RAF Valley

RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station located on the island of Anglesey, Wales, which also serves as Anglesey Airport for civilian traffic. The airfield was constructed in late 1940 and opened on 1 February 1941 as a Fighter Sector Station under No. 9 Group RAF, providing defense cover for industrial north-west England and Irish Sea shipping. During World War II, it hosted various squadrons including 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF, 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron RAuxAF, and 219 (Mysore) Squadron, operating aircraft such as Hawker Hurricanes, Bristol Beaufighters, and Boulton Paul Defiants. It also served as a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Ferry Terminal from June 1943, handling transatlantic flights and European sorties, and later reversed this role for returning bombers. After the war, the airfield was put on a care and maintenance basis in June 1947.

In 1951, No. 202 Advanced Flying School reformed at Valley for fighter pilot training on de Havilland Vampire and Gloster Meteor jet aircraft, later redesignated No. 7 Flying Training School and then No. 4 FTS RAF, which remains based at the airfield. The station received its first Folland Gnat jet trainers in 1962, supplemented by Hawker Hunters, and later the Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1s in 1976. A modified version, the BAE Systems Hawk T.2, is currently in use by No. 4 FTS.

RAF Valley previously housed No. 22 Squadron's 'C Flight' for Search and Rescue operations until 2015, when these responsibilities were transferred to a civilian contractor. The RAF Operational Conversion Unit, 203(R) Squadron, also trained aircrew on Westland Sea King helicopters for SAR operations. In September 2017, an airfield upgrade project was completed, including runway resurfacing and hangar refurbishment to accommodate Airbus Jupiter HT.1 helicopters for UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).

Currently, RAF Valley provides basic and advanced fast-jet training using the Beechcraft Texan T.1 and BAE Systems Hawk T.2, and conducts mountain and maritime training for aircrew with the Airbus Jupiter HT.1 helicopter. The main air units stationed at RAF Valley are No. 4 Flying Training School, comprising No. 4 Squadron, No. 25 Squadron (reformed in 2018), and No. 72 Squadron (stood up in 2019), which operate the Hawk T.2 and Texan T.1 aircraft. No. 202 Squadron, part of No.1 Flying Training School, operates the Airbus Jupiter HT.1 for maritime and mountain flying training. The base also hosts the Headquarters and RAF Valley Mountain Rescue Team of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service. Civilian flights from RAF Valley to Cardiff, which began in 2007, were permanently discontinued in June 2022.