Following World War II, RAF Alconbury was used as a bomb disposal site and an aircraft maintenance depot by the RAF. During this period it was used also as a Receipt and Holding depot for the collection of the various paraphernalia of the war left behind when airfields were vacated. On the 28th of March 1949 Abbots Ripton was placed in care and maintenance on the inactive list and in 1954 it was administratively combined with RAF Alconbury.
RB-66 Destroyer
In 1951 Alconbury had been earmarked as one of 26 sites for future US Air Force occupation and the Third Air Force took ownership of the station on the 1st of January 1954. The site was then assigned to the 59th Air Depot for the maintenance of F-80 and F-86 tactical fighters.
During the fifties the main east west runway was extended to 9 000 feet in the direction of Great Stukeley and new hangars and facilities were built including a modern air traffic control tower and specialist nose docking sheds for maintenance of jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
Phantom Radar image of German Airbase
During the same period, the base hosted a range of administrative units and during this period both the 86th Bombardment Squadron equipped with B45 Tornado medium bombers and the 42nd Troop Carrier Squadron equipped with C46 Skytrains, C54 Skymasters and SA-16 Albatross amphibians undertook deployments to the base. Another unit to use Alconbury at this time was the 53rd Weather Squadron. The base also supported a number of T33 trainer jets for a variety of communications and weather check tasks. By 1957 the station still very much resembled the wartime camp and the associated accommodation sites. The BX still being located in a group of buildings, Site 4 - close to Alconbury House.
Permanent occupation as a flying station occurred in August 1959 when the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing arrived from Spangdahlen Air base in Germany with their RB-66b “Destroyer” aircraft. Six years later the wing reequipped with the RF-4c Phantom II which will always be remembered by the residence of Wyton and Houghton for its seagull like shrill as it passed overhead lining up on finals for the main runway. During the late sixties the main runway again underwent a major refurbishment.
F-4C Phantom II's
For a short period in the sixties the RAF returned to Alconbury while Wyton was being upgraded. During this time the Victors and Valiants of the Central Reconnaissance Unit Establishment dispersed to the base.
In 1976 the Phantoms commenced their rundown and the F-5Fs of the 527th Fighter Training Squadron arrived to act as surrogate enemy aircraft and tactics trainers for the US Air Force Europe and NATO units. These aircraft were delivered by giant C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft which also made appearances at the popular Alconbury Air Days. At approximately the same time work started on the construction of some 36 hardened aircraft shelters.
The 8th Air Force of Strategic Air Command (SAC) returned to Station 102 in October 1982 in the shape of the TR-1/U-2R “Dragon Lady” Strategic reconnaissance platforms of the 1704th Provisional Reconnaissance Squadron. The single engine TR-1 was housed in special sheds and then hardened aircraft shelters on the north side of the airfield and was equipped in various guises with high altitude optical sensors, infra-red and radar as well as various ELINT suites. The aircraft played its part in intelligence collection activities at the end of the Cold War as well as in the Adriatic.
TR-1 Dragon Lady
During the “Desert Shield” build up phase in the Gulf the TR-1s flew some 2 276 hours and a further 2 260 hours were flown during the combat phase. Some 600 hours of the 260 operational sorties was actually over Iraq. The TR-1s were eventually assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base in the United States. One of the TR-1s primary sensors is a side looking stand off radar with a range of some 100miles and an ELINT suite which can collect electronic information out to 300 miles. Information being transmitted back to a ground station in near-real-time.
In 1983 the 527th became the “Aggressor” Squadron as part of the “Warrior Preparation” Programme and in 1987 to the relief of many of the local population the noisy RF-4 left for the Air National Guard. In its place in 1988 came the tank busting A-10 Thunderbolt IIs of the 509th and then 511th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. Shortly afterwards the “Aggressors” left.
For a short period before military flying ceased at Alconbury on the 31st of March 1995 and the airfield site was put up for disposal, Special Forces C130 Hercules aircraft operated from the base. Today RAF Molesworth personnel continue to use the RAF Alconbury domestic site situated between Little Stukeley and Great Stukeley on what was predominantly the Station 547 Abbots Ripton Depot area.
A number of Cold war features of the base have been identified by English Heritage as candidates for either listing of scheduling for heritage retention or protection. In general these buildings are associated with the TR-1 reconnaissance and intelligence gathering task. These buildings join others from the WWII era that might form a focus for heritage activities to commemorate the proud activities of a hot and a cold war and the efforts of several generations of British and United States military personnel.
A-10 Thunderbolt
