RAF Brize Norton

RAF Brize Norton is the largest station of the Royal Air Force, located in Oxfordshire, England. Construction began in 1935, and it officially opened on 13 August 1937. It was originally intended to be named RAF Carterton. The station's first unit was No. 2 Flying Training School, which transferred in September 1937. During the Second World War, it hosted various training units, bomber detachments, and glider conversion units, and was attacked by Luftwaffe bombers in 1940. Following the war, it continued to host flying training and transport command development units.

From 1950, elements of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) utilized Brize Norton, investing in runway extensions and facilities. It hosted B-36 Peacemaker, B-29 Superfortress, B-47E Stratojet, KC-97 Stratofreighter, and later B-58 Hustler and B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, including nuclear-armed Operation Reflex alerts. The station was returned to RAF control in 1965.

Upon its return to the RAF, Brize Norton became a major strategic transport airfield, accommodating Vickers VC10 and Short Belfast fleets. It later hosted Bristol Britannia and Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft. In 1984, No. 101 Squadron reformed with converted VC-10 aerial refuelling tankers, and No. 216 Squadron reformed with Lockheed L-1011 TriStars for strategic transport. The RAF's first C-17A Globemaster III arrived in 2001. After the closure of RAF Lyneham in 2012, Brize Norton was redeveloped as the sole Air Point of Embarkation for British troops and the main operating base for the RAF's air transport and air-to-air refuelling fleets, consolidating all fixed-wing transport assets, including the C-130 Hercules, Airbus A400M Atlas, and Airbus A330 MRTT Voyager. A major infrastructure redevelopment, "Programme Future Brize," was undertaken to accommodate this expansion. The C-130 Hercules fleet was retired in June 2023.

Currently, RAF Brize Norton accommodates approximately 5,800 military staff, 1,200 contractors, and 300 civilian staff. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Airbus A400M Atlas, and Airbus A330 MRTT Voyager aircraft. Civilian passengers are permitted on some flights, such as those to RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands. Main air units stationed at the base include No. 10 Squadron, No. 24 Squadron, No. 30 Squadron, No. 70 Squadron, No. 99 Squadron, No. 101 Squadron, and No. 206 Squadron. The station also hosts No. 38 Expeditionary Air Wing, Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU), No.1 Parachute Training School RAF, No 1 Air Mobility Wing, No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment, and elements of the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps.