Ministry of Defence St Athan or MOD St Athan (
Welsh: Maes awyr Sain Tathan), formerly known as Royal Air Force St Athan, or more simply RAF St Athan, is a large
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
unit near the village of
St Athan
St Athan () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier church was dated t ...
in the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...
, southern
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
The base was home to the RAF No. 4 School of Technical Training throughout its life, as well as a major aircraft maintenance unit. St Athan has also been used to house
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
units, including the
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards. At one time it was home to a large collection of historical aircraft.
The only flying unit to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis is the
Universities of Wales Air Squadron. This unit is one of fourteen RAF
University Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons (UAS), are Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve units under the command of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF. That offers training and flight training to university students, with the goal of attracting students into a ca ...
s, flying
Grob Tutor
The Grob G 115 is a general aviation fixed-wing aircraft, primarily used for flight training. It is built in Germany by Grob Aircraft ( Grob Aerospace before January 2009). The E variant with a 3-blade variable pitch propeller is in serv ...
s. 2300 Squadron of the
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the ...
is also located on the Station.
The airfield part of the site was transferred from military to civilian control on 1 April 2019. It is now owned by the
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
and known as Bro Tathan airfield, and is home to Bro Tathan Business Park. MOD St Athan continues to exist, comprising the barracks area which is adjacent to the airfield.
The airbase is a prominent scrapping facility, used by eCube, together with Horizon Aircraft Services (formerly Hunter Flying).
History
RAF St Athan
Early days
The station officially opened as RAF (Royal Air Force) St Athan on 1 September 1938 and the first unit to take up residence was No. 4 School of Technical Training (4SofTT). In 1939, the station's activities were expanded with the arrival of a fighter group pool, the School of Air Navigation, and a maintenance unit.
Second World War
The UK's
aircraft interception radar efforts were briefly housed at St Athan in late 1939 and early 1940. Prior to the war they had been located with the rest of the radar research efforts at
Bawdsey Manor on the east coast, but with the opening of hostilities they were quickly moved to a tiny civilian airfield,
Perth Airport (Scotland) outside
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. Yet the conditions there entirely unsuited to their efforts. After a short search, St Athan was selected for the AI team while the rest of the researchers stayed in
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
. When they too found the conditions unsuitable, both teams moved to
Worth Matravers in May 1940.
A Special Duty Flight was formed at the station on 14 November 1939 to support the aircraft-borne radar efforts. It was established from the nucleus of the Station Flight which had been established when the researchers were briefly relocated to Scotland. It lasted less than two years, and was re-designated the Telecommunications Flying Unit in early November 1941. By that time it was located at
RAF Hurn.
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 ...
the station had over 14,000 personnel, and was used for training ground and air crew. It was linked to the aircraft storage and maintenance facility at
RAF Llandow
Royal Air Force Llandow or more simply RAF Llandow is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, west of Cardiff.
It opened in 1940 and clos ...
.
[
During the war a dummy airfield was built using wood and cardboard a few miles west of the original airfield and successful efforts were made to hide the proper field (supposedly led by Jasper Maskelyne). Aircraft and buildings were made of cardboard and wood and some real, but old tractors were driven around the site. The Germans attacked the dummy field a number of times and it was rebuilt each time.
On 15 July 1940, four bombs failed to explode, 2 of them near assembly sheds. It was unclear to the newly appointed bomb disposal team led by Colonel Stuart Archer GC whether they were dealing with delayed action fuses -then causing major disruptions to vital buildings and airfields or more likely booby-trapped devices. The decision was taken to move the bombs to be detonated elsewhere.
The following units were here at some point:]
Post war
After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton. 4SofTT then became a Boy Entrant School, with new recruits being trained in engine and airframe mechanics, and armament, electrical and instrument mechanics. It was at this time that approval was given by the Airforce Board of the Defence Council for the formation of 2300 Sqn ATC. Following the demise of the Boy Entrant scheme in 1965, airman training returned to St Athan for the vehicle and general and Airframe, Engine aircraft maintenance trades.
Between May 1947 and August 1973, St Athan was also home for the Administrative Apprentice Training School, which provided a 20-month training programme for boys who enlisted to become clerks or work in accounting, supply and administration, prior to posting to other RAF units for a 12-year term of service.
During the 1960s, a driving school was established. Recruits that needed to drive ( RAF Police, MT (Mechanical Transport) drivers, etc.) were trained in a fleet of Morris Minor
The Morris Minor is an economy car produced by British marque Morris Motors between 1948 and 1971. It made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 ...
s, including "Travellers", and were taught basic maintenance. The driving tests were normally taken in Cardiff and, once students had passed, they were then allowed to train in night and motorway driving, and practise on a skid-pan.
St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Dominie, Vulcan, (minor servicing also from 1980) Victor, Buccaneer, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency
The Defence Aviation Repair Agency, better known as DARA, was an executive agency of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence, responsible for the maintenance and repair of Royal Air Force, Army and the Royal ...
(DARA). Highly specialised major servicing of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force Flight (military unit), flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and two fighters, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurr ...
's Avro Lancaster bomber was also conducted at RAF St Athan.
A new Aircraft Paint Facility of No. 1 Engineering Squadron, RAF St Athan was opened by the Permanent Under Secretary of State, MoD, Sir Michael Quinlan during January 1991.
The site carried out major servicing for VC-10s from February 1992 taking over from Brize Norton, along with third line maintenance for Hawks and Jaguar taking over from RAF Abingdon. The Victor Major Maintenance Unit was disbanded on 1 March 1992. The unit was formed at RAF Marham on 14 September 1988.
RAF St Athan has been used to house a number of army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
units throughout its life and, in 2003, the 1st Battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
, Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...
moved from Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
to St Athan – the first time they have been based in Wales since they were formed in 1915.
In March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs. Additional jobs would be created by allowing access to the super-hangar by commercial aviation partners. Project Red Dragon would replace RAF St Athan's existing repair centre – spread out across the site – and create a new, state-of-the-art facility. In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
The MOD later decided that DARA's 'fast jets' and engines businesses would close by April 2007, although the 'large aircraft' business would continue. On 14 April 2005, the Project Red Dragon super-hangar opened and DARA moved its VC10 operations from its existing 'Twin Peaks' hangar into the new facility. A 2009 report from the National Audit Office concluded that "The MOD and the Welsh Authorities did not work sufficiently closely during the project. Although they had complementary objectives, there was no common purpose between them, with the MOD interested in securing more efficient repair of fast jets and the Welsh Authorities interested in safeguarding and creating jobs in South Wales. The MOD and the Welsh Authorities did not have a shared understanding of each other’s key assumptions. The Red Dragon project highlights the danger in large and complex projects that involve multiple public bodies of insufficient openness and information sharing."
MOD St Athan
In 2006, the Special Forces Support Group
The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a special forces unit of the British Armed Forces. The SFSG was formed officially on 3 April 2006 to provide support to the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance R ...
was raised at St Athan and the Welsh Guards returned to London. The station was renamed as Ministry of Defence St Athan (MOD St Athan). A large swathe of land was acquired by the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
and commercial aircraft companies such as ATC Lasham started to operate from buildings such as the former VC10 hangars. DARA steadily drew down their 'fast jet' and engines operations, closing both by April 2007; the 'large aircraft' business continued as part of the Defence Support Group
The Defence Support Group (DSG) was an executive agency and wholly owned trading fund of the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom. It was established on 1 April 2008 by the merger of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency and the Army Base Re ...
(DSG) until its closure in 2012.
In 2009, building work was due to commence on a new defence training academy with its heart at St Athan. This had followed the Defence Training Review, when three companies tendered for two separate contracts, with the Metrix consortium being awarded the contract for package 1 (package 2 was later withdrawn). The Welsh Government then reintroduced its original plans to create an aviation business park, including the site in the St Athan and Cardiff Airport Enterprise Zone. Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...
set up Cardiff Aviation Lt. in the former VC10 hangars known as Twin Peaks. In addition, eCube (specialising in scrapping aircraft), together with Horizon Aircraft Services (formerly Hunter Flying) (MRO of military aircraft) took up occupation.
The training to be carried out at St Athan was to be specialist phase 2 and phase 3 engineering courses of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. They include those courses delivered today within the Defence Colleges of Aeronautical Engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...
, Electro-Mechanical Engineering and Communications and Information Systems. Phase 2 training involves initial trade training for the armed forces; phase 3 training involves continuous professional development. In addition, some training of overseas troops in the same disciplines was to be accommodated.
The new academy was expected to create up to 5,000 jobs at St Athan, with a £14 billion investment over 25 years and an estimated £57.4 million spent into the local economy. It was to accept its first intakes in 2012 and was to be fully operational in 2017 when the last of the current training centres closed. However, changes in all these elements of the plans were brought out by anti-Metrix campaigners. Phase 3 training was deleted with reduction to a PFI total of £11 billion, the 'academy' was downgraded to a Defence Training College, the number of jobs was halved and most disclosed as not created but transferred from other MOD sites. A principal member of the Metrix consortium (the 'blue-chip' Land Securities Trillium) withdrew, to be replaced by Sodexo
Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance) is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 522,000 employees as of 2023, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million custome ...
. A public inquiry into compulsory purchase of land opened in January 2009 gave opportunity for local communities and Welsh organisations (Cynefin y Werin; Friends of the Earth, Cymdeithas y Cymod, Green Party) to challenge the development. The MOD and Welsh Government accepted the size was cut by more than half, but maintained their demand for the same size of estate for accommodation and support facilities. They also retained the environmentally damaging and costly approach road, though opposed strongly by local communities. Being politically sensitive, the decision on the inquiry was held up for 18 months.
The MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009. The decision was delayed till after the 2010 election. Then, on 19 October 2010, the DTR project was cancelled and Metrix UK lost its status as preferred bidder. On 18 July 2011, the Minister announced that MoD Lyneham would instead be used as an integrated training centre.
The last aircraft to be serviced at DSG St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012 and the last remaining employees were made redundant.
On 23 February 2016, Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...
announced that their new factory to build its DBX dbx or DBX may refer to:
* dbx (debugger), a Unix source-level debugger
* dbx (company), a professional audio recording equipment company
** dbx (noise reduction), a noise reduction system invented by dbx, Inc.
* .dbx, the file extension for Micros ...
crossover model would be built on the airfield at St Athan. Construction of the site would commence in 2017, with a total investment of $280 million and the creation of 750 jobs. The factory will incorporate the Project Red Dragon super-hangar which had cost the British taxpayer £113m. The U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
, along with two UK sites and a Middle Eastern location, had been on Aston's shortlist for the factory. Aston unveiled the DBX at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show; DBX production was to start in 2020 with an output of up to 5,000 units a year envisaged.
The airfield part of the site was transferred from military to civilian control on 1 April 2019. It is now owned by the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
and known as Bro Tathan airfield, and is home to Bro Tathan Business Park. Bro Tathan North is currently home to the South Wales Aviation Museum. The military continues to have a presence adjacent to the airfield, which is known as MOD St Athan.
In December 2020, the last ever flight of a British Airways Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747.
The ''Advanced Series 300'' was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, target ...
, registration G-BYGC, landed at St Athan, having departed nearby Cardiff Airport, where it had been stored. This aircraft is painted in the heritage BOAC livery, and will be preserved, along with two of its sister aircraft that were sent to Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome (former International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO code EGTD) is an General aviation in the United Kingdom#Aerodrome licensing, unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It exten ...
in Surrey, and another which was sent to Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.
Current units
Units currently based at MOD St Athan include:
Strategic Command
*Special Forces Support Group
The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a special forces unit of the British Armed Forces. The SFSG was formed officially on 3 April 2006 to provide support to the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance R ...
Future
Relocation of No. 4 School of Technical Training
There was an intention to move No 4. School of Technical Training (No. 4 SoTT) from St Athan to MoD Lyneham as the Army (REME) schools that are relocating there carry out similar engineering training functions; however, a decision by 22 Training Group to keep capbadges together (RAF with RAF) seems to have changed the direction of No. 4 SoTT, with it now potentially moving to RAF Cosford
Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford (formerly DCAE Cosford) is a Royal Air Force station near to the village of Cosford, Shropshire, England just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.
It is a training station, home to ...
to rationalise the Defence College of Technical Training (DCTT) training establishments, a move confirmed in an announcement by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon
Sir Michael Cathel Fallon (born 14 May 1952) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom ...
on 15 September 2015.
In October 2017, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) stated the plans to move No. 4 SoTT were not sufficiently mature to provide a date for the move. The MOD indicated in September 2019 that the intent remains to relocate the school before the lease on its buildings expires in March 2024. The future location and time-frame to relocate the school was yet to be finalised.
Air accidents
On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...
trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off. The pilot attempted to recover the aircraft in a reciprocal approach; however, it struck the roof of the engine repair and overhaul squadron hangar and crashed to the ground at the foot of the adjacent hangar. The accident was investigated by an air crash investigation team and was attributed to pilot error.
Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor
The Grob G 115 is a general aviation fixed-wing aircraft, primarily used for flight training. It is built in Germany by Grob Aircraft ( Grob Aerospace before January 2009). The E variant with a 3-blade variable pitch propeller is in serv ...
aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the ...
cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died. With the cause of the incident uncertain, three separate enquiries were undertaken, including one by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident I ...
. The AAIB investigation report, published on 3 November 2010, concluded that the two aircraft simply failed to see each other due to obstructions on the canopy structure and the relative size and lack of conspicuity of the aircraft. The two cadet passengers were cousins and were named as Katie Jo Davies, 14, and Nikitta Walters, 13; the RAF pilots were named as Flying Officer
Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.
Flying officer is immediately ...
Hylton Price and Flight Lieutenant Andrew Marsh.
In media
The proximity of the BBC production facility at Roath Lock (and previously Upper Boat Studios) makes St. Athan a popular choice for location shooting, and it has appeared in such TV programmes as ''Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British-American science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect i ...
'', ''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' and '' Sherlock'', and also in the films ''The Killer Elite
''The Killer Elite'' is a 1975 American action film, action thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant, adapted from the Robert Syd Hopkins novel ''Monkey in the Middle.'' It stars James Caan and ...
'' and '' Mr Nice''.
See also
* List of Royal Air Force stations
This list of Royal Air Force stations is an overview of all current stations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training airbases, support, administrative and training station ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Athan
Organisations based in the Vale of Glamorgan
634 VGS
Airports in Wales
Military training establishments of the United Kingdom
Barracks in Wales
Buildings and structures in the Vale of Glamorgan
St Athan