RAF Coningsby

Royal Air Force Station Coningsby or more simply RAF Coningsby, is a Royal Air Force station located 8.5 mi south west of Horncastle, Lincolnshire and 9.8 mi north west of Boston, Lincolnshire, England.

It has been commanded by Group Captain Johnny Stringer since 19 October 2012.

Operational units
The station is the home of No. 41 (Test and Evaluation) Squadron - the Operational Evaluational Unit, No. 29(R) Squadron - the Operational Conversion Unit and No. 3(F) Squadron - the first Typhoon Operational Squadron, flying the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 and T3. No 11 Squadron joined the station as a Typhoon unit in 2006.

Since June 2007 the Typhoons of No. 3(F) Squadron have formed part of air defence of the UK along with RAF Leuchars near St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, both of which were equipped with Panavia Tornado F3 fighters.

The station is also home to No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing.

Second World War
The base was opened in 1940 as a bomber base. No. 106 Squadron RAF arrived in February 1941 and No. 97 Squadron arrived in March 1941. Hard runways was laid in early 1943 in preparations for heavy bombers being stationed, part of 5 Group. No. 617 Squadron were at the base from August 1943-January 1944. Their officers' mess was the Petwood Hotel at Woodhall Spa. 61 Squadron were stationed with Lancasters from February–April 1944. On 12 November, Lancaster aircraft from the base equipped with the Tallboy bomb sank the Tirpitz in Operation Catechism. 175 aircraft were lost during the war.

Post war
Following the Second World War, it had the Mosquito-equipped 109 Sqn and 139 Sqn, then became part of 3 Group, with Boeing Washington aircraft from 1950. On 17 August 1953 52 year old Air Vice-Marshal William Brook, the AOC of 3 Group, took off from the base in a Gloster Meteor, and crashed into a Dutch barn at Bradley, Staffordshire.

The base received its first jet aircraft — the English Electric Canberra — in 1953. In 1956, the base expanded with the runway being extended. Avro Vulcans arrived in 1962, which were transferred to RAF Cottesmore in November 1964. From 1964-1966, the station had been designated to receive the proposed RAF fighter, the advanced BAC TSR-2 project, which was cancelled for economic reasons in April 1965.

Phantoms
The TSR2's intended replacement — the (American) General Dynamics F-111 — was shelved when its costs overshot the UK's budget. Spey-engined Phantoms (the plane the government eventually bought, having been ordered in 1965) were chosen in 1966 for the base's future, with all RAF Phantom training taking place on the base, and the base became part in Fighter Command until December 1967, when it joined Air Support Command as the Phantoms were initially in a ground attack role. The first Phantom FGR2 (Fighter/Ground attack/Reconnaissance) arrived at Coningsby on 23 August 1968, with the first aircrew OCU course (228 OCU) beginning in October 1968. Air-defence Phantoms (FG1) also entered service in 1969 at RAF Leuchars. On 18 May 1970, a Phantom flew from the base non-stop to RAF Tengah, covering 8680 mi in 14 hours and 14 minutes at an average speed of 602 mph. In September 1972, Strike Command was formed and the base joined 38 Group.

The Phantom's role changed to air defence in October 1974 when the base joined 11 Group in RAF Strike Command, when the SEPECAT Jaguar (based in Norfolk) took over the ground attack role. 111 Sqn were first to take the new air defence Phantoms. On 3 March 1975 a Phantom crashed into a nearby house, with both pilot and navigator ejecting. The Queen visited the base on 30 June 1976.

Tornados
In November 1984, the Tornado F3 squadrons began to form. Tornado training took place until April 1987, when the Phantoms left (to RAF Leuchars) and Coningsby had the first (29 Sqn) Tornado air defence squadron. To accommodate these new aircraft, extensive hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) and support facilities were built. 5 Squadron arrived in January 1988. The Tornado ADV carried the GEC-Marconi AI.24 Foxhunter radar.

Eurofighter Typhoon
Coningsby was the first airfield to receive the Phantoms, the Tornado ADV and was the first to receive its replacement, the Eurofighter Typhoon. 56 Squadron was based there until March 2003 but relocated to RAF Leuchars and in 2008 to RAF Waddington to allow airfield improvements required for the arrival of the Typhoon. 5 Squadron also flew F3s from Coningsby until its disbandment in 2003 (this unit is now at Waddington). Typhoon arrived in May 2005 with No. 17 Squadron, after the RAF first publicly displayed the aircraft at Coningsby in December 2004. In July 2007, the Typhoon became operational from the base (and the UK). The Typhoon also became operational from RAF Leuchars in September 2010. BAE Systems Military Air Solutions, who produce the aircraft, are also stationed on the base with the contract to maintain the aircraft. On 1 July 2008, the Typhoon was declared by the RAF as being combat ready. The plane, unlike the Tornado, needs no reheat to take off. RAF Coningsby is currently home to four front-line Eurofighter Typhoon squadrons. 3(F) Squadron, XI Squadron, 29(R) Squadron and 41(R)TES Squadron are all based at Coningsby.

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF)


Coningsby is also the home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (since March 1976 when it arrived from RAF Coltishall) and their Visitor Centre. The BBMF operate one of two remaining airworthy Avro Lancaster bombers in the world besides five Spitfires of various types, two Hurricanes, a Dakota and two Chipmunks, the latter type being used for pilot training.

The BBMF is accessed via a separate side entrance, with a car park, to the west of the airfield. The memorabilia display is free but there is a small charge for the hour-long guided tour around the hangar.

Operational Evaluation Units
Also based at Coningsby is the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU), a merger of the Strike/Attack OEU (previously at Boscombe Down), the Tornado F.3 OEU (previously at RAF Waddington) and the Air-Guided Weapons OEU (previously at RAF Valley). Today, the unit operates under the shadow squadron numberplate of No.41(Test and Evaluation) Sqn since 1 April 2006 and, as part of the Air Warfare Centre, is tasked with operational testing and evaluation of existing and forthcoming aircraft and weapons.

No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing was formed at Coningsby on 1 April 2006 and encompasses most of the non-formed unit personnel. The EAW does not include any of the flying squadrons. The Station Commander is triple-hatted as the Commanding Officer of the Wing and as Typhoon Force Commander.

Current structure
The RAF Coningsby structure as of October 2010
 * 121 Expeditionary Air Wing
 * Air Combat 1 Group
 * No. 3 Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon T3, FGR4
 * No. 11 Squadron RAF - operating Typhoon T3, FGR4
 * No. 29 (Reserve) Squadron RAF - Typhoon T3, FGR4
 * Air Warfare Centre
 * No. 41 (Reserve) TES (Test and Evaluation Squadron) RAF - operating Tornado GR4/GR4A and Typhoon FGR4
 * Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Station Commanders

 * Air Chief Marshal Sir Augustus Walker GCB 1951-54
 * Air Commodore David Strong CB 1957-59
 * Air Vice-Marshal Michael Le Bas CB CBE 1959-61
 * Air Vice-Marshal Frank Dodd CBE DFC 1961-63
 * Air Chief Marshal Sir John Rogers KCB CBE 1967-69
 * Group Captain David Blucke ?-1974

1974 Norfolk mid-air collision: On 9 August 1974, the station commander 42 year old Group Captain David Blucke, and his navigator Flight Lieutenant Terence Kirkland (aged 28 and from Londonderry), were killed whilst piloting the Phantom XV493 of 41 Sqn. At low-level it hit a Piper Pawnee crop-spraying plane (from Southend-on-Sea) over Fordham, Norfolk, near Downham Market. Blucke was son of Air Vice-Marshal Robert Blucke who was known for the 1935 Daventry Experiment.


 * Air Vice-Marshal Dennis Allison CB 1974-76
 * Air Vice-Marshal Derek Bryant CB OBE 1976-78
 * Group Captain Christopher Sprent 1978-80
 * Air Chief Marshal Sir William Wratten CBE CB 1980-82
 * Air Marshal Sir Christopher Coville CB 1986-88
 * Air Marshal Clifford Spink CB CBE 1990-93
 * Air Vice-Marshal Peter Ruddock CBE 1999-2000

The following Station Commanders are listed in the rank held at the time of appointment:


 * Group Captain R Judson - 2004-06
 * Group Captain S D Atha DSO - 2006-08
 * Group Captain J J Hitchcock - 2008-10
 * Group Captain Martin Sampson DSO - 2010-12
 * Group Captain Johnny Stringer - 2012-incumbent

News items

 * Flyover rehearsal in April 2011
 * 70th anniversary in March 2011
 * 1,000 flying hours in a Typhoon in November 2009
 * The Times October 2008
 * Typhoon fully combat ready in July 2008
 * Typhoons began active service in July 2007
 * First Typhoon squadron in April 2006
 * Report by Brian Hanrahan in October 2005.
 * Typhoons arrive in May 2005
 * 5 Squadron mothballed in February 2002
 * 56 Squadron moves to Leuchars in January 2002
 * Tornado crash narrowly missed Torness nuclear power station in November 1999.

Video clips

 * F15s and Typhoons in June 2009
 * Typhoons arrive in October 2008
 * Dan Snow in 2008
 * James May in 2007
 * Typhoon - practice scramble.
 * New Typhoon 29 Squadron with Brian Hanrahan.
 * Quick Reaction Alert in October 2005