Wikipedia

RAF Wyton

"QUY" redirects here. For other uses, seeQuy.

Royal Air Force Wytonor more simplyRAF Wyton(IATA:QUY,ICAO:EGUY) is aRoyal Air ForcestationnearSt Ives,Cambridgeshire,England.The airfield is decommissioned and the station is now under the command ofUK Strategic Command.

RAF Wyton
NearSt Ives,Cambridgeshirein England
Canberra PR9'XH170' which is RAF Wyton'sgate guardian
Verum Exquiro
(Latinfor 'Seek the Truth')[1]
RAF Wyton is located in Cambridgeshire
RAF Wyton
RAF Wyton
Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates52°21′26″N000°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 CommanderJim Doyle
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]

RAF Wyton is home to the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI), which providesOpen Source Intelligence(OSINT).andGeospatial Intelligence(GEOINT) support toHM Armed Forces.It also contains theMinistry of Defence PoliceHeadquarters, theDefence Infrastructure OrganisationRegional Headquarters,42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic),and several other UK and Allied capabilities, authorities, and departments.[3]

Located within the station, the Pathfinder Building is described as the "operations centre ofDefence Intelligence"and the “largest Top Secret,Five-Eyesby design, military intelligence fusion and assessment facility in the world. "[4][5][6]

History

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Flying station

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APercival PetrelandBristol BlenheimMark IVs of No. 2 Group at Wyton between 1939 and 1941
"Map of Air Routes and Landing Places in Great Britain, as temporarily arranged by the Air Ministry for civilian flying", published in 1919, showing "Wyton" as a "military and civil station", and as a stop on the route betweenHounslow,near London, and the north.

Wyton has been a military airfield since 1916, when it was used for training by theRoyal Flying Corpsand then its successor theRoyal Air Force(RAF).[7]

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

Second World War

During theSecond World Warit was used primarily as a bomber base, flyingBristol Blenheim,de Havilland MosquitoandAvro Lancasteraircraft.[17]In 1942 it became the home of thePathfinder Forceunder the command ofGroup CaptainDon Bennett.[7]

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

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

Cold War

After the war Wyton became home to theEnglish Electric Canberrasof the Strategic Reconnaissance Force.[25]Vickers Valiantsarrived forNo. 543 Squadronin 1955 and aHandley Page Victorarrived for the Radar Reconnaissance Flight in 1959.[25]

In 1974, threeNimrod R1sbelonging toNo. 51 Squadronarrived for use in theElintandSigintrole, and in 1975, the T17 and T17A Canberras ofNo. 360 Squadronarrived: this was a joint RAF andRNSquadron specialising inElectronic countermeasurestraining.[25]

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

Post-Cold War

In the early 1990s one of its pilots was rugby union player Flight LieutenantRory Underwood.[35]

During a four-month period in 1989, two squadrons of U.S. Air ForceFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIjets were operated out of RAF Wyton while the runway at their base, nearbyRAF Alconbury,was resurfaced.[36]

In May 1995 both RAF Wyton andRAF Alconburyairfields were decommissioned and Wyton was formally amalgamated withRAF Brampton,and later withRAF Henlowto make all three locations a single RAF Station under a single station commander for administrative purposes.[37]The airfield continued to host light aircraft for the Cambridge and LondonUniversity Air Squadronsuntil they both moved toRAF Witteringin 2015.[38]

On 25 March 2013 it was decided to relocate all flying units from Wyton due to the high maintenance costs of the airfield.[39]

Following the2010 Strategic Defence and Security Reviewthe RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow formation was disbanded:RAF Henlowsubsequently became a separate station again and RAF Brampton was demolished.[40]

Intelligence station

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TheJoint Forces Intelligence Group(JFIG), a unit which was responsible for the collection ofsignals,geospatial,imageryandmeasurement and signature intelligence,[41]moved from Feltham in Middlesex to RAF Wyton in 2013.[42][43]42 Engineer Regimentrelocated fromDenison BarracksinHermitageto RAF Wyton to co-locate with the Joint Forces Intelligence Group in July 2014[44]and No. 1 Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Squadron moved fromRAF Marhamto Wyton in April 2017.[45]

In 2016, JFIG disbanded, and the bulk of its former units and capabilities were re-rolled to establish theNational Centre for Geospatial Intelligence.[3]The NCGI is a1-starcommanded organisation[46]which in recent years has monitored military and terrorist activities taking place in real time, such as:

  • HMS Diamondin operations against theHouthis in the Red Sea
  • Unidentified radio signals coming from the Yemeni coast
  • Different types of drones being used by Russia in Ukraine, including the physical analysis of RussianOrlan-10and IranianShaheed 131UAVs
  • Development of ChineseDF-17hypersonic missiles
  • Pyongyang sending artillery rounds and missiles to Russian forces in Ukraine

It is also involved in homeland security and played a vital part in theSalisbury poisoninginvestigation by tracing theNovichoktrail.[4][6]

Hangars in 2013

Former units

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Other units moved (now disbanded)

The following other units were posted to Wyton at some point:[47]

Currently operational units moved

On 25 March 2013 it was decided to relocate the following flying units from Wyton due to the high maintenance costs of the airfield.[62]

Based units

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Notable units based at RAF Wyton.[63][45][64]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^Pine, L.G. (1983).A dictionary of mottoes(1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p.249.ISBN0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^"RAF Wyton Defence Aerodrome Manual (DAM)"(PDF).RAF Wyton.Military Aviation Authority. 31 March 2016. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 August 2017.Retrieved27 August2017.
  3. ^ab"RAF Wyton | Royal Air Force".24 May 2024.
  4. ^abNicholls, Dominic (8 February 2024)."RAF Wyton: Inside the 'jewel in the crown of British Defence Intelligence'".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved24 May2024.
  5. ^"Inside the UK's top-secret spy base preparing for war".Sky News.Retrieved24 May2024.
  6. ^abSengupta, Kim (8 February 2024)."Drones, missiles and white Russian horses: The UK intelligence agency you haven't heard of".The Independent.Retrieved24 May2024.
  7. ^ab"RAF Wyton".Royal Air Force.Retrieved26 November2021.
  8. ^Jefford 1988,p. 40.
  9. ^Jefford 1988,p. 45.
  10. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 50.
  11. ^Jefford 1988,p. 53.
  12. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 54.
  13. ^abcdJefford 1988,p. 57.
  14. ^abJefford 1988,p. 59.
  15. ^abJefford 1988,p. 63.
  16. ^Jefford 1988,p. 70.
  17. ^"Avro Lancaster B.Mk.1 R5868/7325M Museum Accession Number 74/A/12"(PDF).RAF Museum. p. 3.Retrieved26 November2021.
  18. ^abJefford 1988,p. 39.
  19. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 60.
  20. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 29.
  21. ^abJefford 1988,p. 38.
  22. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 43.
  23. ^abJefford 1988,p. 55.
  24. ^Jefford 1988,p. 64.
  25. ^abc"RAF Wyton".Vulcan to the Sky Trust.Retrieved26 November2021.
  26. ^Jefford 1988,p. 28.
  27. ^abJefford 1988,p. 33.
  28. ^Jefford 1988,p. 41.
  29. ^Raynham News (1991)."RAF West Raynham Missile Squadron to be Disbanded"(PDF).Retrieved28 August2018.
  30. ^Jefford 1988,p. 52.
  31. ^Jefford 1988,p. 69.
  32. ^Jefford 1988,p. 89.
  33. ^Jefford 1988,p. 96.
  34. ^abcJefford 1988,p. 97.
  35. ^"Sport. Rugby Union. pic: January 1989. RAF. Wyton, Cambridgeshire. England wing Rory Underwood, a pilot flight-lieutenant in the RAF, poses in the cockpit his Canberra jet".Getty Images. 15 January 2008.Retrieved26 November2021.
  36. ^"A-10A Thunderbolt of 511th Tactical Fighter Squadron/10th Tactical Fighter Wing on detachment to RAF Wyton in May 1989".Airport Data.Retrieved26 November2021.
  37. ^"Air Officer Scotland: Air Vice Marshal Ross Paterson".Royal Air Force.Retrieved26 November2021.
  38. ^"University of London Air Squadron".Retrieved26 November2021.
  39. ^"RAF Wyton airfield to close as training flights are moved - but base still open for intelligence hub".The Hunts Post.27 March 2013.Retrieved24 May2024.
  40. ^"Dramatic Footage Shows Demolition Of RAF Base".13 January 2017.
  41. ^"Joint Forces Intelligence Group Achieves Full Operating Capability".Ministry of Defence. 22 September 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved7 November2015.
  42. ^"New Defence Intelligence buildings handed over to MOD".Ministry of Defence. 16 March 2012.Retrieved4 November2014.
  43. ^"UK JARIC Transitions to Defence Geospatial and Intelligence Fusion Centre"(PDF).November 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 February 2013.
  44. ^"42 Engr Regt (Geo) arrive at RAF Wyton".Eagleeyeonline.vo.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2015.Retrieved16 December2018.
  45. ^abEllwood, Tobias (21 December 2017)."Air Force: Military Intelligence:Written question - 120057".UK Parliament.Retrieved29 December2017.
  46. ^Drew, Rob (26 March 2021)."The National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence. InstRE".The Institution of Royal Engineers (InstRE).Retrieved24 May2024.
  47. ^"Wyton".Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust.Retrieved10 February2016.
  48. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 211.
  49. ^abcSturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 155.
  50. ^abSturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 125.
  51. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 149.
  52. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 42.
  53. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 197.
  54. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 119.
  55. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 120.
  56. ^abSturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 82.
  57. ^abcSturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 102.
  58. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 108.
  59. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 148.
  60. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 173.
  61. ^Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007,p. 213.
  62. ^abcde"Defence Estate Rationalisation Update"(PDF).Ministry of Defence(MoD).Retrieved26 March2013.
  63. ^"RAF Wyton".Royal Air Force.Retrieved25 April2021.
  64. ^"DCMA United Kingdom | Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire".Defense Contract Management Agency.Retrieved25 April2021.

Bibliography

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  • 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.ISBN1-85310-053-6.
  • Lake, A (1999).Flying units of the RAF.Shrewsbury:Airlife.ISBN1-84037-086-6.
  • Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007).Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912.UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN978-0851-3036-59.
  • RAF Annual Review 2012
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