| RAF Aldergrove | |
|---|---|
 Station badge |
|
| Active | 1918 – 2009 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Operational |
| Role | Air support to Army and PSNI activities |
| Located | 18 miles north-west of Belfast |
| Motto | Ours to hold |
RAF Aldergrove (now named Joint Helicopter Flying Station Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area. The station shared the Aldergrove runways but has its own separate facilities and helipad.
RAF Aldergrove first opened in 1918 but was not designated as an operational RAF station until 1925. Aldergrove’s location made it an important station during the Second World War of RAF Coastal Command in the Battle of the Atlantic. From the base long-range reconnaissance aircraft were able to patrol the Eastern Atlantic for U-Boats. Some of these patrols ranged as far out as the distant islet of Rockall.
Aldergrove was designated as a dispersal airfield for the RAF's V bomber force in the 1950s and was included in a reduced list of 26 airfields in 1962. In 1968 a maintenance unit (No.23 MU) for the F-4 Phantom in RAF service was established at Aldergrove, with 116 aircraft passing through on their way to front line service. Aldergrove was also the main servicing and reconditioning station for Canberra aircraft from their introduction in 1951. In 1976, the station had a staff of 2,500 RAF personnel and 1,500 civilians.[1]
No. 72 Squadron operated Puma and Wessex helicopters from Aldergrove from 1991 until its disbandment in 2002.
The Army Air Corps also operated Westland Lynx , AH-64 Apache and Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters as well as de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft in its joint operations with the RAF's Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (Northern Ireland) which was replaced by the Britten-Norman Islander late in 1988.
No. 18 Squadron also operated detachments of Boeing Chinook (UK variants) during the late 80s in support of the British Army in Northern Ireland.
Aldergrove is now home to a mixed force of helicopters, which operate across Northern Ireland in support of the British Army and Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Due to the closure of Mod Machrihanish the base is now used annually for Air Training Corps Cadets as an training camp, where cadets fromMScotland and Northern Ireland Region gather for a week of fieldcraft, shooting, first aid and other activities.
Aldergrove offically ceased to be a RAF Station on, 20th September 2009 when the RAF Ensign was lowered for the last time and the Joint Helicopter Command Flag was hoisted in its place. This was also the same day as the Battle of Britain celebrations.
Contents |
Units currently based
- No. 230 Squadron - 9 Puma HC.1s - to RAF Benson by 2010.
- 5 Regiment Army Air Corps
- No. 651 Squadron AAC - Britten-Norman Defender. This squadron officially moved to RAF Aldergrove on 4 August 2008 from RAF Odiham and operates three Defender AL1s, serial numbers ZG995, ZG996 and ZG998, two Defender AL2s (ZG997 and ZH001), and a Defender T3 training variant (ZH004). Two more Defender AL2s (serial numbers ZH002 and ZH003) are scheduled to be delivered to this unit.
- No. 665 Squadron AAC - Gazelle AH.1s
- No. 1 Flight AAC - Britten-Norman Islander. Six Islander AL1s are operated, serial numbers ZG844 to ZG848 and ZG993. A seventh Islander AL1 (serial number ZG994) was written-off a number years ago.
- PSNI Air Support Unit - Eurocopter EC 135
Notable military aircraft which have visited Aldergrove
- USAF aircraft operating in support of U.S. Presidential visits to Northern Ireland.
- Air Force One
- C-5s carrying Marine One helicopters
- C-17 Globemasters
- C-32s
- RAF Vickers VC10s and Lockheed Tristars in support of the RAF and Army presence.
- Various NATO aircraft for Squadron celebration, etc.
References
Notes
- ^ Northern Ireland Committee of Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "The Defence Stations in Northern Ireland: The Case for Retention", March 1976
Bibliography
- Docherty, Tom. Ours to Hold: RAF Aldergrove at War, 1939-1945. Cowbit, Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK: Old Forge Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-906183-03-5.
See also
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