RAF Gibraltar

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name = Royal Air Force Station Gibraltar


caption = Control Tower
dates =
country = Gibraltar
allegiance =
branch = Royal Air Force
command_structure = UK: British Armed Forces formerly RAF Coastal Group, now British Forces Gibraltar
type = Flying station
role = Forward Operating Base, Forward Mounting Base, or Staging Post
size = approx. 45 personnel
current_commander = Wg Cdr CC Purkiss MBE BSc RAF
garrison = Gibraltar
garrison_label = Based
ceremonial_chief =
ceremonial_chief_label =
colonel_of_the_regiment =
colonel_of_the_regiment_label =
nickname = "Gib"
motto = "Guard the Gateway"
colors =
colors_label = Royal Air Force Ensign
march = Royal Air Force March Past
mascot =
equipment = formerly: Hawker Hunter, SEPECAT Jaguar
battles = World War II: Operation Torch,
Falklands War,
Gulf War,
Balkans,
Sierra Leone
notable_commanders =
identification_symbol = a key rising from the seas
identification_symbol_label = Station crest
anniversaries =

Royal Air Force Station Gibraltar, better known as RAF Gibraltar and formally as North Front, is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but there are regular visits. The station functions as the Rock's civilian airport, Gibraltar Airport, and is administered by British Forces Gibraltar.

History

The biggest expansion took place during World War II when the runway length was increased using waste rock blasted from the tunnels of Gibraltar. At this time the airfield completely obliterated the former Gibraltar racecourse. The airfield played a major part in Operation Torch, the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa during World War II.

The airfield, which today is used mainly for civil flights, is unusual in that the main access road from Gibraltar to Spain crosses the airfield, necessitating the road to be closed whenever aircraft movements are in progress.

When the RAF holds an exercise, this causes significant disruption to traffic flow.

RAF Gibraltar used to have an Avro Vulcan K2 as a gate guard, but this was later scrapped.

Gibraltar squadrons

* No. 202 Squadron RAF;
* No. 244 Squadron RAF;

ee also

*Royal Air Force station
*List of RAF stations
*RAF Coastal Command

External links

*WAD|LXGB
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafgibraltar/ Royal Air Force - RAF Gibraltar]