RAF Waddington
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| RAF Waddington | |||
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| IATA: WTN – ICAO: EGXW | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||
| Location | Waddington, Lincolnshire | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 231 ft / 70 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 02/20 | 9,000 | 2,743 | Asphalt |
RAF Waddington (IATA: WTN, ICAO: EGXW) is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.
Contents |
[edit] Early History
Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into a care and maintenance.
It re-opened as a bomber base on 12 March 1937, with squadrons flying the Bristol Blenheim and later Handley Page Hampdens, and was in Nov 1940 the first station to receive the Avro Manchester heavy bomber.
In the Cold War, RAF Waddington became a Vulcan bomber base.
[edit] Present Day
It is presently home to the RAF's Sentry AEW1 and Nimrod R1 aircraft. The station is also home to No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing
The airfield is also home to the new Raytheon Sentinel R1 ASTOR ground-surveillance/intelligence aircraft of 5 Sqn.
There is an outdoor viewing area east of the A15 road close to the northern end of the long runway which was designed to accommodate V-bombers. Short-term visits from different NATO and Swiss fighter squadrons, in the past, used to generate occasional additional noise and interest due to the fact that the airfield was conveniently placed for offshore practice firing ranges above the North Sea. However with the closure of the mentioned firing ranges these visits have ceased. Waddington also has a very active Force Development ethos, putting emphasis on the development of its busy personnel.
No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing was formed at Waddington on 1st April 2006 encompassing most of the non-formed unit personnel on station. The EAW does not include the flying units at the station. The station commander is dual-hatted as the commander of the wing.
The RAF Waddington structure as of April 2008 is as follows:[1]
- 34 Expeditionary Air Wing
- Combat Support 2 Group
- No. 5 (Army Co-operation) Sqn - ASTOR/Sentinel R1
- No. 8 Sqn - E-3 Sentry
- No. 23 Sqn - Sentry
- No. 51 Sqn - Nimrod R1
- No. 54 (Reserve) Sqn - Intelligence Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Operational Conversation Unit
- Other auxiliary units
- No. 26 Sqn - Ground Based Air Defence
- No. 2503 Sqn - RAuxAF Force Sustainment
- No. 39 Sqn - UAV/MQ-9 Reaper Due to form at Waddington in 2011-12
- The E-3D Software Support Team
RAF Waddington is also the main site for the Air Warfare Centre.
[edit] Waddington International Air Show
RAF Waddington has in the last few years revived its Waddington International Air Show, which usually takes place in the last weekend of June, attracting up to 100,000 visitors and representatives of Air Forces from all round the world. 2007 saw the show running 30 Jun but being cancelled on the 1 Jul due to poor weather conditions and featured the Military Village concept where all services will be able to display in a large designated area. Of note last year were the static feature displays, and of particular note, the Waddington SERE (Survive Evade Resist Extract) School display with its close RNLI association. An example of mutual benefit between Military and Civilian agencies working toward a common goal. Many clubs will also feature in the Village demonstrating the diversity of exciting hobbies and interests available to personnel today.
[edit] Reference Source
- Bruce Barrymore Halpenny Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2 (ISBN 978-0850594843)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- RAF Waddington
- Air Warfare Centre, RAF Waddington
- RAF History - Waddington
- Airport information for EGXW at World Aero Data
- Waddington Airshow 2007 Review
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