Wattisham Airfield is an operational Army Airfield located next to the village of

Wattisham Wattisham is a village and civil parish near to the town of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. From the 2011 Census the population of the parish was 110, according to the ONS, included in the civil parish of Hitcham, Suffolk, Hitcham. Wattisham Air ...

in Suffolk,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is home to 3 Regiment

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

and 4 Regiment

. They are part of the Attack Helicopter Force (AHF) within the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), whose headquarters is at Army Headquarters. They fly the

Westland WAH-64 Apache The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicop ...

helicopter. Also located at Wattisham is 7 Aviation Close Support Battalion

REME The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

with a helicopter repair facility with worldwide capability, and 132 Aviation Supply Unit

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

. The

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

maintains a presence at the airfield with a section of Survival Equipment Specialists who maintain survival equipment carried by Apache aircrew including their helmets. Apart from the military, the Anglia Gliding Club also operates from the airfield. (making it the oldest serving member of Wattisham, having been there as a RAFGSA club when the RAF occupied). Also resident is No 1287 Sqn, Air Training Corps. The airfield covers a site of . There are 2,000 troops stationed on site with 600 houses for married personnel between

, Hadleigh and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

. There are 300 Heavy Goods Vehicle s, 200 Land Rovers, over 40 military helicopters and casual access for 2 Air Ambulances. There is a museum on site which tells the history of the airfield and this is open on Sundays during April to October.

History

Wattisham Airfield has had a long and distinguished history. First opening in April 1939 the airfield was used by the RAF before being lent to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in 1942. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Wattisham became one of the UK's front-line air force fighter airfields during the Cold War with aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert on a rotational basis with other UK fighter stations. Wattisham used to house 'B' Flight, 22 Squadron Royal Air Force with its Search & Rescue Sea King helicopters, until the privatisation of SAR provision in 2015, which led to 22 Squadron standing down. The closest SAR base under the new Bristow Helicopters contract is

Lydd Airport London Ashford Airport is east of the town of Lydd and south of Ashford in the district of Folkestone and Hythe, in Kent, England. Originally named Lydd Ferryfield, it is now also known as London Ashford Airport, despite being from Lond ...

in Kent. As of 1 November 2018, there were 852 personnel assigned to 3 and 4 Regiments and 429 to 7 Aviation Support Battalion.

Operational units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Wattisham Airfield.

British Army

Joint Helicopter Command Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of the British Armed Forces for command and coordination purposes. History Background Over the years, the grouping of all battlefield suppo ...

/ Army Air Corps * Attack Helicopter Force ** 3 Regiment *** 653 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** 662 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** 663 Squadron – Apache AH1 ** 4 Regiment *** 656 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** 664 Squadron – Apache AH1 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers ( 16 Air Assault Brigade) * 7 Aviation Support Battalion ** HQ Company ** 71 Aviation Company (Aviation Support Company) ** 72 Aviation Company (Contingency Company) ** 132 Aviation Supply Squadron (

) Royal Engineers ( 8 Engineer Brigade, 12 (Force Support) Engineer Group) * Headquarters 20 Works Group Royal Engineers (Air Support) ** 533 Specialist Team Royal Engineers (Airfields) (STRE)

References

External links

Wattisham Airfield by Wattisham Aviation Society

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Airports in the East of England Army Air Corps airfields Gliderports in the United Kingdom