HMS Heron (shore Establishment)
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Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, commonly referred to as WAFU central, (HMS ''Heron'') is an
airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...
of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, sited a few miles north of
Yeovil Yeovil () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, west of London, south of Bristol, west of Sherborne and east of Taunton. The population of the bui ...
, in the
English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...
of
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
. It is one of two active
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
bases, the other being
RNAS Culdrose Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy Military airbase, airbase located beside the town of Helston, situated on the L ...
. RNAS Yeovilton is currently home to the Royal Navy Wildcat HMA2, along with Army Air Corps Wildcat AH1 helicopters, as well as the Royal Navy's
Commando Helicopter Force Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) is a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and an element of the Joint Aviation Command of the British Armed Forces. Its primary role is to provide Rotary-Wing support to the UK Commando Force and other UK force e ...
Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...
HCi3/4/4A and Wildcat AH1 helicopters. The site consists of of
airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
sites, plus ranges and minor estates. Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is a large multi-role air station, with an annual budget of some £61 million. The airfield is also home to the
Fleet Air Arm Museum The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintings ...
, and until 2019 the station hosted an annual
Air Day An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
in July.


History

In , the potential of the land at Yeovilton for use as an airfield was spotted by
Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. Du ...
's chief
test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
Harald Penrose Harald James Penrose, O.B.E, CEng, F.R.Ae.S, A.M.I.N.A (12 April 1904 – 31 August 1996) was the chief test pilot at Westland Aircraft between 1931 and 1953, a naval architect, and an aviation author. His flying experience ranged from man ...
, and an offer was made to buy the land. The owners, however, the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title was Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorised to determine the distribution of revenues of the Ch ...
of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, refused to sell it. In
1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
, the Admiralty Air Division commandeered of the land, and work began on the construction of the site. The
runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
s being completed in
1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...
, despite problems with poor drainage. A main runway of and three subsidiary runways each of had been constructed.
750 Naval Air Squadron 750 Naval Air Squadron (750 NAS) is a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which provides training for both Royal Navy Observers and Royal Air Force (RAF) Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) in managing nav ...
was formed at
RNAS Ford HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England, near Arundel and Littlehampton. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Air Force and Navy use ...
on , from the
Royal Navy Observer School Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...
, but after Ford was bombed early in the war, it moved to RNAS Yeovilton. They were joined by
751 Year 751 ( DCCLI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 751 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming ...
and
752 __NOTOC__ Year 752 ( DCCLII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 752nd year of Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 752nd year of the 1st millennium, the 52nd year of 8th century, and the 3rd year ...
Squadrons, with the
Naval Air Fighter School A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...
soon following. In addition, Westland Aircraft developed a repair facility at the site. From 1940 on, the site was subjected to
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
bombing on several occasions.
794 Naval Air Squadron 794 Naval Air Squadron (794 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which disbanded in March 1947. The squadron formed as an Air Target Towing Squadron, at HMS ''Heron'', RNAS Yeovilton, durin ...
was the first to be formed at the base, and served to train other squadrons to practise aerial gunnery, and part of one of the runways was marked up as a flight deck to practise landing on an aircraft carrier. 827 Naval Air Squadron was also stationed at Yeovilton operating
Fairey Albacore The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during the Second World War. The Albacor ...
s and later
Barracuda A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned, saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldw ...
s starting in May
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 †...
, becoming the first squadron to receive Barracudas in any substantial number. Several units which were preparing for embarkation were also stationed at the site during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Because of pressure on space at the airfield, satellite sites were set up at
Charlton Horethorne Charlton Horethorne is a village and civil parish in Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel ...
and
Henstridge Henstridge is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Sherborne in the South Somerset district, near the border with Dorset. The parish includes the hamlet of Yenston. In 2011, the village had a population of 1,814. ...
in 1942. A centre for Air Direction Radar was also established at Speckington Manor on the edge of the airfield. After the end of the war, Yeovilton became one of the main demobilisation centres for the Royal Navy, with many of the men helping to refurbish the runways while they stayed at the base. In
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
, Yeovilton became the shore base for the fleets' all-weather fighters. The runways were further extended by
Taylor Woodrow Taylor Woodrow was one of the largest housebuilding and general construction companies in Britain. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until its merger with rival housebuilder George Wimpey ...
in 1952 and
1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
to cope with jet aircraft. In May
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
, it became the headquarters of Flag Officer Flying Training. During the 1960s, further development work was undertaken, with the School of Fighter Direction returning to the site, and the Sea Venoms being replaced by the
de Havilland Sea Vixen The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by the de Havi ...
s then in turn, by the
McDonnell-Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1 ...
Phantom FG1 as a carrier-borne fighter. The 1970s saw the Flag Officer, Naval Air Command (FONAC), transferring from
RNAS Lee-on-Solent Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent, (RNAS Lee-on-Solent; or HMS ''Daedalus'' 1939–1959 & 1965–1996 and HMS ''Ariel'' 1959–1965), is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately west of P ...
. Royal Navy fixed wing operations were phased out, and the Phantoms transferred to the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF). The base remained as the home of the Commando Helicopter Squadrons, using the
Wessex The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Sa ...
HU5 and later the Sea King HC4, and the fixed wing
Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit The Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU) was a unit of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm operated by the contractor Serco Defence and Aerospace. It was established in 1972. It was most recently equipped with 13 BAE Systems Hawk T1 adva ...
(FRADU), and became the main shore base for the Navy's fleet of
Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...
FRS1 (and later, FA2). A ski-jump (now removed) was installed to enable practice of ski-jump assisted take-offs. In the mid 1980s,
Defence Estates Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is an operating arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the United Kingdom, which is responsible for the built and rural estate. Its chief executive is Mike Green. History The DIO was formed in 2011 in ...
announced that many of the Royal Navy ratings married quarters at RNAS Yeovilton were surplus to requirements. As a result, The Welbeck Estate Group acquired in the nearby town of
Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settleme ...
two entire estates of apartments in Hermes Place and Lyster Close that were used by personnel at HMS ''Heron''. (Note that while 'HMS' is typically a designation for a ship, the Royal Navy also used it for land-based establishments, known as a '
stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...
'.) These were refurbished and sold to local buyers. Since 1993, the
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
's Memorial Church has been the Church of St Bartholomew in Yeovilton.
800 Naval Air Squadron 800 Naval Air Squadron (800 NAS) also referred to as 800 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Harrier as part of Joint Force Harrier (JFH), from March ...
,
801 Naval Air Squadron 801 Naval Air Squadron (801 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War. History Fleet Air Arm of the Royal A ...
, and 899 Naval Air Squadron (training) which operated the BAE Sea Harrier FA2 and T8 were disbanded in 2006. The replacement carrier-borne aircraft, the
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...
, will be operated from
RAF Marham Royal Air Force Marham, commonly abbreviated RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Marham in the county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's ' ...
, and was due to enter service in 2018, when it will equip the
Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier The ''Queen Elizabeth''-class aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy consists of two vessels. The lead ship of her class, , was named on 4 July 2014 in honour of Elizabeth I and was ship commissioning, commissioned on 7 December ...
s. In July 2006, Sea King HC4 helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton were deployed to Cyprus on
Operation Highbrow Operation Highbrow was a British Ministry of Defence (MoD) operation to evacuate civilians from Beirut as a result of the escalating 2006 Lebanon War. Initially, helicopters started ferrying the most vulnerable to Cyprus with several Royal Navy ...
to assist with the evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon. Following the closure of RNAS Portland (HMS ''Osprey'') in 1999, HMS ''Heron'' became the main shore base for the
Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
fleet. In 2013, NATO's Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff was established at Yeovilton. The organisation provides NATO with electronic warfare policy, advice and support.


Commando Helicopter Force – from Sea King to Merlin

The
Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 was announced by the formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010. The previous major review of UK defence strategy was ...
recommended that in order to replace the Navy's ageing Westland Sea King HC4's which formed the Commando Helicopter Force at Yeovilton, the RAF's AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin fleet should be transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. To gain experience of operating and maintaining the Merlin, Royal Navy aircrew and engineers were integrated into the Merlin Force at
RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station located at Benson, Oxfordshire, Benson, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line st ...
during 2012. The Merlin fleet was officially handed over to the Navy during a ceremony at Benson on 30 September 2014. The ceremony marked the disbandment of the RAF's No. 78 Squadron, and its replacement at Benson with
846 Naval Air Squadron 846 Naval Air Squadron is a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). The squadron represents one of the two primary AgustaWestland Merlin HC4 Squadrons that constitute the Royal Navy's Commando Helicopt ...
. During July 2015,
845 Naval Air Squadron 845 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Part of the Commando Helicopter Force, it is a specialist amphibious unit operating the AgustaWestland Commando Merlin HC4 helicopter and provides troop transport and load ...
reformed at Benson and replaced No. 28 Squadron of the RAF which also disbanded. The Merlin arrived at Yeovilton when 846 NAS moved from Benson on . In May of that year, 848 Naval Air Squadron temporarily stood up with the remaining Sea King HC4 to cover the last remaining Sea King operations, before the Sea King HC4 was finally retired and the squadron decommissioned on 24 March 2016. The last phase of the transition occurred when 845 NAS departed Benson for Yeovilton on 16 June 2016, bringing nearly 15 years of RAF Merlin operations to a close.


Wildcat and Project WINFRA

The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2 began replacing the Westland Lynx HMA8 when the first production aircraft arrived at Yeovilton in January 2013. Prior to that, in May 2009, 700W NAS was formed at Yeovilton as the Wildcat Fielding Squadron. The squadron disbanded in July 2014 when it was merged with 702 NAS to form
825 NAS 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was for ...
, the first operational Wildcat unit. The final Wildcat HMA2 for the Royal Navy was delivered to 825 NAS in October 2016, bringing the total number of Royal Navy Wildcats to 28. The Lynx was retired in March 2017. In October 2015, the consolidation of the Army Air Corps (AAC) for
Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...
resulted in a large regular aviation regiment of Wildcat AH1 being based at RNAS Yeovilton. As such, all 62 UK military Wildcats on order will operate from Yeovilton. 1 Regiment AAC has returned from
Gütersloh Gütersloh () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe and the administrative region of Detmold (administrative region), Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a Gütersloh (distric ...
in Germany, and merged with 9 Regiment AAC from
Dishforth Dishforth is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Dishforth translates from Old English as dic-ford; a ford by a dike or ditch. The population of the parish taken at the 2001 census as 719 and had risen to 905 ...
. The current 652 (Wildcat Fielding) Squadron will become 1 Regiment's Wildcat Operational Conversion Unit. 1 Regiment will form part of the Army Air Corps' Aviation Reconnaissance Force along with 5 Regiment AAC. In order to allow the Army Air Corps to locate their Wildcat helicopters and 750 personnel at Yeovilton, extensive redevelopment of the station began in 2014. Known as Project WINFRA, the work involves eight separate contracts worth a total of £150 million and was undertaken by Mott McDonald and
Carillion Carillion plc was a British multinational construction and facilities management services company headquartered in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, prior to its liquidation in January 2018. Carillion was created in July 1999, following a ...
. Building 710, a new three-storey squadron building for 846 Naval Air Squadron was completed in March 2015. The refurbishment of technical facilities and the construction of new quarter master's stores, vehicle garages and facilities, ancillary buildings, a cycle path and car parks was completed and handed to the AAC in November 2015. Building 661 is the new 1 Regiment headquarters, and provides accommodation for 659 Squadron and 661 Squadron. In 2016, a new dental centre, a refurbished office building for 825 Naval Air Squadron, and a new build squadron building for 815 Naval Air Squadron were completed. By January 2017, a 500 capacity Senior Rates Mess, Physical and Recreational Training Centre including a gym, Multi Use Games Area and 4G sports pitches and the refurbishment of the medical centre had been completed. Three blocks of Single Living Accommodation which can accommodate 400 personnel were finished in March 2017. In total, the project has provided 508 new single living accommodation bed spaces, and 130 service families accommodation bed spaces.


Royal Navy Historic Flight

The
Royal Navy Historic Flight The Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) was the historic flight of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy up until its disbandment in March 2019. The RNHF maintained and flew a small number of aircraft that were important to British Naval aviation. Th ...
(RNHF) was disbanded in March 2019, previously operating at RNAS Yeovilton since 1972. Following its disbandment, the remaining aircraft were donated to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust at an approximate value of £1,810,000. With the aircraft having now been transferred to the civilian register, displays are now funded from charity events run by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.


Operations

Yeovilton is home to the Royal Navy
Wildcat Maritime Force Wildcat Maritime Force (WMF) is a unit of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Its primary role is to deploy the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2, a Utility helicopter, battlefield utility, search and rescue, aerial reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfar ...
(MWF), Royal Navy
Commando Helicopter Force Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) is a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and an element of the Joint Aviation Command of the British Armed Forces. Its primary role is to provide Rotary-Wing support to the UK Commando Force and other UK force e ...
(CHF), the Army's Aviation Reconnaissance Force (ARF), and elements of the Royal Navy
Fixed Wing Force Fixed may refer to: * ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails * ''Fixed'' (film), an upcoming animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky * Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System * Fi ...
. The station operates over 100
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
, and is staffed by around 1675 service and 2000 civilian personnel, including Ministry of Defence (MOD) employees and permanent contractors. Training of aircrew and engineers of resident aircraft types is also carried out at RNAS Yeovilton. It is also the location for the RN Fighter Controller School, training surface-based aircraft controllers. Commando Helicopter Force has now returned to prioritising its main amphibious role in support of
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
operations, after focusing on more than a decade of service in land campaigns in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
and prior to that in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. During periods of busy flying training, pressure on the RNAS Yeovilton circuit is relieved by the use of nearby RNAS Merryfield. 727 Naval Air Squadron operate the Grob Tutor T1 in the grading and elementary flying training role.


Air Day

Until 2019 the station held an annual
air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are trade fair, exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The ...
, allowing public access to the airfield. It included both a flying and static aircraft display. The air day traditionally ended with the
Commando Helicopter Force Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) is a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and an element of the Joint Aviation Command of the British Armed Forces. Its primary role is to provide Rotary-Wing support to the UK Commando Force and other UK force e ...
role demonstration, which saw a mixture of aircraft and land forces demonstrate a land assault delivered from the air.


Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at RNAS Yeovilton.


Royal Navy

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
*Wildcat Maritime Force **
815 Naval Air Squadron 815 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron flying the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 helicopter and is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. The squadron is based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) in Somerset. The squa ...
– Wildcat HMA2 **
825 Naval Air Squadron 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from th ...
– Wildcat HMA2 * 727 Naval Air Squadron – Tutor T1 *Royal Naval Reserve Air Branch *Royal Navy School of Fighter Control *Royal Navy School of Aircraft Control * Underwater Escape Training Unit * Royal Navy Wildcat Demo Team
Joint Aviation Command The Joint Aviation Command (JAC), previously known as Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of all three services of the British Armed Forces and unmanned aerial vehicles of the B ...
– Fleet Air Arm *
Commando Helicopter Force Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) is a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and an element of the Joint Aviation Command of the British Armed Forces. Its primary role is to provide Rotary-Wing support to the UK Commando Force and other UK force e ...
(Fleet Air Arm /
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
) **
845 Naval Air Squadron 845 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Part of the Commando Helicopter Force, it is a specialist amphibious unit operating the AgustaWestland Commando Merlin HC4 helicopter and provides troop transport and load ...
– Commando Merlin HC4/4A **
846 Naval Air Squadron 846 Naval Air Squadron is a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). The squadron represents one of the two primary AgustaWestland Merlin HC4 Squadrons that constitute the Royal Navy's Commando Helicopt ...
– Commando Merlin HC4/HC3i **
847 Naval Air Squadron 847 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopters and provides armed reconnaissance and light transport support to UK Commando Force. Along with 845 and 846 naval air squa ...
– Commando Wildcat AH1


British Army

Joint Aviation Command The Joint Aviation Command (JAC), previously known as Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of all three services of the British Armed Forces and unmanned aerial vehicles of the B ...
– Army Air Corps * 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team ** 1 Regiment *** 652 Squadron – Wildcat AH1 *** 659 Squadron – Wildcat AH1 *** 661 Squadron – Wildcat AH1
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm 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 t ...
*7 Aviation Support Battalion **73 Aviation Company (Wildcat Support)


NATO

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...
(SHAPE) *Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS)


Future


Merlin Life Sustainment Programme (MLSP)

The Merlin HC3/3A fleet is currently undergoing an upgrade to HC4 and HC4A, to ensure the aircraft are fully capable of deploying in a maritime / amphibious role. The differences between the remaining HC3 and (former Denmark-bound) HC3A will be almost eliminated in the HC4/4A upgrade, known as the Merlin Life Sustainment Programme (MLSP). This will remove conversion training requirements, as both the HC4 and HC4A variants can be operated under the same training. Prior to the upgrade, seven of the airframes have been upgraded to the 'interim HC3' (HC3i), and are serving with 846 NAS. These aircraft are receiving the full upgrade after the remaining aircraft were upgraded to the HC4 and HC4A. The upgraded and ship-optimised Merlin HC4 and HC4A aircraft are painted in Royal Navy grey, unlike their green 'Junglie' Sea King HC4 and Merlin HC3 predecessors. Full Operating Capability of the HC4 was delivered in December 2020, with all airframes expected to be delivered by 2023.


Commanding Officers, Navy

Included: *
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Harry S. Murray-Smith: March 1940 – May 1942 *Captain Mervyn S. Thomas: May 1942 – August 1943 *Captain E.M. Conolly Abel Smith: August 1943 – May 1944 *Captain Charles L. Keighley Peach: May 1944 – August 1945 *Captain John B. Heath: August 1945 – February 1947 *Captain W. Kaye Edden: February 1947 – May 1949 *Captain Walter A. Adair: May 1949 – January 1951 *Captain R.T. Paul: January 1951 – May 1952 *Captain Eric V. St.G. Morgan: May 1952 – September 1953 *Captain Alan F. Black: September 1953 – July 1955 *Captain Henry J.F. Lane: July 1955 – January 1958 *Captain Desmond B.Law: January 1958 – January 1960 *Captain William C. Simpson: January 1960 – January 1962 *Captain Rodney H.P. Carver: January 1962 – February 1964 *Captain Terence G.V. Percy: February 1964 – July 1966 *Captain George C. Baldwin: July 1966 – May 1968 *Captain Cyril J. Cunningham: May 1968 – May 1970 *Captain Alfred R. Rawbone: May 1970 – February 1972 *Captain Keith A. Leppard: February 1972 – February 1974 *Captain Joseph J. Phillips: February 1974 – November 1975 *Captain Harold J. Abraham: November 1975 – October 1977 *Captain Brian J. Williams: October 1977 – August 1980 *Captain Michael J.F. Rawlinson: August 1980 – February 1982 *Captain Peter J. Williams: February 1982 – January 1984 *Captain Robert J. Northard: January 1984 – February 1986 *Captain Rodney P. Warwick: February 1986 – February 1988 *Captain Colin L. MacGregor: February 1988 – 1989 *Captain Robin F. Shercliffe: 1989 – January 1992 *Captain Ian D. MacKenzie: January 1992 – August 1993 *Captain Iain R. Henderson: August 1993 – 1996 *
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...
Scott Lidbetter: 1996 – November 1998 *Commodore Richard J. Clapp: November 1998 – May 2001 *Commodore William M. Covington: May 2001 – July 2003 *Commodore Alan R.C. Bennett: July 2003 – November 2005 *Commodore Christopher L. Palmer: November 2005 – July 2009 *
Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
Mark Noble RM: August 2009 – June 2011 *Commodore Paul Chivers: June 2011 – November 2012 *Commodore Jock Alexander: December 2012 – September 2015 *Commodore Jon Pentreath: September 2015 – April 2017 *Commodore Nick Tindal: April 2017 – July 2020 *Commodore Niall Griffin: July 2020–present


See also

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AgustaWestland aircraft AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccanica ...
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Fleet Air Arm Museum The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintings ...
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List of air stations of the Royal Navy This is a list of naval air stations of the Royal Navy. Naval air stations are shore establishments of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the branch of the Royal Navy (RN) responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. Historically, RNAS referred to ...
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List of airfields of the Army Air Corps (United Kingdom) This is a list of airfields of the military aviation division of the British Army, the Army Air Corps, from 1 September 1957. Current airfields Previous airfields Home bases and deployment airfields: See also *List of British Army installa ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yeovilton Royal Naval Air Stations in Somerset Airports in England South Somerset 1941 establishments in England