Ex AGILE STANCE

[mikee115]

Can anyone remember when this kind of Ex was completed in the past where the aircraft deployed to?

[slogen51]

A Trident but not from Heathrow

[thevulcan]

In the early years of the V-Force, it relied on the concept of dispersing aircraft to outlying aerodromes to escape the effects of an enemy attack on their main bases, and to allow the most rapid reaction to a scramble by ensuring that there would not be huge ‘queues’ of aircraft waiting for take off.

These dispersal airfields were upgraded to allow V-bomber operations (Tarrant Rushton, for example, had a taxy loop added to allow V-bombers to backtrack, rather than use the ancient and narrow taxyways), with an ORP (Operational Readiness Platform) built adjacent to the main runway to allow aircraft to taxy straight onto the runway from ‘scramble’ and then perform a minimum interval stream take off.

We have fragmentary details of who went where before 1966 (10 Squadron to Boscombe, 83 to Leeming, 148 to Tarrant Rushton), when the situation seems to have been that:

Cottesmore's freefall Vulcan B.Mk 2s used Honington and Leconfied as 'near dispersals', and Ballykelly*, Leconfield, Leeming, Leuchars, and Pershore as 'distant' dispersals (eg: 20 aircraft plus those at Cottesmore), while Scampton's Blue Steel Vulcan B.Mk 2s used Bedford* and Coningsby as 'near dispersals', and Boscombe, Kinloss*, and Lossie as 'distant' dispersals (16 aircraft plus those at Scampton). Waddintgton, meanwhile used Finningley and Marham as 'near dispersals' and Brawdy, Filton, Manston, Macrahanish, Valley and Wattisham as 'distant' dispersals (20 aircraft plus those at Waddington), while Wittering’s Blue Steel Victors used Coltishall, Gaydon and Wyton as ‘near’ dispersals and just St Mawgan* as a ‘distant’ (14 aircraft plus those at Wittering).

Can anyone add/correct anything?

Class 1
(all capable of accommodating four QRA Vulcans)
Coningsby
Cottesmore
Finningley
Gaydon
Honington
Marham
Scampton
Waddington
Wittering
Wyton

Dispersal
(two QRA V-Bombers each, except where asterisked, where there could be four QRA aircraft)
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Ballykelly*
RAE Bedford *
RAF Boscombe Down
RAF Brawdy
Bruntingthorpe (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Burtonwood * (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Coltishall
RAF Cranwell (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Elvington (use as dispersal ended 1966)
Filton
RAF Kemble
RAF Kinloss*
RAF Leconfield
RAF Leeming
RAF Leuchars
RAE Llanbedr (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lyneham *
RAF Machrihanish
RAF Manston
RAF Middleton St. George (use as dispersal ended 1966)
Pershore
RAF St. Mawgan *
Prestwick (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Shawbury
Stansted
Tarrant Rushton
RAF Valley
RAF Wattisham
RNAS Yeovilton

Makes you realise how many are now gone hence the need to use civilian airfields. Of course for fighters this will be a little different.

[GWJPhantom]

Great and concise answer thevulcan

[leuchars12]

If only we still had the harriers

[iainpeden]

My lawn is so hard and brown at the moment it would probably support an F-35B - shed wouldn't survive though.

[NGY1L]

In the early years of the V-Force, it relied on the concept of dispersing aircraft to outlying aerodromes to escape the effects of an enemy attack on their main bases, and to allow the most rapid reaction to a scramble by ensuring that there would not be huge ‘queues’ of aircraft waiting for take off.

These dispersal airfields were upgraded to allow V-bomber operations (Tarrant Rushton, for example, had a taxy loop added to allow V-bombers to backtrack, rather than use the ancient and narrow taxyways), with an ORP (Operational Readiness Platform) built adjacent to the main runway to allow aircraft to taxy straight onto the runway from ‘scramble’ and then perform a minimum interval stream take off.

We have fragmentary details of who went where before 1966 (10 Squadron to Boscombe, 83 to Leeming, 148 to Tarrant Rushton), when the situation seems to have been that:

Cottesmore's freefall Vulcan B.Mk 2s used Honington and Leconfied as 'near dispersals', and Ballykelly*, Leconfield, Leeming, Leuchars, and Pershore as 'distant' dispersals (eg: 20 aircraft plus those at Cottesmore), while Scampton's Blue Steel Vulcan B.Mk 2s used Bedford* and Coningsby as 'near dispersals', and Boscombe, Kinloss*, and Lossie as 'distant' dispersals (16 aircraft plus those at Scampton). Waddintgton, meanwhile used Finningley and Marham as 'near dispersals' and Brawdy, Filton, Manston, Macrahanish, Valley and Wattisham as 'distant' dispersals (20 aircraft plus those at Waddington), while Wittering’s Blue Steel Victors used Coltishall, Gaydon and Wyton as ‘near’ dispersals and just St Mawgan* as a ‘distant’ (14 aircraft plus those at Wittering).

Can anyone add/correct anything?

Class 1
(all capable of accommodating four QRA Vulcans)
Coningsby
Cottesmore
Finningley
Gaydon
Honington
Marham
Scampton
Waddington
Wittering
Wyton

Dispersal
(two QRA V-Bombers each, except where asterisked, where there could be four QRA aircraft)
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Ballykelly*
RAE Bedford *
RAF Boscombe Down
RAF Brawdy
Bruntingthorpe (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Burtonwood * (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Coltishall
RAF Cranwell (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Elvington (use as dispersal ended 1966)
Filton
RAF Kemble
RAF Kinloss*
RAF Leconfield
RAF Leeming
RAF Leuchars
RAE Llanbedr (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lyneham *
RAF Machrihanish
RAF Manston
RAF Middleton St. George (use as dispersal ended 1966)
Pershore
RAF St. Mawgan *
Prestwick (use as dispersal ended 1966)
RAF Shawbury
Stansted
Tarrant Rushton
RAF Valley
RAF Wattisham
RNAS Yeovilton

Makes you realise how many are now gone hence the need to use civilian airfields. Of course for fighters this will be a little different.

Interesting, thanks for posting. Prestwick’s Vulcan dispersal pads can still be seen at link Q and R1 intersection at Rw30 allowing for a swift departure straight onto the runway, with the crews based in the adjacent area at the tower.

[Finty]

Thanks for sharing thevulcan

[Thunderbolt II]

There's some good reading on the topic of V bomber basing and dispersal in English Heritage's excellent 'Cold War' book. It's a worthy addition to anyone's shelves if you're interested in Cold War aviation in the UK imho.

[Supra]

St Mawgan and Stornoway are my hunch like the old days.

Very good call on those two locations!

[tonkatom]

Biggin hill with it being so close to London I would opt for.

[CHINOOKER]

Farnborough also! Will be interesting where the F-35’s deploy to and what landing/take off methods can be utilised at those locations!

[big john]

Northolt would be nice too. May still have the arrester gear (Probably needs new wire) for the Typhoons, and a couple of nice new pads for the F35's.

[thevulcan]

Article mentions sections of road may also be used now.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/raf-dis ... motorways/

[EAGLE]

Northolt would be nice too. May still have the arrester gear (Probably needs new wire) for the Typhoons, and a couple of nice new pads for the F35's.

Northolt have got rid of the arrestor cable system now, markings where cables would be were removed in 2019 when the runway was resurfaced, however they did install an EMAS system as part of the resurfacing, but that has to be replaced after each use as it works by crushing under the aircrafts weight to slow down the aircraft. Looks more designed for the heavies.

[CHINOOKER]

Northolt would be nice too. May still have the arrester gear (Probably needs new wire) for the Typhoons, and a couple of nice new pads for the F35's.

Northolt have got rid of the arrestor cable system now, markings where cables would be were removed in 2019 when the runway was resurfaced, however they did install an EMAS system as part of the resurfacing, but that has to be replaced after each use as it works by crushing under the aircrafts weight to slow down the aircraft. Looks more designed for the heavies.

Maybe not the airfield,but there is a long strip of the A40 that runs alongside it! Think it may measure over a mile and half in length and with a triple carriageway it will probably accommodate a Typhoon! The same bit of road was actually proposed and considered as the “Third Heathrow runway” some time ago!

[Thunder]

The only road I can think that they would be able to shut down without causing havoc is the M58. As for airfields Stornoway, Sumburgh, Leuchars, St Mawgan, St Athan all contenders.

What’s the current state of Manston?

[thevulcan]

[post Deleted]

[Nick Thompson]

Manston hasn't operated as an airport since 2014. Multiple attempts to return it to an operational airport have been met time and again with legal challenges from local groups opposing the airport's reopening. Since then with no clear future ahead of it Manston's expansive tarmac has been used as a lorry park to ease HGV flow into the port of Dover.

[Nighthawke]

Facts aren't thevulcan's "thing"