About RAF Fairford

RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force airfield located in Gloucestershire, west-central England, in the area known as the Cotswolds.

The airfield was constructed in 1944 during the Second World War and was used as a base for British and American troop carriers and gliders for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the United States Air Force for strategic bomber operations and the construction of a new runway commenced.

In 1953, the construction the new runway measuring 10,000ft (3km) was completed and served as a forward airbase for Convair B-36 Peacemaker and Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft.

Between 1969 and 1977 the airfield was used as the British test centre for the supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde.

Due RAF Fairford's the location and infrastructure the airbase was designated as a forward operating location for the United States Air Force and was home to American B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancers and KC-135 Stratotankers aircraft during the following operations;

      ◊   First Gulf War (also known as Operation Desert Storm) in 1991,

      ◊   Operation Allied Force (Part of the Kosovo War) in 1999,

      ◊   Iraq War (also known as Second Gulf War or Operation Iraqi Freedom) in 2003.

Between May 2000 and May 2002 RAF Fairford runway and fuel systems underwent a 100 million US dollar upgrade in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War.

In recent years the airfield has been visited by B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers and U2 Spy planes.

In 2008, construction of a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber maintenance hangar was completed.

In September 2009 it was announced that the United States Air Force would be withdrawing from the airbase by September 2010 and the airbase would be used as a standby station which could be made operational within a couple days.

RAF Fairford with its runaway in excess of 3km is the only TransOceanic Abort Landing Site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK. It also has NASA-trained fire and medical crews stationed on the base.

RAF Fairford is also home to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).