RAF Gibraltar

RAF Gibraltar
LXGB Shown within Gibraltar
Coordinates	36°08′58″N 005°20′50″W / 36.14944°N 5.34722°W / 36.14944; -5.34722Coordinates: 36°08′58″N 005°20′50″W / 36.14944°N 5.34722°W / 36.14944; -5.34722
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1942 (1942)
In use	1942–Present
Battles/wars	Second World War: Operation Torch Falklands War Gulf War Balkans Sierra Leone
Garrison information
Current commander	Wg Cdr Liz Hutchison RAF
Airfield information
Elevation	3 metres (10 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 09/27 1,828 metres (5,997 ft) Asphalt

Royal Air Force Gibraltar or more simply RAF Gibraltar, also formerly known as North Front, is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF, Commonwealth and aircraft of other NATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stopovers, exercises, or other temporary duty. Administered by British Forces Gibraltar, the station is a joint civil-military facility that also functions as the Rock's civilian airport – Gibraltar Airport, with the civilian airport's passenger terminal building and apron facilities located on the north side of the runway while the apron and hangar of RAF Gibraltar are located on the south side of the runway.

A Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base was opened at Gibraltar during the First World War.

The airport was constructed during World War II when Gibraltar was an important naval base for the British. Originally opened in 1939, it was only an emergency airfield for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. However, the runway was later extended by reclaiming some land from the Bay of Gibraltar using rock blasted from the Rock of Gibraltar while carrying out works on military tunnels. This last major extension of the runway allowed larger aircraft to land at Gibraltar. At this time the airfield completely obliterated the former Gibraltar horse racing track.

On 25 September 1939, No. 200 (Coastal) Group RAF was formed as a subordinate formation to HQ RAF Mediterranean in control of No. 202 Squadron RAF. The Group's function was the control of Royal Air Force units operating from Gibraltar. In late 1940 the Group was transferred to Coastal Command. Later a joint RN/RAF Area Combined Headquarters was formed which commenced operations in early 1942.