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RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
- sschofield
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- Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Very interesting! That explains the occasional deployments of US-based F-16's into Bentwaters in the 80's and 90's!
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Some of the Literature I have of that time says that the plan was SAC FB-111's would have gone to Boscombe Down(HAS's built for them), Bentwaters/Woodbridge would have had CONUS F16's . Also US based "Lizard Scheme" A10's would back up the 81st, 4TFW(SJ) F4E's were "Dual based" with Ramstein . How much would actually get here before the Warsaw Pact & NATO started throwing "Buckets of instant Sunshine" at each other[/quote]
I doubt if SAC ever intended to Forward Base its FB-111A's at Boscombe Down or anywhere else in the UK because I suspect we would have seen some evidence of it if that was the case. Certainly,the 17 FB-111A's which did visit the UK over the period 1971 - 1989 had nothing to do with any deployment plan, unlike the operations of Cannon's 27TFW/CC, 522TFS (red fin stripe) whose F-111D's deployed to Boscombe Down 4 times in the Eighties - '80, '83, '86 and '89. A total of 32 'D's were involved. The 1986 deployment also included 6 366TFW/MO, 390ECS EF-111A's which suggests that ECM assets may also have gone to Boscombe in a crisis - these were the only F-111 units hosted by the base.
I doubt if SAC ever intended to Forward Base its FB-111A's at Boscombe Down or anywhere else in the UK because I suspect we would have seen some evidence of it if that was the case. Certainly,the 17 FB-111A's which did visit the UK over the period 1971 - 1989 had nothing to do with any deployment plan, unlike the operations of Cannon's 27TFW/CC, 522TFS (red fin stripe) whose F-111D's deployed to Boscombe Down 4 times in the Eighties - '80, '83, '86 and '89. A total of 32 'D's were involved. The 1986 deployment also included 6 366TFW/MO, 390ECS EF-111A's which suggests that ECM assets may also have gone to Boscombe in a crisis - these were the only F-111 units hosted by the base.
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Did Boscombe have the facilities to support/secure/maintain the AGM-69? I'm sure they would have deployed if they had to, but I'm not sure I've ever seen any mention of anything other than freefall nuclear aircraft weapons ever being forward deployed anywhere in the days after colour TV was invented. (Apart from the fact the AGM-69 was itself a deathtrap, nuclear missiles require very specialist maintenance areas - usually a long way from....well anything really)
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
As this was a SAC weapon for the B-1B/B-52/FB-111A, I doubt if there was any requirement for Boscombe to be AGM-69 capable.page_verify wrote:Did Boscombe have the facilities to support/secure/maintain the AGM-69? I'm sure they would have deployed if they had to, but I'm not sure I've ever seen any mention of anything other than freefall nuclear aircraft weapons ever being forward deployed anywhere in the days after colour TV was invented. (Apart from the fact the AGM-69 was itself a deathtrap, nuclear missiles require very specialist maintenance areas - usually a long way from....well anything really)
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Wasn't the F-117 certified to carry a couple of small nukes? I'm sure I read that somewhere - could they have been forward deployed if tensions got really high back then?
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
The aircraft had the special wiring and controls for the B-61, but I'd be surprised if any air or ground crews were actually qualified for that mission.
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
No news or rumours for almost a month? Perhaps the rumours from the last couple of months are now "happening"?
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
KC-135 will move out in September/October 2019. Construction work at Ramstein will begin within the next few months. Click to view the planed construction at Ramstein http://static.rheinpfalz.de/typo3temp/_ ... 1a5d69.jpgpage_verify wrote:No news or rumours for almost a month? Perhaps the rumours from the last couple of months are now "happening"?
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Any news on Ospreys to Spangdalem
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
This article from last September shows they're preparing for the CV-22s in Germany, but it doesn't give any hint as to when they'll move there.
http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/News/Artic ... ic-testing
Given what we know so far, this looks to be the future of Mildenhall's units:
100th ARW - Ramstein, Oct 2019
352nd SOW - Spangdahlem, no date
501st CSW - Croughton
95th RS - "To be confirmed"
488th IS - "To be confirmed"
727th AMS - "To be confirmed"
http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/News/Artic ... ic-testing
Given what we know so far, this looks to be the future of Mildenhall's units:
100th ARW - Ramstein, Oct 2019
352nd SOW - Spangdahlem, no date
501st CSW - Croughton
95th RS - "To be confirmed"
488th IS - "To be confirmed"
727th AMS - "To be confirmed"
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Article from Bury Free Press about the start of works to accommodate the F35:
http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/lig ... -1-7899148
http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/lig ... -1-7899148
- Freeman Lowell
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
They would be a paler shade of gray then?Snoop 95 wrote:Article from Bury Free Press about the start of works to accommodate the F35:
http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/lig ... -1-7899148
Freeman
It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.
- sschofield
- Posts: 1507
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:06 pm
- Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
They spelt it right on the header for the picture and then spelt it wrong twice in the article! Lazy local rag journalism...
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Latest https://www.facebook.com/notes/raf-lake ... 378662448/
Not too exciting. It refers to demolition, the 56th Area?
Not too exciting. It refers to demolition, the 56th Area?
GRIM REAPERS SUPPORTER
- TankBuster
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
I think the 56th are moving to Aviano to make way for the F35s. I assume the area that will be redeveloped is the North side of the base which was once occupied by the F-111s of the 495th TFS?
TankBuster
TankBuster
And there's plenty more where that came from!
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Here we go........ The Devils Knockin' at my door!
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Perhaps a bit too early to say Yippee yet, but Yippee!
Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
Would love to see Mildenhall kept open. Mildenhall, Lakenheath and maybe Fairford are all the Americans need in the U.K.
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020
No Croughton, Welford, Molesworth or MWH as well?Unknown74 wrote:Mildenhall, Lakenheath and maybe Fairford are all the Americans need in the U.K.
The "review" news is no great surprise if there's any truth in the recent rumours on the street.
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