RAF V-Bomber Bases in the UK

This thread unravels much confusion, between Plan and Fact. Try this:

Early-59 USSR deployed (R-5M)SS-3 Shyster (in DDR) and (R-12)SS-4 Sandal IRBMs. UK agreed to man USAF/SAC Ballistic Missile Early Warning System(BMEWS)Site III /RAF Fylingdales Moor, operational 17/9/63, to detect launch “4 mins.” before impact (2½-8 mins:1966: Elliott/RRE data-handling Project LEGATE live) Wynn,P304/339;Agar/Hughes,P236,Bud/Gummett; B.Clarke,4Mn.Warning,Temp,05,P82.

Shyster caused 1959 Civil Works to generate MBF at 15 mins. Readiness, Main Bases and dispersals with 2(²)/4 a/c aprons at runway threshold, and/or perimeter stands: Aldergrove/Bruntingthorpe² (1963-66)/Cranwell²/Elvington²/RAE Farnboro’/Kemble/RAE Llanbedr²/Lyneham/Middleton S.G.²/Shawbury/FRL T.Rushton/RAE W.Freugh. Airports inc. Edinburgh/Prestwick/Ringway/Stansted²: all these had occasional, lurid MBF AwayDays to ’66: all were decoy: before Yellow Sun Mk.2, deployed from late-61 no weapon could be dispersed: US Project ‘E’ Bombs were dual key; Blue Danube, Red Beard and YS1 needed armourers’ coddling at Main Base. MBF held 15 mins.Q, 1 a/c p.Sqdn. wef 1/1/62, Launch On Command (use ’em or lose ’em, First Strike), but armed, only on Main Base: dispersal Civil Works stopped/started/stopped as the problems emerged of Bombs delicacy and of US custodials issues.

Warning from Fylingdales, plus imagery wef 29/8/63 by Corona/Keyhole KH-5 satellite enabled Launch on Warning, Second Strike, Assured Destruction from Main, NEAF/OCU/SR/tanker bases, prepared dispersals, 2/4 a/c Flights at 4 mins.Alert. Plan was to generate 75% U/E in 24 hr, 100% in 72 hr. with YS Mk.2, then WE.177B (from 9/66) and, delicately, Blue Steel from 7/64. 4 a/c stream take-off at 5 mins.Readiness was funded in 1962 with rapid engine start mods. and Civil Works for Operational Readiness Platforms (ORP, 4{or²}a/c, Waddington up 2/63), assigned thus (P.Hennessy,Secret State,P’guin,2010,P212:* sites assumed by UK Chiefs of Staff, 11/67, to be Soviet targets) :
Coningsby Wing* Vulcan 2/YS2: USAFE/Burtonwood (-11/64. Wing to Cottesmore, Coningsby to Works);
Cottesmore Wing*Victor 1/YS2: early-63-9/64; Vulcan 2/YS2 11/64-9/66; /WE177B,9/66-2/69 (then Wing to NEAF, Cott. to Works for Tornado): Ballykelly*, A&AEE Boscombe Down²*/RRE Pershore²*, Leconfield²*, Lyneham*; St.Mawgan (2x4)*, Valley²*, RNAS Yeovilton²*;
Honington Wing* Victor 1/YS2: joint use (1/5/62-6/11/65; a/c to K.1; Honington to Works{F-111K});
Scampton Wing* Vulcan 2/YS2: 1/1/62-early-63; BS, 7/64-30/6/69, Wynn,P.220: RAE Bedford*, RNAS Brawdy²*/Lossiemouth²*, Kinloss*, Leeming*, Waddington*; .
Waddington Wing* Vulcan 1/YS2: 1/4/62-late-’67; Vulcan 2/WE177B, 1/7/68-30/6/69: BAC Filton*, Finningley*, Leuchars², Machrihanish²* (to 1/69), Manston²*, Wattisham²; .
Wittering Wing* Victor 2/BS: 7/64-31/12/68 (Wing disbanded, Wittering to Works): Coltishall².
Others compatible with Mediums were Gaydon* (to 6/65: Victor OCU), Marham (from 5/65, Victor K.1); Wyton* (Victor SR.2 from 5/65), St.Athan (19/32 MUs).

MBF U/E peaked at 64xYS2+40xBS, mid-’64-31/5/65: 9 Bases could generate 36 a/c, so upto 68 dispersed. 1st.Whole-Force/no-notice Exercise Mickey Finn III 13-15/11/63: CiC BC: “16 of our 29 dispersals (used) by 47 a/c”. MF IV, 10/64: “25 (by) 35 a/c, remainder activated by personnel only" Wynn,Pp.337/338.

16xNEAF a/c dispersed to CENTO/Masirah/Mashad/Mehrabad/Peshawar (recovery sites for UK MBF sorties).

48xVulcan 2/WE177B continued dispersal Exercises Candella/Index, 1/7/69 thro’ 1970s.

Great post. I was hoping you would find your way over to here AK!

So I think I understand now that what we referred to at Cranwell as "the medium bomber dispersal" was for the V Force. But that then begs the question what were the ORPS on the south side of the runway for????

norwichpaul;135469 wrote:

Yes but where is the confusion then? Welcome to AiX by the way.

I think there is a general confusion, and a little bit here, between proposed and actually built V bomber dispersals, and that this thread shakes some of that out.
AKs post sets the operational idea out against the background of the military/political thinking and requirements.

Canberra, I don't know much about Cranwell, but from GE it looks like it has the typical normal readiness dispersals for four aircraft about 600ft to the south of the 27 end of the runway www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.028386&lon=-0...&z=16.5&r=0&src="msa" , and then the (maybe 2nd to west of it?) square Operational Reediness Platform immediately south of the runway as you enter the 26 threshold , www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.030313&lon=-0...&z=16.5&r=0&src="msa" .

S were both sets of ORPs at Cranwell for the V force?

As I understand it, on normal readiness the V-bombers (Valiants I think for Cranwell) on normal readiness would be parked on the four bay dispersal shown in the first link, the aircraft at 05 or 02 readiness is held on the small square ORP shown in the second link. Maybe a second ORP immediately to the west on the other taxiway track.

If you're referring to the two large platforms on the south edge of both ends of the runway, I don't know what they are, guessing pre V-Bomber dispersal airfield medium bomber platforms possibly?

Medium bomber ORP's, or perhaps fighter dispersal? I wonder if PJH came across anything in his work on Fighter Command, as published in Airfield Review a year or two back?

That's solved the question, ORPs at 05 and 02 and medium bomber dispersal the rest of the time.