RAF Coningsby

Infobox Airport
name = RAF Coningsby
nativename =
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nativename-r =


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IATA = QCY
ICAO = EGXC
type = Military
owner =
operator = Royal Air Force
city-served =
location = Coningsby, Lincolnshire
elevation-f = 25
elevation-m = 8
coordinates = Coord|53|05|35|N|000|09|58|W|type:airport
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 08/26
r1-length-f = 9,003
r1-length-m = 2,744
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
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RAF Coningsby Airport codes|QCY|EGXC, is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Stuart D Atha since 1 December 2006.

The station is the home of No. XVII(R) Squadron - the Operational Evaluational Unit, No. 29(R) Squadron - the Operational Conversion Unit and No. 3(F) Squadron - the first Typhoon Operational Squadron, flying the Eurofighter Typhoon F2 and T1.No 11 Squadron joined the station as a Typhoon unit in 2007.

Since June 2007 the Typhoons of No. 3(F) Squadron have formed part of air defence of the UK along with RAF Leeming near Northallerton in North Yorkshire and RAF Leuchars near St Andrews,Fife,Scotland, both of which were equipped with Tornado F3 fighters but Leeming lost its last Tornados in 2008 with the disbandment of 25 Squadron and its concentration on being the RAFs communications hub.

The station is also home to No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing

History

The base was opened in 1940 as a bomber base. No. 617 Squadron were at the base from August 1943 - January 1944. Following World War II the base received its first jet aircraft - the Canberra - in 1953. In 1956, the base expanded with the runway being extended. Avro Vulcans arrived in 1962 which were transferred to RAF Cottesmore in November 1964. From 1964 -6, the station had been designated to receive the proposed RAF fighter, the TSR2 project, which was bizarrely cancelled for economic reasons in April 1965. Its intended replacement, the F-111 was shelved when its costs overshot the UK's budget. Spey-engined Phantoms (the plane the government eventually bought) arrived in 1966, with all RAF Phantom training taking place on the base, and the base became part of Fighter Command until December 1967. The Phantoms were initially in a ground attack role, changing to air defence in October 1974 when the base joined Strike Command in No. 11 Group. In November 1984, the Tornado F3 squadrons began to form. Tornado training took place until April 1987, when the Phantoms left (to RAF Leuchars) and Coningsby had the first (No. 29) Tornado air defence squadron. To accommodate these new aircraft extensive hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) and support facilities were built.

Coningsby was the first airfield to receive the Tornado ADV and was the first to receive its replacement, the Eurofighter Typhoon. 56 Squadron was based there until March 2003 but relocated to RAF Leuchars and in 2008 to RAF Waddington to allow airfield improvements required for the arrival of the Typhoon. 5 Squadron also flew F3s from Coningsby until its disbandment in 2003 (( this unit is now at Waddington).Typhoon arrived in May 2005 with No. 17 Squadron, after the RAF first publicly displayed the aircraft at Coningsby in December 2004. In July 2007, the Typhoon became operational from the base (and the UK).

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF)

Coningsby is also the home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (since March 1976 when it arrived from RAF Coltishall) and their [http://www.bbmf.co.uk/visitorscentre.html Visitor Centre] . The BBMF operate one of two remaining airworthy Avro Lancaster bombers in the world besides five Spitfires of various types, two Hurricanes, a Dakota and two Chipmunks.

Operational Evaluation Units

Also based at Coningsby is the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU), a merger of the Strike/Attack OEU (previously at Boscombe Down), the Tornado F.3 OEU (previously at RAF Waddington) and the Air-Guided Weapons OEU (previously at RAF Valley). Today, the unit operates under the shadow squadron numberplate of No.41(R) Sqn since 1 April 2006 and is tasked with operational testing and evaluation of existing and forthcoming aircraft and weapons.

No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing was formed at Coningsby on 1st April 2006 and encompasses most of the non-formed unit personnel. The EAW does not include any of the flying squadrons. The [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby/aboutus/people.cfm Station Commander] is triple-hatted as the Commanding Officer of the Wing and as Typhoon Force Commander.

Current structure

The RAF Coningsby structure as of April 2008: [Air Forces Monthly, April 2008 issue, pp. 44]
*121 Expeditionary Air Wing
*Air Combat 1 Group
**No. 3 Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon F2, T1
**No. 11 Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon F2, FGR4, T1
**No. 29 (Reserve) Squadron RAF - Typhoon F2, T1
*Air Warfare Centre
**No. 17 (Reserve) Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon FGR4, T3
**No. 41 (Reserve) Squadron RAF - operating Harrier GR9/GR9A, Tornado GR4
*Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

*mmukscaled|TF223580|100|Location map of Coningsby

ource and References

*Bruce Barrymore Halpenny "Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2" (ISBN 978-0850594843)

ee also

* List of RAF stations

External links

* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby RAF Coningsby]
* [http://www.skycontrol.net/photography/raf-coningsby-in-lincolnshire-england-%E2%80%93-fighter-town-uk-by-target-aviation-photography-philip-stevens/ Sky Control article]
* [http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/spotting/coningsby.html Viewing guide]
*

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/6294640.stm Typhoons began active service in July 2007]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4864602.stm First Typhoon squadron in April 2006]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4351622.stm Report by] Brian Hanrahan in October 2005.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4563859.stm Typhoons arrive in May 2005]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1795293.stm 5 Squadron mothballed in February 2002]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1777321.stm 56 Squadron moves to Leuchars in January 2002]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1866211.stm Tornado crash narrowly missed] Torness nuclear power station in November 1999.

Video clips

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAqZ4yYMVZ4 Typhoon] - practice "scramble".
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news_web/video/9012da680028d30/bb/09012da6800290c9_16x9_bb.ram New Typhoon 29 Squadron] with Brian Hanrahan.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news_web/video/9012da680028d30/bb/09012da680029070_16x9_bb.ram Quick Reaction Alert in October 2005]