MOD St Athan
| MoD St Athan | |||||||||||
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One of several entrance gates to RAF / MOD / DARA St Athan
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||
| Operator | St Athan | ||||||||||
| Location | St Athan, South Wales | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 163 ft / 50 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°24′17″N 003°26′09″W / 51.40472°N 3.43583°W | ||||||||||
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 EGDX
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MOD St Athan (IATA: DGX, ICAO: EGDX) is a large Ministry of Defence unit near the village of St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, southern Wales. It was the designated site for the United Kingdom's new defence training academy, but the programme was cancelled on 19 October 2010. It once claimed to be the largest Royal Air Force (RAF) station.
The base has been 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 units, including the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards. At one time it was home to a large collection of historical aircraft.
The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron (one of fourteen RAF University Air Squadrons), flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s. 2300 Squadron of the Air Training Corps is also located on the Station.
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.
The station officially opened as RAF 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. During the Second World War 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.
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