Which UK Bases Are Used By US Visiting Forces?

From storing munitions to providing a home for fighter jets, UK bases operated by United States visiting forces have a number of uses.

The list includes Royal Air Force bases across the UK, and those designated for use by United States Visiting Forces (USVF) are as follows:

RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon

RAF Alconbury is home to the 423d Force Support Squadron, responsible for providing enhanced quality-of-life, facilities and programmes for those in both the base’s community and those at RAF Molesworth.

RAF Barford St John, Banbury

Formerly a Second World War airfield used to test top-secret prototype jet planes, RAF Barford St John is now closed for flying.

It has been used by the US Air Force as a communications base since 1951.

RAF Croughton, South Northamptonshire

The base is home to the 422nd Air Base Group, which processes roughly a third of all US military communications in Europe.

Built in 1938, the base was inactivated at the end of the Second World War and was given to US forces in 1950.

RAF Fairford, The Cotswolds

Used by the US as a forward operating base in Europe, RAF Fairford has recently seen B-52 bombers in the Cotswolds, as well as an Airbus A400M Atlas. 

RAF Feltwell, South West Norfolk

Used in both the First and Second World Wars, RAF Feltwell was one of the first two Expansion Period bomber stations before it was converted to a Thor Missile base in 1958.

Now it is used by the US Air Force stationed in Europe.

RAF Lakenheath, West Suffolk

The base is the largest US Air Force-operated base in England and the US Air Force's only F-15 fighter wing in Europe. 

RAF Menwith Hill, Skipton and Ripon

Established in 1954 as an intelligence support service and communication intercept, the base is now used by personnel from the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

RAF Mildenhall, West Suffolk

RAF Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, currently the only permanent US air refuelling wing in Europe.

Previously due to shut in 2027, RAF Mildenhall was deemed crucial to US operations in Europe.

RAF Molesworth, North West Cambridgeshire

Used as an American bomber base in the Second World War, the base went on to be used as a nuclear cruise missile base and as part of an intelligence-gathering network.

RAF Welford, Newbury

Used as a logistics base for the US Air Force, RAF Welford is a storage site for munitions.

It was originally planned as an RAF bomber Operation Training Unit, but was allocated to the USAAF for use as a transport airfield.

Blenheim Crescent, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner

A non-flying RAF station, it is used by the US military for administration. 

The base has recently undergone renovation; it is planned for personnel from the US Navy, US Army, and US Air Force to be stationed there, alongside civilian staff and contractors.

Cover image: American flags flying at Washington Monument (Picture: PA).