Royal Air Force

RAF front-line operations are centred on seven main operating bases (MOBs):

• RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham, and RAF Lossiemouth — Air Combat
• RAF Waddington — Combat Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance
• RAF Brize Norton — Air Transport
• RAF Benson and RAF Odiham — Support Helicopter Force, operating under Joint Helicopter Command

Operations are supported by numerous other flying and non-flying stations, with activity centred at RAF Honington which coordinates Force Protection, and RAF Leeming and RAF Wittering which have a support enabler role.

Stations such as RAF Cranwell, RAF Valley and RAF Shawbury form part of the UK Military Flying Training System, which is dedicated to training aircrew for all three UK armed services. Specialist ground crew training takes place at RAF Cosford and MOD St Athan.

The Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) at RAF Boulmer is tasked with compiling a Recognised Air Picture of UK airspace and providing tactical control of the Quick Reaction Alert Force. Boulmer is supported by a network of eight Remote Radar Heads (RRHs) spread throughout the UK.

Ministry of Defence

Several former RAF stations are still owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and are operated by defence contractor QinetiQ in the test and evaluation role. The main facility is MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, which still has a significant RAF presence.

A small number of former RAF stations remain in MOD ownership even though they are used by the RAF in the relief landing ground (RLG) role, flying by Volunteer Gliding Squadrons or other training purposes. They are described as airfields and are typically unmanned.

List of sites

British Army facilities at Aldergrove, Leuchars Station and Upavon Station (former RAF stations) are listed in recognition of the RAF retaining a presence at each site.

Permanent Joint Operating Bases

The United Kingdom operates Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) in four British Overseas Territories, namely Ascension Island, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. The PJOBs contribute to the physical defence and maintenance of sovereignty of these British Overseas Territories and enable the UK to conduct expeditionary military operations.^[79] The Director of Overseas Bases, Strategic Command, controls and oversees the PJOBs.^[80] Donnelly Lines, a permanent UK military facility at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) air base was opened in 2024.^[81]

Semi-permanent operations

The Royal Air Force have a semi-permanent presence at several overseas locations. Active military operations in the Middle East are supported by Expeditionary Air Wings (EAW) which have been established at foreign airfields in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The RAF have a presence within Eastern European countries on a rotational basis as part of the NATO's Baltic Air Policing and Southern Air Policing missions.

No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron is located in the United States at Edwards Air Force Base in California where test and evaluation of the F-35B Lighting II is undertaken.

More information name, country ...

name	country	units and purpose
RAF Akrotiri	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Permanent Joint Operating Base acting as a strategic staging airfield to support British military operations in the Middle East. It is operated by the Cyprus Operations Support Unit (COSU).[82] No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing was established in December 2014 to support combat and support aircraft on detachment to the airbase as part of Operation Shader.[83] No. 84 Squadron operate the Puma HC2.[84][82]
Donnelly Lines, Al Minhad Air Base	United Arab Emirates	No. 906 Expeditionary Air Wing was established in January 2013 to provide an air transport and refuelling hub in the Middle East.[85][86] A permanent British headquarters with accommodation and welfare facilities was opened in 2024 as Donnelly Lines.[87]
Al Udeid Air Base	Qatar	No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group was established in April 2006 as the headquarters for all RAF assets in the Middle East, and is responsible for UK air operations as part of Operation Kipon and Operation Shader.[88]
RAF Ascension Island	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Also known as Wideawake Airfield, this Permanent Joint Operating Base predominately operating as a staging post for the air-bridge between RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands.[89] Also used by the United States Space Force (USSF) and NASA as a communications and satellite tracking station.
RRH Byron Heights	Falkland Islands	Remote Radar Head located on West Falkland.[90]
Edwards Air Force Base	United States	No. 17 Squadron formed at Edwards in April 2013 to test and evaluate the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II.[91]
RAF Gibraltar	Gibraltar	Permanent Joint Operating Base acting as a strategic staging airfield. Also functions as Gibraltar International Airport which comprises a civilian passenger terminal operated by Government of Gibraltar.[92]
Medicina Lines	Brunei	British Army garrison and headquarters of British Forces Brunei, home to No. 230 Squadron operating the Puma HC2.[93]
RRH Mount Alice	Falkland Islands	Remote Radar Head located on West Falkland.[90]
RRH Mount Kent	Falkland Islands	Remote Radar Head located on East Falkland.[90]
RAF Mount Pleasant	Falkland Islands	Permanent Joint Operating Base opened in 1985 after the Falklands War. No. 905 Expeditionary Air Wing operates four permanently based Typhoon FGR4s, one Voyager KC2, one A400M Atlas, and civilian-crewed support and search and rescue helicopters.[94][95][96]
RAF Troodos	Cyprus	Signals intelligence gathering and radar station located in the Troodos Mountains, outside the Sovereign Base Areas. Operated by Golf Section of the Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus).[97]

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