RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

[von_trippenhopf]

................ Fairford is already set up for 135 ops and already has all the facilities ready and waiting...........

Spitfire, is it really, and what facilities are already at Fairford ready and waiting for 135 ops?

Where do you think the kc135s were based before the hall? Fairford, need I say more, the base has not changed other than to add the b2 hangars

That was 25 years ago, things have changed a lot since the tankers left.

[bizfreeq]

Where do you think the kc135s were based before the hall?

KC135s based at Mildenhall from summer of 78
KC135s based at Fairford from spring of 79

[plmc135]

Think you will find C-135's at Mildenhall go back a lot further than 1978. I saw the EC-135H's, which were then based, on my first visit to the Hall back in September 1969.

I suspect that the support you need for a basic KC-135 is considerably less than for a sophisticated RC-135 which I don't think have ever operated out of Fairford.

[bizfreeq]

I agree but the statement was KC135s not C135s

[mushbuster]

................ Fairford is already set up for 135 ops and already has all the facilities ready and waiting...........

Spitfire, is it really, and what facilities are already at Fairford ready and waiting for 135 ops?

Where do you think the kc135s were based before the hall? Fairford, need I say more, the base has not changed other than to add the b2 hangars

Sorry Spitfire I live very close to the airfield and remember not only the last KC135 departure from the base in 1990 but also the first landings of the RAF C130, the basing of the red arrows and the arrival of Concorde 002. You do indeed need to say more. Have you been on base since the 11SG was stood down in 1990? Most of the support facilities including the school, the BX, the class 6, the 11SG HQ, the Comms Sq HQ, the main aircraft maintenance facility, the clinic to mention just a few, have been demolished and no longer exist. I doubt very much it is "set up for 135 ops" any more, nor does it have ".. all the facilities ready and waiting for 135 ops" as you suggest. As for the base not changing, that is plainly wrong. Aside from the extensive demolition, most of the airfield was rebuilt in 2000-02 for deployed bomber missions, then a large parking apron was built in front of the newly built B2 hangar, 4 very large fuel sites were built around the perimeter with the most recent close to Whelford around 2005, a new building was built by the tower, a new perimeter road and all sorts of other things have been done including most recently the green fences. I have put up with the noise, dust and traffic that all this work has generated for the last 26 years.
Any permanent basing of aircraft at Fairford would require a substantial amount of investment to support the families of assigned personnel

[graham luxton]

To be historically accurate, KC-135A's were based at Fairford starting in Sept'79.

At Mildenhall the EC-135's moved in during Nov'65. The KC-135A's arrived in Nov'70, supporting RC-135C/D's which transferred from Lakenheath with the tankers the same month. That situation continued until 1976 when SAC pulled its tankers out of Torrejon and moved the operation to Mildenhall, resulting in large numbers being based on Temporary Duty Sept'76 onwards.

[plmc135]

I agree but the statement was KC135s not C135s

In that case I started to log KC-135's at Mildenhall on a regular basis on detachment on 21 November 1970.

Before that there was a detachment at Upper Heyford and no doubt before that at several of the former SAC bases in the UK supporting the deployed bombers (sadly just before my time particularly as I was at school barely 5 miles from Greenham Common).

[graham luxton]

I agree but the statement was KC135s not C135s

In that case I started to log KC-135's at Mildenhall on a regular basis on detachment on 21 November 1970.

Before that there was a detachment at Upper Heyford and no doubt before that at several of the former SAC bases in the UK supporting the deployed bombers (sadly just before my time particularly as I was at school barely 5 miles from Greenham Common).

Small world, Greenham Common was my `local` in the B-47 days. The detachment at Upper Heyford was previously located at Brize Norton supporting E/RB-47H operations. It was moved to 'Heyford in Jan'65 with the ELINT a/c a few months prior to SAC moving out of Brize. In those days these were the only KC-135's based in the UK, albeit on Temporary Duty. Although there were numerous KC-135 transport flights in/out of the English B-47 bases there was no requirement for them to be based here - unfortunately!

[Agent K]

................ Fairford is already set up for 135 ops and already has all the facilities ready and waiting...........

Spitfire, is it really, and what facilities are already at Fairford ready and waiting for 135 ops?

Where do you think the kc135s were based before the hall? Fairford, need I say more, the base has not changed other than to add the b2 hangars

HangArs surely?

[Ghost from above]

Agree mushbuster
Dont forget the upgraded housing, Cctv towers, extensive main gate works at the same time and the recent demo of old accomodation blocks.Aside from that there is a need to spend an extensive amount of money on site to upgrade current facilities from 1990 levels to something approaching the levels and expectations now. You only need to check planning to see the difference in investment between Lakenheath and Fairford.

[page_verify]

I think that's probably pretty close to the reality - Fairford would need a lot spending on it to make its role significantly different to what it's been for the last 25 years and I don't think anyone with the budget to pay for those upgrades has any interest in funding what is ultimately now a standby base for Global Strike Command. The fact that the RC-135s are moving to an already crowded fighter base shows just how loathed someone is to spend money on upgrading Fairford.

What I haven't seen any mention of is which parts of Mildenhall are going to close. I remember it always being referred to as a superbase with Lakenheath because they share a lot of base facilities. I wonder if someone's now counted just how much of Mildenhall would need to be kept open to support Lakenheath and now thought sodd it they might as well keep it open?!

[bobthehandyman]

https://www.facebook.com/SpangdahlemAir ... 932383537/
Spang doing going through the process of moving the 352 SOW.....

[Ghost from above]

As if to make the point the below was released on 30 September by DIO
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ement-plan

If you scroll to the bottom it gives you details of projected programs up to 2022 page 33 to 41 and already awarded Page 42 onward for contracts awarded up to 2020
Lakenheath has 13 fairly costly projects that involve infrastructure line services
Fairford has 3 and they relate to ongoing runway/taxiway maintenance

Therefore Lakenheath gets the lion share of investment and Fairford just ticks along

[skysearcher]

Interesting to see the DIO procurement plan has been taken off-line with a message saying it was published in error....

[gurkha1]

I think we can safely say Fairford will stay as is and the closures are pretty much set in stone which ever candidate get in as President of the USA.

[city42]

There some one saying on the Anglia military aviation on facebook that lakenheath may shut as well now i hope this is not true

[Agent K]

There some one saying on the Anglia military aviation on facebook that lakenheath may shut as well now i hope this is not true

Idle and ill informed speculation without doubt. Lakenheath has never featured on the base closures lists or proposals, just to look at that DIO document indicated investment as it built up to take F35's too.

[bizfreeq]

There some one saying on the Anglia military aviation on facebook that lakenheath may shut as well now i hope this is not true

Ah Facebook where the truth never gets in the way of total bo**ocks!

[Ghost from above]

Unlikely DIO plan showed for Lakenheath
Current awarded contracts circa £750,000 up to 30/12/18 4 Projects
Future contracts
Under £10 million 4 projects 17/18
£10-£50 Million 2 Projects 17-18 / 1 Project 18/19
£100-£500 million 1 Project 17/18 / 1 Project 20/21
The last two shows the scope of investment especially we can summarise the last one being for the F35

[quid21]

With the recent decision to expand Heathrow, it makes me wonder why they don't just turn Mildenhall into an international airport, the runway is long enough, a certain amount of infrastructure is probably there already, good transport links to London down the A11 and the Midlands on the A14.......

Seems a waste of a perfectly good airfield!