RAF Leeming: Crucial to defence and the only air base in the north of England

RAF Leeming, located near the A1 in North Yorkshire, oversees a multitude of tasks and has been described as crucial to UK defence.

Among the many units calling the base home, 11 Squadron Qatar Emiri Air Force sees the next generation of Qatari and British fighter pilots learning their craft, side-by-side, on Hawk Mk 167 jets.

But this task, vital as it is to both the air forces of Qatar and the UK, is just one part of a much wider defence picture operating out of the base. It's also home to one of the country's busiest Mountain Rescue teams and its runway handles 22,000 aircraft movements per year - more than some civilian airports.

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"RAF Leeming is the only large Royal Air Force base in the north of England which, in itself, is important," said Station Commander, Group Captain Paul Hamilton.

"Whenever there's a major exercise that’s happening in support of broader defence priorities, RAF Leeming is used regularly.

"It's really good because we get all sorts of different organisations from across defence, not just from the Royal Air Force, and internationally here at Leeming."

Forces News was invited behind the wire at RAF Leeming to see first-hand the range of defence activites going on there every day.

As well as spending time with Qatari and British trainee fighter pilots, our team also met personnel working in the base's tower and approach room, the nerve centre of all air movements on and off the runway.

And with an eye on the emerging threats associated with drone warfare, Leeming is also home to No 2 Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Wing (C-UAS), RAF Regiment.

It's a team made up of experts and technology, some of which is too sensitive to report. It's all designed to defeat enemy drones and the threats they pose at war.

While personnel from the wing deploy to hotspots around the world, its men and women also conduct operations much closer to home.

This summer, RAF Regiment C-UAS gunners will find themselves assisting French military and defence colleagues at the Paris Olympic Games, protecting the skies from drone threats.