RAF Leeming

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RAF Leeming
Leeming (England)
Leeming
Leeming
Characteristics
ICAO code EGXE
Coordinates

54 ° 17 '33 "  N , 1 ° 32' 8"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 17 '33 "  N , 1 ° 32' 8"  W.
Height above MSL 40 m (131  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 4 km northeast of Bedale
Street A1
Basic data
opening June 3, 1940
operator Royal Air Force
Start-and runway
16/34 2289 m × 46 m asphalt

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The Royal Air Force Station Leeming , RAF Leeming for short , is a military airfield of the British Royal Air Force on the eastern outskirts of Leeming in the county of North Yorkshire , England . The base is one of the smaller of the RAF. The last flying squadron is the 100th Squadron , which serves air combat training and is equipped with BAE Hawks , stationed in Leeming. There are also some non-flying facilities. RAF Leeming's Colonel of Honor is Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall .

history

The station was used after two years of construction in 1940 during the Second World War as a base for the RAF Bomber Command , initially the 10th Squadron and later the 77th. In 1943 the base was one of 11 stations for the 6th Group of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which also included the RAF Skipton-on-Swale station. Initially the 405th (Vancouver) and 408th (Goose) Squadron were located here , which were later replaced by the 427th (Lion) and 429th (Bison) Squadron . The predominant aircraft types were Whitley , Stirling , Halifax and Lancaster bombers.

After the war, the airfield became a base for retraining units for night fighters (from 1946) and light bombers (from 1947), which initially flew with Mosquito . The two training units were 1,947 to 228. Operational Conversion Unit merged and later flew first jets of the type Meteor and then Javelin .

The facility was placed under the Training Command in 1961 and was home to the 3rd Flying Training School , which operated the Jet Provost , until 1984 .

At the end of the Cold War , RAF Leeming joined Strike Command and in 1988 became its southern QRA base, equipped with three squadrons of Tornado F3 interceptors . The disarmament after its end in the 1990s led to the dissolution of the 23rd Squadron in 1994 . The two remaining seasons continued to exist for a decade. The 11th Squadron was disbanded in 2005 and the 25th Squadron in 2008.

Todays use

The main task of the station is training for, execution and support of air operations far from home. The BAE Hawk aircraft of the 100th Squadron are therefore used for a large number of different exercise scenarios. The squadron is also responsible for training future tornado navigators . Hawks are also deployed by the Joint Forward Air Controller Training and Standards Unit (JFACTSU).

There are also some other non-flying formations.

See also

Web links