RAF Gibraltar

RAF Gibraltar, also known as North Front, is a Royal Air Force station located on Gibraltar. It operates as a permanent joint operating base, owned by the Ministry of Defence and controlled by British Forces Gibraltar. The facility is a joint civil-military airport, sharing its airfield with Gibraltar Airport's civilian terminal. While no military aircraft are permanently stationed there, RAF and NATO aircraft use it for transient stopovers, exercises, and temporary duties. As of 2023, 16 personnel were assigned to RAF Gibraltar.

The base's history dates back to a Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base during World War I. The airport's construction began in 1939 as an emergency airfield for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II. The runway was significantly extended by reclaiming land from the Bay of Gibraltar, allowing larger aircraft to land. RAF North Front officially opened in 1942, alongside RAF New Camp, which housed a slipway and hangar for flying boats. The airfield played a crucial role in Operation Torch in November 1942 and became a major sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command in February 1943. Anti-submarine warfare was a priority, with aircraft equipped to detect German U-boats, and operations were coordinated with United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15.

After World War II, weather flights continued from Gibraltar, initially by No. 520 Squadron RAF, followed by detachments and the full relocation of No. 224 Squadron RAF in 1951, which was re-equipped with Avro Shackletons. The station was officially renamed RAF Gibraltar in 1966. The RAF camp, now known as Devil's Tower Camp, became the home of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. By the 1980s, RAF Gibraltar was increasingly used as a Forward Operating Base for Middle East operations. A new RAF headquarters was opened in 2011, and a major runway resurfacing project was completed in 2016 to ensure continued military and civilian flight operations.