAF Wyton

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"QUY" redirects here. For other uses, see Quy.

RAF Wyton
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Near St Ives, Cambridgeshire in England
Entrance to RAF Wyton - geograph.org.uk - 262207.jpg
Canberra PR9 'XH170' which is RAF Wyton's gate guardian
RAF Wyton Badge.jpg
Verum Exquiro
(Latin for 'Seek the Truth')[1]
RAF Wyton is located in Cambridgeshire
RAF Wyton
RAF Wyton
Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates52°21′26″N 000°06′28″W / 52.35722°N 0.10778°W / 52.35722; -0.10778Coordinates: 52°21′26″N 000°06′28″W / 52.35722°N 0.10778°W / 52.35722; -0.10778
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byStrategic Command
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.raf.mod.uk/rafwyton
Site history
Built1915 (1915)
In use1916 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Wing Commander Keith Slack
Occupants
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: QUY, ICAO: EGUY, WMO: 03566
Elevation40.2 metres (132 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
08/26 799 metres (2,621 ft) Grass
Source: RAF Wyton Defence Aerodrome Manual[2]

Royal Air Force Wyton or more simply RAF Wyton (IATA: QUY, ICAO: EGUY) is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.

In terms of organisation RAF Wyton was part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It is home to Equipment Support (Air) and Corporate Technical Services. The airfield is now decommissioned but was used for flight training by 57(R) Squadron EFT, the University Air Squadrons of London and Cambridge and No. 5 Air Experience Flight.

History[]

A Percival Petrel and Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group at Wyton between 1939 and 1941

1916–1939[]

Wyton has been a military airfield since 1916, when it was used for training by the Royal Flying Corps and then its successor the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1916 and 1935:

In 1935, it was upgraded to contemporary standards.

The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1935 and 1939:

1939–1945[]

During the Second World War it was used primarily as a bomber base, flying Bristol Blenheim, de Havilland Mosquito and Avro Lancaster aircraft. In 1942 it became the home of the Pathfinder Force under the command of Group Captain Don Bennett.

The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1939 and 1945:

1946–2011[]

Hangars in 2013

The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1946 and 2011:

After the war Wyton became home to the Strategic Reconnaissance Force, adding English Electric Canberra to the aircraft flown. Vickers Valiants, modified for reconnaissance, moved there in 1955 and a Handley Page Victor in 1959. Provision was made to store nuclear weapons if necessary.

The Victor belonged to a separate Radar Reconnaissance Flight (initially of one aircraft - rising to three by the time RRF was disbanded in 1962) to supplement the work of the Valiants of 543 Sqn. The Canberras of 58 Sqn were a mix of PR7 and PR 9s.

Also based at RAF Wyton were the T17 and T17A Canberras of 360 Sqn, the only joint RAF and RN Squadron specialising in ECM training. In the early 1990s one of its pilots was Ft Lt Rory Underwood. Other residents at RAF Wyton were 100 Sqn with a mixture of Canberra types in the Targeting Role. Also resident but "never officially present" were the three Nimrod R1s belonging to 51 Sqn used in the Elint and Sigint role.

During a four-month period in autumn 1989, two squadrons of U.S. Air Force Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II jets were operated out of RAF Wyton while the runway at their base, nearby RAF Alconbury, was resurfaced. During the late 1980s and until the airfield closures in 1995, RAF Wyton and the USAF run RAF Alconbury used a joint air traffic control operation.

In May 1995 both RAF Wyton and RAF Alconbury airfields were decommissioned and Wyton was formally amalgamated with RAF Brampton, and later with RAF Henlow to make all three locations a single RAF Station for administrative purposes.

The decommissioning of the airfield saw the end of regular jet powered flight from Wyton. However, the airfield continued to host light aircraft in the form of two University Air Squadrons, an RAF flying club and an RAF sponsored microlight club. The UAS squadrons moved to Wyton were the University of London and the University of Cambridge. Both units flew the Grob G 115 Tutor. By the turn of the century, the operation had been expanded to include Elementary Flying Training for ab initio pilot recruits.

The microlight club consisted of a small group of flex-wing microlight and 3-axis aircraft, there was a thriving flight school with two instructors, the former Chief Inspector of the BMAA David Marshall and the training instructor pilot Paul Foggoa. The school was based in the old crash building - the original purpose of which was to house the crash-rescue fire engines. The success of the club, and the inclusion of non-RAF members, led to the club expanding to the corner of one of the large hangars.

The RAF Wyton Flying Club operated the Slingsby T67 Firefly and a Robin DR400. It offered flying tuition to all ranks with an emphasis on junior ranks and those whose day jobs did not include flying.

2011–present[]

The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review announced the formation of Joint Forces Command (JFC), and on 2 April 2012, the RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow tri site was disbanded. JFC assumed responsibility for RAF Brampton/ Wyton, with RAF Henlow remaining under the control of Headquarters Air Command. The decision to close RAF Brampton by December 2013 led to the command and control of the Station transferring to RAF Wyton. RAF Brampton was renamed Brampton Camp and became a satellite unit of RAF Wyton.

RAF Wyton is undergoing transformation through the Programme to Rationalise and Integrate the Defence Intelligence Estate (PRIDE). Under JFC, RAF Wyton will become home to the Headquarters of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG). Through JFIG, a number of key components of the Defence Intelligence community have been brought together. JFIG Headquarters will be alongside the imagery intelligence capability of the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Fusion Centre (DGIFC). Formerly the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC), DGIFC provides imagery intelligence to the armed forces and other customers. They do this through the use of satellite imaging, as well as airborne and ground-based systems. DGIFC use these sources to provide regional intelligence assessments.

Joining HQ JFIG and DGIFC at RAF Wyton from 2013 will be 42 Engineer Regiment. They will be accompanied by elements of Defence Human Intelligence and specialist staff from Defence Intelligence. These elements will come together to support worldwide operations from purpose-built facilities within the Pathfinder Building. In future years, other elements of JFIG and the wider Defence Intelligence community are expected to work together at Wyton.

No. 1 Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Squadron of the RAF moved to Wyton from RAF Marham in April 2017.[28]

By 2014, RAF Wyton's population grew 5-fold to approximately 1,800 personnel, with a further 1,500-2,000 personnel expected to join before the end of the decade.[citation needed][needs update] Alongside the build-up of the Defence Intelligence footprint at RAF Wyton, the Station also plays host to several Lodger Units. The active airfield hosts the 57 (Reserve) Sqn Elementary Flying Training School, No. 5 Air Experience Flt, 2 University Air Squadrons (UAS) as well as the Pathfinder Flying Club. 57(R) Squadron is responsible for conducting Elementary Flying Training (EFT) for around 50 percent of the RAF's entry of new student pilots. Students arrive following completion of Initial Officer Training (IOT) at RAF Cranwell and remain for around 6 months of flying training on the Grob Tutor 115E. The course is broadly split into 2 phases. During the 1st phase, students are taught the basics of flying an aircraft, fly solo and learn general handling, including aerobatics. The 2nd phase of the course sees the students progress onto more advanced flying, including instrument flying, low level navigation and formation flying. The course culminates in a demanding final test, where all elements taught on the course can be assessed. Following the successful completion of this test, students are moved to either fast jet, rotary or multi engine to continue their flying training.

The 2 UAS's teach undergraduate students to fly to the standard of a Private pilot licence (PPL), with additional opportunities to fly Aerobatics, Formation Flying and Low Level Navigation.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) also has a large presence at Wyton with both its Operations Accommodation and International elements. DIO Ops Accommodation is responsible for the management of 49,000 Service Family Accommodation in the UK and infrastructure support for the United States Visiting Forces. DIO International looks after the International Estate used by Defence, including the maintenance and provision of facilities on the Permanent Joint Operating Bases.

Other units include the Chief Information Officer's Defence Security Assurance Service, the Air Training Corps Headquarters for the Central and Eastern Region, 2331 (St. Ives) Squadron ATC, and the US Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).

DCMA International maintains a significant presence at Wyton. DCMA International established the headquarters for DCMA Northern Europe at Wyton in 2013. Shortly thereafter, in 2014, DCMA disestablished DCMA Northern Europe and established DCMA United Kingdom (UK). Since 2014, from its headquarters at Wyton, DCMA UK has been providing itinerant contract administration services throughout the UK, Northern Europe, and Scandinavia. In addition, DCMA UK manages its footprints in contractor plants from its headquarters at Wyton.

RAF Wyton hosts the annual Pathfinder March, a 46-mile (74 km) walk which starts and finishes at RAF Wyton.

Previous units[]

Units moved (now disbanded)

The following units were here at some point:[29]

  • No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit RAF
  • No. 4 Blind Approach Training Flight RAF
  • 8th Aero Squadron
  • No. 13 Aircraft Modification Unit RAF
  • No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
  • No. 1323 (Canberra) Flight RAF
  • No. 1409 (Meteorological) Flight RAF
  • No. 1504 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF
  • No. 2730 Squadron RAF Regiment
  • No. 2763 Squadron RAF Regiment
  • No. 2781 Squadron RAF Regiment
  • No. 2844 Squadron RAF Regiment
  • Canberra Standardisation and Training Flight RAF
  • Electronic Warfare Detachment RAF
  • Electronic Warfare Division RAF
  • Electronic Warfare Engineering and Training Unit RAF (-1976) became Electronic Warfare and Avionics Unit RAF (1976-1993) became Electronic Warfare Operational Support Establishment RAF (1993-)[30]
  • Equipment Support (Air) Group RAF
  • Ground Controlled Approach Operators School RAF
  • Logistics Command RAF
  • Radar Reconnaissance Flight RAF

Currently Operational Units moved

On 25 March 2013 it was decided to relocate the flying units due to the maintenance costs of the airfield.[31]

Based units[]

Notable units based at RAF Wyton.[32][28][33]

See also[]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 249. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^ "RAF Wyton Defence Aerodrome Manual (DAM)" (PDF). RAF Wyton. Military Aviation Authority. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 40.
  4. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 50.
  6. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 53.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 54.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Jefford 1988, p. 57.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 59.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 63.
  11. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 70.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 39.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 60.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 29.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 38.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 43.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 55.
  18. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 64.
  19. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 28.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 1988, p. 33.
  21. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 41.
  22. ^ Raynham News (1991). "RAF West Raynham Missile Squadron to be Disbanded" (PDF). Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  23. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
  24. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 69.
  25. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 89.
  26. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 96.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jefford 1988, p. 97.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Ellwood, Tobias (21 December 2017). "Air Force: Military Intelligence:Written question - 120057". UK Parliament. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Wyton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  30. ^ Lake 1999, p. 58.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Defence Estate Rationalisation Update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence (MoD). Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  32. ^ "RAF Wyton". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  33. ^ "DCMA United Kingdom | Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire". Defense Contract Management Agency. Retrieved 25 April 2021.

Bibliography[]

  • Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  • RAF Annual Review 2012

External links[]

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