RAF Croughton

RAF Croughton is a Royal Air Force station located near Croughton, Northamptonshire, England, currently operating as a United States Air Force communications station. The base was constructed in 1938, initially known as Brackley Landing Ground until 1940, when it became RAF Brackley, and then RAF Croughton in July 1941. It encompasses 278 hectares and originally featured three grass runways with concrete taxiways. From 1940 to 1947, it served the Royal Air Force, primarily as a satellite for RAF Upper Heyford, supporting No. 16 Operational Training Unit for night-flying training and later hosting No. 1 Glider Training School from 1942. During World War II, it was designated an emergency airfield and faced enemy attacks due to its training mission.

After a period of limited use as an ammunition store, the United States Air Force took over the station in late 1950, initiating its communications mission. Over the decades, the units stationed at RAF Croughton changed, but its role as a communications hub persisted. It housed various communications squadrons and groups, including the 1230th Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron and later the 2130th Communications Group, which controlled USAF communication resources across a wide European area. In 1996, the 422nd Air Base Squadron was activated, and in 2005, the 422nd Air Base Group became a unit of the 501st Combat Support Wing.

Today, RAF Croughton is operational and owned by the UK Ministry of Defence, with operations controlled by US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The 422nd Air Base Group provides installation support, services, force protection, and worldwide communications. The station operates one of Europe's largest military switchboards, processing approximately a third of all U.S. military communications in Europe. It sustains over 410 command and control circuits and supports 25 percent of all European Theater to continental United States communications. The base has been identified as a key intelligence facility, central to relaying U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency communications. Plans for a Joint Intelligence Analysis Centre were considered, but a 2021 decision confirmed RAF Alconbury would remain the primary location for such support.