RAF Odiham

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RAF Odiham
Odiham (England)
Odiham
Odiham
Characteristics
ICAO code EGVO
IATA code ODH
Coordinates

51 ° 14 '3 "  N , 0 ° 56' 34"  W Coordinates: 51 ° 14 '3 "  N , 0 ° 56' 34"  W.
Height above MSL 123 m (404  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 2 km south of Odiham
Street 6 km to the M3
Basic data
opening October 1937
operator Royal Air Force
Start-and runway
09/27 1838 m × 43 m asphalt

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The Royal Air Force Station Odiham , RAF Odiham for short , is a military airfield of the British Royal Air Force on the southern outskirts of Odiham in the county of Hampshire , England . In addition to RAF Benson , Odiham is one of two main bases of the "support helicopters " of the so-called Support Helicopter Force . As the type base of the Chinook transport helicopter , the base is one of the busiest of the RAF.

history

Mustang Mk.1, 268 Sqn , 1943

The aviation use of the site dates back to 1925, but it was only in the course of the upgrading in the run-up to the Second World War that the station was opened as a permanent base by General der Flieger Erhard Milch , who was then General Inspector of the Air Force . During the war, Odiham was the base of Hurricane and Mustang squadrons. Towards the end of the war the facility became a prisoner of war camp .

Later, RAF Odiham was again a station subordinate to the Fighter Command , which was the home base of Spitfire , Vampire , Hunter and Javelin squadrons until 1959 . As part of her coronation celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II visited the base in 1953.

After 1959 the site was mothballed for a short time, but was soon used as the Transport Command airfield . In 1961 Odiham became the base for rotary wing aircraft of the Whirlwind and Belvedere types , the latter remaining on site until 1981. Instead of the decommissioned Belvedere, the two Puma squadrons now stationed at RAF Benson were added in 1970 . The Wessex of the 72nd Squadron moved to RAF Aldergrove in 1981 and the Pumas to RAF Gütersloh ( 230th Squadron , 1980) and RAF Benson ( 33rd Squadron , 1987).

The use of Odiham as the British main base of operations for the Chinook fleet began in 1982, an RAF machine of the 18th Squadron took part in the Falklands War right at the beginning of its service . Part of the fleet and the 18th Squadron were then subordinate to RAF Germany for 15 years between 1983 and 1997 .

In addition to the three RAF squadrons equipped with Chinooks, in addition to the 18th , the 7th and 27th Squadron , Odiham hosted a Lynx (most recently AH.9A) squadron of the Army Air Corps , the 657th Squadron, between June 2000 and January 2018 . Their main task was to support special forces such as the SAS .

Todays use

The Chinook Force is still the main user of the station. In addition to the 18th, it also includes the 7th and 27th seasons. There are also some support units.

Others

RAF Odiham is the RAF's last remaining flying station in Hampshire, but previously not the only one with a connection to the transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force.

RAF Thorney Island

Until March 1976 there was another base, RAF Thorney Island , about 50 km south of Odiham on the English Channel . It was directly across from the eastern border of Hampshire on the territory of West Sussex . It served since 1961 as a base for transport aircraft, in particular as a training center for Beverly and, from April 1967, for the Hercules crews of the RAF. There were also squadrons with Argosy and Andover . Other users have been Whirlwind SAR helicopters since 1955 .

In the first years of its existence, from its opening in 1939 to 1947, the station was subordinate to the RAF Coastal Command and was the stationing location of squadrons of the Royal Air Force and naval squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm .

The former RAF station has been used by the British Army since 1984 , after the Royal Navy had initially shown an interest in the takeover , which it calls Baker Barracks .

See also

Web links

Commons : RAF Odiham  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UK reorganises special forces aviation, Janes, September 12, 2017 ( Memento of the original from November 4, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.janes.com
  2. ^ British Army poised to retire last Lynx, Janes, January 11, 2018