RAF FELTWELL

'RAF Feltwell' is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is currently used by the United States Air Forces Europe. Between 1989 and 2003 it also hosted the US Air Force's 5th Space Surveillance Squadron (5 SPSS) which was subordinate to the 21st Operations Group (21 OG) and the 21st Space Wing (21 SW), both at Peterson AFB, Colorado. These organizations in turn are subordinate to the 14th Air Force (14 AF) at Vandenberg AFB, CA which reports to HQ Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), also at Peterson AFB, CO.
The 5 SPSS (initially designated "Detachment 1, 73rd Space Surveillance Group", or "Det 1 SSURGP") was part of the USAF's Passive Space Surveillance Network which tracked the physical location of emitting satellites in orbit. This data along with that from other systems was used to de-conflict the orbits of various satellites and manned vessels (for instance the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station) to reduce the risk of on-orbit collisions.
However other USAF systems and capabilities ultimately superseded DSTS and it were removed in 2002 and the unit was de-actived shortly thereafter.
The 21st Space Wing now has a detachment at RAF Fylingdales, U.K., to coordinate cooperative missile warning and space surveillance with RAF counterparts.
The base (Feltwell) is now a housing estate for United States Air Force personnel stationed nearby at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, while also containing the Airman Leadership School for USAF personnel in the UK, as well as being the home of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's AAFES sole furniture store in the country.

Contents

Location

See also

History

Operational units and aircraft

References

Location

RAF Feltwell is located in the South Western corner of Norfolk, England at approximate Ordnance Survey grid reference

See also

★ List of RAF stations

★ United States Air Forces in Europe

★ United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

History

The airfield was built during the period of expansion of the RAF in the late 1930's and is similar in layout to many of the other RAF airfields of the period (for example RAF Marham, RAF Watton and RAF West Raynham). The airfield was home to a number of heavy bomber squadrons of the RAF during World War II. Post war RAF Thor Missiles were stationed here at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Operational units and aircraft

★ No. 37 Squadron RAF (1937-1940) - Handley Page Harrow, Vickers Wellington I

★ No. 57 Squadron RAF (1940-1942) - Vickers Wellington I

★ No. 75 Squadron RAF (1940-1942) - Vickers Wellington I

★ No. 77 Squadron RAF (1958-1963) - Thor IRBM

★ No. 192 Squadron RAF (1943) - Handley Page Halifax II & V

★ No. 214 Squadron RAF (1937-1939) - Handley Page Harrow, Vickers Wellington I

★ No. 464 Squadron RAF (1942) - Lockheed Ventura I & II

★ No. 487 Squadron RNZAF (1942-1943) - Lockheed Ventura I & II

★ No. 651 Squadron RAF (1955-1957) - Auster AOP6

References

★ Aerial Photo From Multimap.Com