Colerne Airfield

Colerne Airfield (ICAO: EGUO), now known as Azimghur Barracks, is a British Army site at Colerne, Wiltshire, England. From 1939 to 1976 it was the home of RAF Colerne.

Colerne Airfield
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorBritish Army
LocationColerne
Elevation AMSL593 ft / 181 m
Coordinates51°26′21″N 002°17′11″W
Map
EGUO
Location in Wiltshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 1,095 3,593 Asphalt
07/25 1,664 5,459 Asphalt
"Airport information for EGUO". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006.

History

From 1940 to 1955 RAF Fighter Command units were based here. During the Battle of Britain the airfield served as a satellite field to RAF Middle Wallop, and squadrons rotated back and forth from there on a daily basis.[1]

Present day

The site is a ground station for the Skynet 5 military satellite system that provides battlefield support (e.g. real-time imagery from remote-piloted drones[2] in various theatres of war). It is also in close proximity to the underground Corsham Computer Centre.

The site is also the location of Azimghur Barracks, home to 21st Signal Regiment.[3]

Future

In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the airfield would close in 2018 (later extended to 2025[4]), and Azimghur Barracks in 2031.[5]

References
  1. RAF, Groups in the Battle of Britain, accessed February 2009
  2. "UK Skynet: Not to be confused with The Terminator". BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  3. "21st Signal Regiment (Air Support) & Air Formation Signals History" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  4. "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces News. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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