RAF Geilenkirchen
Encyclopedia
The former Royal Air Force Station Geilenkirchen, more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen, was a Royal Air Force
military air field in the North Rhine-Westphalia
region of Germany
, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21 January 1968.
Luftwaffe
in March 1968. The Germans used the airfield as home for a Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the United States Army
.
In 1980, the station became NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen
, to house the main operating base for NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (AWACS). This is a multinational
organisation operating 17 NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry
aircraft.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
military air field in the North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21 January 1968.
Geilenkirchen squadrons
- No 2 Squadron RAF - 1955-1957; operated the Gloster MeteorGloster MeteorThe Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
FR10 and later the Supermarine SwiftSupermarine SwiftThe Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Royal Air Force , built by Supermarine during the 1950s. After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor, but, due to a spate of accidents, its service life was short...
FR5 - No. 3 Squadron RAFNo. 3 Squadron RAFNo 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
- 1953-1957 and 1959-1961, 1961-8; operated the Hawker HunterHawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
F4, the Gloster JavelinGloster JavelinThe Gloster Javelin was an "all-weather" interceptor aircraft that served with Britain's Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s...
FAW4 and the English Electric CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
B(I)8 (61-68) - No. 5 Squadron RAFNo. 5 Squadron RAFNo. 5 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the operator of the new Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar aircraft and is based at RAF Waddington.-History:As No...
- 1962-1965; operated the Gloster Javelin FAW9 - No. 11 Squadron RAF - 1959-1965; operated the Gloster Meteor NF11 and later the Gloster Javelin FAW4,FAW5,FAW9
- No. 59 Squadron RAFNo. 59 Squadron RAFNo. 59 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force.- History :No.59 Squadron first became operational on 1 August 1916 at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. During the Second World War it was attached to RAF Fighter Command , Bomber Command and Coastal Command...
- 1957-1961; operated the Canberra B2 and B(I)8 (57-61) - No. 92 Squadron RAFNo. 92 Squadron RAFNo. 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it...
- 1965-1968; operated the English Electric LightningEnglish Electric LightningThe English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
F2,F2A - No. 96 Squadron RAFNo. 96 Squadron RAFNo. 96 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron. The squadron served on the Western Front during World War II and the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. No. 96 Squadron served in a variety of roles such as night fighter cover and transportation. It was disbanded in 1959,...
- 1958-1959; operated the Gloster Javelin FAW4 - No. 234 Squadron RAFNo. 234 Squadron RAFNo. 234 Squadron RAF had a long career within the RAF, being operational on flying boats in World War I and on fighter aircraft in World War II. After the war it remained a fighter unit till 1957. In its last incarnation the squadron was in turn Operational Training Unit , Tactical Weapon Unit and...
- 1954-1957; operated the North American Sabre F4F-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
and later the Hawker HunterHawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
F4 - No. 256 Squadron RAFNo. 256 Squadron RAFNo. 256 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Defiant Mk IIs out of RAF Squires Gate in the night defence of Liverpool....
- 1958-1958; operated the Gloster Meteor NF11
Post RAF history
The RAF handed over the station to GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in March 1968. The Germans used the airfield as home for a Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
In 1980, the station became NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is located near Geilenkirchen, Germany. It is the Main Operating Base of the NATO E-3A Component, one of two operational elements of the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force.- Location and history :...
, to house the main operating base for NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (AWACS). This is a multinational
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
organisation operating 17 NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry
E-3 Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force...
aircraft.