RAF Alconbury

RAF Alconbury
Part of United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA)
Near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in England
Front entrance of RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates	52°21′48″N 000°13′22″W / 52.36333°N 0.22278°W / 52.36333; -0.22278Coordinates: 52°21′48″N 000°13′22″W / 52.36333°N 0.22278°W / 52.36333; -0.22278
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	AY
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force (1939–1942) United States Army Air Forces (1942–1945) United States Air Force (1951–present)
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command (1939–1942) Eighth Air Force (1942–1945) RAF Maintenance Command (1945–1953) United States Air Forces in Europe (1953–Present)
Site history
Built	1938 (1938)
In use	1939–1945, 1951–present
Battles/wars	Second World War Air Offensive, Europe Cold War Operation Desert Storm
Garrison information
Garrison	501st Combat Support Wing
Occupants	423d Air Base Group
Airfield information
Elevation	46 metres (151 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 12/30 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) Asphalt (USAF) 06/24 1,750 metres (5,741 ft) Concrete (WWII) 12/30 1,235 metres (4,052 ft) Concrete (WWII) 18/36 1,235 metres (4,052 ft) Concrete (WWII)

Second World War

Cold War

Royal Air Force Alconbury or more simply RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Huntingdon, England. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of Great Stukeley, Little Stukeley, and Alconbury.

Opened in 1938, it is a non-flying facility, under the control of the United States Air Force. It is one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire used by the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Upwood make up the "Tri-Base Area", because of their geographic proximity and interdependency. Except for a period of inactivity between 1945 and 1951, the station has been used continuously.

RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth are the last Second World War–era Eighth Air Force bases in Britain that are still used and controlled by the United States Air Force. On 8 January 2015, it was announced that the US Air Force would be withdrawn from RAF Alconbury, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Molesworth.

The Alconbury Weald development, including Alconbury Enterprise Campus, is taking place on land adjoining the USAFE site, part of the former RAF Alconbury.

The host unit at RAF Alconbury is the 423rd Air Base Group (423 ABG), which supplies host-unit services for Alconbury and RAF Molesworth. The 423 ABG also serves the 426th Air Base Squadron, at Sola Air Station, Stavanger, Norway.