Royal Air Force (Hansard, 10 December 1991)

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton

Since the measures announced in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1991"—SDE 91—a number of further decisions have been taken as followsThe move of the two Tornado squadrons from their present base at RAF Marham to RAF Lossiemouth will begin in early 1993 and the transition to a maritime Tornado force equipped with Sea Eagle missiles will be complete by the end of 1994. These two maritime Tornado squadrons will be designated Numbers 12 and 617 Squadrons. The Tornado weapons conversion unit will redeploy from RAF Honington to RAF Lossiemouth from mid 1993. The groundcrew reconnaissance training facility and the Tornado electronic warfare maintenance school will transfer from RAF Honington to RAF Marham. Other RAF roles for RAF Honington are being considered. No 55 Squadron, equipped with Victor tankers and now based at RAF Marham, will be disbanded by the end of 1993. The RAF's air-to-air refuelling capability will be provided by VC10 and Tristar aircraft. RAF Marham will continue as a base for two Tornado GR1 a squadrons. It is now planned to disband No. 42 Squadron (Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft) based at RAF St. Mawgan from October 1992, and to move the Nimrod operational training unit from RAF St. Mawgan to RAF Kinloss in mid 1992. RAF St. Mawgan will remain a forward operating base for Nimrods, and have other roles. RAF Mount Batten will close at the end of 1992, when the school of combat survival and rescue and No. 3 maritime headquarters unit will move to RAF St. Mawgan. SDE 91 announced that a reduced force of Puma and Chinook support helicopters would be redeployed from RAF Gutersloh to RAF Laarbruch. It has now been decided that this force will comprise a single mixed squadron. RAF Wattisham will be closed as an active Royal Air Force flying station when the Phantom aircraft now based there are withdrawn from service, by the middle of 1993. Other defence uses for the station are being evaluated. The US Army has decided to deactivate the 47th area support group (its headquarters in the United Kingdom), based at RAF Burtonwood, in July 1992. The US Army reserve storage depot at RAF Burtonwood will, however, remain. It has been decided that the No. 60 Squadron (Andovers) currently based at RAF Wildenrath, will disband on 1 April 1992, when flying operations from RAF Wildenrath cease. Its air transport and communications aircraft and crews will deploy to Northolt as part of No. 32 Squadron which is currently based there.