RAF V-Bomber Bases in the UK

Information from the book RAF Nuclear Deterrent Forces

V-Bomber bases were approved for Operational Readiness Platforms (ORP) in February 1963, they had three main catagories.

Class 1 Airfields with ORPs and facilities for four aircraft
Coningsby
Cottesmore
Finningley
Gaydon
Honington
Marham
Scampton
Waddington
Wittering
Wyton

Dispersal Airfields with ORPs and facilities for four aircraft
Ballykelly (4)
Bedford (Thurleigh) (4)
Burtonwood (?)
Kinloss (2)
St Mawgan (?)

Dispersed Airfields with ORPs and facilities for two aircraft
Boscombe Down
Brawdy
Bruntingthorpe
Coltishall
Cranwell
Elvington
Filton
Leconfield
Leeming
Leuchars
Llanbedr
Lossiemouth
Lyneham
Machrihanish
Manston
Middleton St George
Pershore
Prestwick
Shawbury
Stansted
Tarrant Rushton
Valley
Wattisham
Yeovilton

Other Dispersal AIrfields
Aldergrove
Carnaby
Kemble

Could the 6,000ft runway at Tarrant Rushton been a limiting factor in the use of it as a V-Bomber Dispersal Airfield?

I have also put in brackets next to each airfield the count of actual ORPs that can be seen in GE. Some I can find no trace of the location of the ORPs so I am unable to confirm howmany and where on the airfield they were.

The following posts have GoogleEarth Screengrabs of the airfields, plus a close up of the dispersal location. The first part of the list above (Class 1 Airfields) have not been included in the GE screen grabs below.

Here's one I prepared earlier...

V-Force Stations.kmz

All the best,
PB

I'm trying to locate the following V-Bomber ORPs, any ideas?

Brawdy (Possibly 2 at the north end of runway 20)
Kinloss (think its where my screengrab is but I'm not sure)
Bruntingthorpe (no idea)
Coltishall (no idea)
Elvington (no idea)
Leuchars (no idea)
Manston (no idea)
Prestwick (no idea)
Stansted (no idea)
Wattisham (no idea)

Also, apart from Akrotiri and Luqa, where there any other overseas V-Bomber Dispersal Airfields and where were the V-Bomber ORPs located at these two as well?

Kinloss, 4 pads by 1967:

RAF St Mawgan had two ORPs and these can still be seen at the extreme north east of the main runway, one platform is on the taxi spur (Oscar), and the other is on the taxy entrance to the 31 threshold. There was a weapons safety pond between these two.
When not at short readiness, or on excercise, the aircraft were generally parked on the four dispersals (East dispersal) just to the north of the ORPs, where there was also a complex of SECO buildings.

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St Mawgan airfield by jamtey71 , on Flickr

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St Mawgan ORPs by jamtey71 , on Flickr

Brawdy:

ORPs were built at all the V Force (ie Valiant, Victor & Vulcan) home bases, and the airfields that were specially designated dispersed airfields.
These platforms were built very close to the runway, usually at the intersection, or threshold stubs, and could maintain an aircraft and its weapon (crucial with Blue Steel) in live and ready to go configuration. This included power, communications handling and safety equipment. These platforms are not to be confused with regular aircraft servicing and parking areas etc.
The crews generally had accommodation, with comms, of some sort nearby.

Readiness for V bombers on parking areas were,

RS15, were the aircraft and crew had to be capable of taking off in 15 minutes. The crew could be in their rest room partly in flying suits, or further away with dedicated vehicle ready to go. This readiness could be held anywhere between a few hours, or on at least one excercise up to 30 days. The crews operated in 24hr shifts.

The next level was readiness on the ORPs and were,

RS05, the aircraft on the ORP with all electrical power on, and APU running. The crews were all fully suited and sat in their positions. The aircraft was to scramble within 5 minutes, and this readiness could be held for up to 5 hours. All four engines were capable of single point start up, ie not wasting time on seperate engines and systems to start and come on stream.

RS02 would have all engines running, and crews ready to go, all external supplies were dissconnected, this readiness would get the aircraft airborne in 2 minutes and would only be held for very short periods of time.

There were two classe of V Bomber airfields,
Class 1 airfields, All capable of accommodating four V bombers at readiness.
Coningsby
Cottesmore
Finningley
Gaydon
Honington
Marham
Scampton
Waddington
Wittering
Wyton

I assume that all the other airfields were class 2.

Prestwick, 2 pads:

Coltishall:



Elvington:

Wattisham:



Leuchars:



Manston: