Insight Autumn 2023

AUTUM N 2023

INSIGHT

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 1

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INSIGHT

In this issue…

Autumn 2023

From the Editor…

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Flt Lt D.J. Hopkinson

elcome to the Autumn 2023 edition of Insight magazine.

Unfortunately, the theme of wet weather appears to have continued from our Summer publication into this one with the recent October floods!

This edition contains some noteworthy history content with our regular feature from the 51 Sqn History Corner, an update from the RAF Waddington Heritage Centre and a memoir of the 1983 Cold War Exercise Able Archer. The latter provides a very interesting personal reflection upon how different life was on an RAF station forty years ago, as well as how the world’s political situation may or may not have changed.

06 06 11 13 EDITORIAL TEAM: WAD-InsightEditorialTeam@mod.gov.uk External Email: Use personal email addresses listed Tel: +44 (0)1522 726704 Editor: Flt Lt D.J Hopkinson

Finally, while I have been working on the Insight Team for some time as Deputy Editor, I have now assumed the mantle of Editor and would like to welcome Flt Lt Chris Talbot to the team as my Deputy. Please could I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their contributions to the magazine to date and encourage anyone and everyone to submit articles to WADInsightEditorialTeam@mod.gov.uk for publication. It is your hard work that this magazine is created to share and celebrate!

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WAD-InsightEditorialTeam@mod.gov.uk Deputy Editor: Flt Lt Chris Talbot WAD-InsightEditorialTeam@mod.gov.uk Designer:

19 20

Amanda Robinson Advertising by: Jayne Bailey Tel: 01536 334 219 Published by:

We also boast some sporting content in this edition with articles from both the RAF Athletics Association as well as the RAF Waddington Running Club.

The sporting achievements of these organisations and the individuals involved are to be applauded and we hope that their articles will inspire you to get involved with RAF sports and to share and celebrate your achievements with Insight magazine.

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Station Commander's Foreword Area 51 51 Sqn History Corner Exercise Able Archer - Nov 1983 An Airman on Guard Heritage Centre RAF Athletics Association Inter-Station Championships and Individual Championships 2023 How the RAF Benevolent Fund Supported RAF Waddington in 2022 Running Club Summer 2023 Season Round up 2019 Waddington Development Team

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NN16 8NL Tel: 01536 334 222

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The magazine is entirely funded by advertising and costs the Station nothing to produce. Insight is not an official publication and, unless otherwise stated, views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily represent MOD, RAF or Station policy. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the editor or publishers. Advertisements accepted on the understanding that they conform to the British Code of Advertising Practice. Insight is produced by kind permission of the Station Commander, RAF Waddington.

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 5

Station Commander’s

Foreword...

Gp Capt Mark Lorriman-Hughes

Greetings once again from Area 51.

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his month sees the publication of the Autumn 23 edition of the Station Magazine, a seasonal change heralded with dreadful weather. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved in getting the Station through the storm and dealing with the aftermath for their hard work and resilience.

As ever RAF Waddington’s operational output remains high. The 51 Squadron article attests to this, describing the last few months as being ‘relatively quiet’ whilst still supporting four named operations. This level of work is typical of RAF Waddington’s Wings, Sqns and resident units and the positive attitude and message is laudable. I would encourage everyone to take pride in RAF Waddington’s operational achievements and to make use of this publication as a means to share these successes.

It is also a pleasure to see the historical content present in this Edition.

RAF Waddington’s history and heritage and that of 6 INSIGHTMAGAZINE

its resident units is what shapes the Station. The work the Heritage Centre does to share this history is commendable and it is fantastic to see its everexpanding collection of exhibits and evolving facilities. The other two history articles also offer very contrasting insights: from the role of 51 Sqn in the iconic raids on Peenemunde to the experiences of an airman during a 1980’s TACEVAL. Both these accounts are invaluable in understanding what it means to be a member of a Sqn or Unit with the kind of history boasted by 51 Sqn or RAF Waddington and what it means, personally, to be an individual serving within these organisations.

On a final note I would like to welcome Flt Lt Daniel Hopkinson and Flt Lt Chris Talbot as the new Editor and Deputy Editor of the Station Magazine respectively.

Please could I echo their encouragement and requests for articles for publication.

This is your Station Magazine and it is always a pleasure to read about your exploits and successes.

The past few months have been relatively quiet for the Squadron and considering that period has included a full Sqn deployment, assistance to four different named operations and participation in three different exercises, it is a testament to the high tempo 51 Sqn has been at for the last 18 months.

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Ex NORTHERN EDGE n early May, members of 51 Sqn, 56 Sqn, 54SU and 1ISR Wg deployed for two weeks to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska to support Ex NORTHERN EDGE. One of the exercise participants, Sgt Andy Crawford, explains more: The primary aim was to integrate with the 55th Wg and 645th whilst undertaking a tier 1 exercise with 4th and 5th gen fighters. In addition, it gave the 645th team at Greenville a chance to carry out tests on significant baseline upgrades to the UK Rivet Joint jet (due back later this year).

The exercise provided fantastic insight into the testing area along the coast of Alaska and more broadly the larger range to the North in which the fighters were operating. The huge array of US military hardware on display at JBER from across the country and from other five eyes partners (Australian E7 and UK F35s) was also quite remarkable. Northern Edge is fundamentally a focused look at the Pacific region and provides multinational and

multi-domain operations whilst promoting joint interoperability between nations. As a result of the focus to the East it gave the 51 Sqn participants in particular a fresh look at a theatre many had not had the capacity to examine due to commitments in Eastern Europe. Northern Edge is known for its realistic look at potential conflict in the future and due to the vastness of Alaska it covered air, maritime and land based operational theatres, giving participants insights they would not get anywhere else.

Moreover, with two RC-135s in attendance it allowed the opportunity for significant tests and put the returning ZZ666 jet through its paces with its new avionics’ upgrades. The members of 56 Sqn and the 645th facilitated these tests throughout the two weeks and hopefully once the jet returns later this year these tests will provide valuable understanding into the new baseline for everyone involved. As well as the aircrew, there was also ground crew in attendance from 54SU and 1ISR Wg who were looking at the new mobile SCIF. With the deployed SCIF in situ at JBER it allowed our analysts and technicians a chance to investigate the possibilities of using the facility on RAF operations in the future.

Overall, NORTHERN EDGE was an incredibly useful exercise providing a realistic stage in which to train and test with a wide array of nations and aircraft surrounded by stunning scenery.

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Op DAGGER FJORD uring May 51 Sqn again made good use of the co-crewing opportunities available through the Big Safari Program by sending four of its aircrew on Op DAGGER FJORD, a US Agile Combat Employment (ACE). The aim of an ACE is to operate away from a home airfield with minimal additional support. The 51 Sqn contingent consisted of a Pilot, an Airborne Systems Engineer (ASE), a Mission Commander and a Signal Search and Development (SSD) operator. This variety of specialisation would allow knowledge and experience to be gleaned from the US crew, which will be used for future planning considerations and to help inform decisions about whether 51 Sqn can employ a similar model themselves.

Departing from RAF Mildenhall, the crew conducted a full mission including air-to-air refuelling before landing at Ørland in Norway. On day two, the crew conducted mission planning on the aircraft

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NSA Souda Bay aval Support Activity Souda Bay in Crete has become 51 Sqn’s second home since the arrival of the Rivet Joint, and so it was once again when the squadron

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Ex RESOLUTE HUNTER lso during June, five aircrew deployed to NAS Fallon in Nevada to take part in Exercise Resolute Hunter – the foremost collective ISR training event for Five Eyes nations, providing land, sea and air training at a scale not replicated anywhere else in the world. The deployers cocrewed with a US Rivet Joint Crew from the 55th Wing and were fully integrated into the planning and participation of the exercise, leading to a lot of cross-pollination with

using engine power having conducted a ‘dark-start’ – starting using an onboard generator and battery power rather than the normal method of using a ground power unit. Conducting mission planning in this way was part of proving the concept of this method of operating. Day three was another full mission, again with a ‘dark-start’ and making use of the previous day’s mission planning. Day four consisted of a meet and greet with NATO officials and a small opportunity for the UK personnel to conduct a small FD trip to Austrått Fort which contains a triple gun turret taken from the German battleship Gneisenau. Day five started with another ‘darkstart’ and a full mission which landed back at RAF Mildenhall.

Of particular note during this Op, was the conduct of Sgt West who subsequently received The Withers Award for SNCOs, and an excerpt from his citation reads:

The crew and support team for Op DAGGER FJORD.

headquarters throughout and fixed several issues whilst airborne that his US counterparts had said were unfixable. This is one of many examples of the great work that West has produced during his tour on 51 Sqn, but one which deserves recognition at Station level given the highprofile nature of the ACE.’

‘As an Air Systems Engineer 5 (ASE 5), Sgt West’s position was crucial to enabling the start-up of mission equipment.

This process has not been trialled operationally, and through his diligent work, West was able to ensure it worked first time, thus allowing for operational success. For this, West received high praise from the Aircraft Captain. Four other US ACEs were present on the deployment, yet West stood head and shoulders above them through his work ethic, system knowledge and unquenchable desire to solve problems with aircraft systems on all three of the op sorties.

Through his proactivity, West enabled rapid and timely offboarding of essential data to customers and higher

deployed there during the month of June, with the Advance Party arriving on 21 May and the Rear Party departing on 08 July.

Consisting of two airframes, over 150 personnel and all of the required equipment in support of three different

operations made this one of the most complex Souda Bay deployments so far.

Within a period of 22 days the deployment achieved 17 out of 18 planned sorties which is an outstanding success rate. Despite the high rate of flying, everybody

was able to make the most of being on the island of Crete during their downtime, whether that be tennis football and crew BBQs on camp, visits into the town of Souda or heading further afield for FD and time at the beach.

regards to operating and crew-co-ordination. With 10 missions taking place over three weeks, the main aim of the deployment was to assess suitability for future 51 Sqn participation as a full Sqn deployment to include sending our own aircraft, aircrew, engineers and support staff. The overwhelming opinion is that due to the incredible breadth and depth of training opportunities afforded by Ex RESOLUTE HUNTER, 51 Sqn would benefit greatly by targeting yearly attendance.

FS Gannan with the triple gun turret at Austrått Fort.

Co-Crewing at Ex RESOLUTE HUNTER.

CONTINUES ON P-9 INSIGHTMAGAZINE 7

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With no aircraft to maintain or fly at home, it was an opportunity for training and currencies to be completed, and also to get out and take part in some activities that we don’t normally have to time to do. A group of 11

engineers spent 5 hours at Beckside Care Home in North Hykeham, where they helped out with some minor maintenance tasks such as painting and gardening. The team also spent some time chatting to the residents which was an enjoyable experience for everyone.

The residents and staff of the care home were very appreciative for the support and also for the interaction they received from the team.

Beckside Care Home visit.

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D

CMP Week uring the week commencing 31st July, the squadron had a Core Maintenance Period (CMP). This was a full week with no flying to allow for the engineers to conduct a large amount of routine checks and services, as well as rectifications. As a whole, the squadron took the pause in flying to complete mandatory training as well as conducting crew and cadre specific training which

included a visit from 54SU to discuss mission specifics.

The week culminated in a long overdue Aircrew vs Engineers Football Match.

A tight first half saw the Engineers lead 2-1, however a goal fest in the second half (which wasn’t very close) gave a final result of 10-3 to the Engineers.

It was a hot day and so the beer call immediately after the conclusion of the match gave a perfect opportunity to rehydrate.

Aircrew vs Engineers Football Match.

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Coming Soon ver the course of the next few months as well as an ops tempo dictated by the continuing and ever changing situation in Eastern Europe we will be taking part in Ex STORM WARRIOR, and also

beginning preparations for Ex RESOLUTE HUNTER which we are currently planned to attend in November. Until next time from Area 51.

Swift and Sure 51 SQN MEDIA & COMMS TEAM Sgt Phil Howle INSIGHTMAGAZINE 9

51 Sqn History Corner In this edition of History Corner, we will continue with 51 Sqn’s progress through the Second World War.

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fter returning to Bomber Command in October 1942, the Sqn remained there until the penultimate day of the war contributing in a variety of ways. This included bombing raids against the occupied Low Countries, France, Italy and Nazi Germany; sea mining in the Baltic and targeting supply and distribution lines. They also took part in Operation HYDRA on 16th August 1943.

The purpose of Operation Hydra was targeting the military facility at Peenemunde on the north-east coast of Germany. This facility was the design, test and build centre for the V2 rockets and so its destruction was seen as a strategic imperative. Over 600 aircraft took part in 4 waves over the course of an hour, commencing at 0010z.

51 squadron provided 24 aircraft as a part of the first wave. Just before the raid started at Peenemunde, a small force of Mosquitos had been sent with the WINDOW

jamming equipment to Berlin as a diversion called Operation WHITEBAIT. The WINDOW system had in part been developed from technology acquired during the Bruneval raid which 51 Sqn had also been a part of. The Op WHITEBAIT diversion replicated the tactics of the beginning of a large raid on Berlin, such as marking targets with flares at the same time as jamming the Radars to simulate a large airborne force. The diversion was a success and drew the expected response from the Luftwaffe.

suffered no losses. The raid was a success in that most of the buildings in the facility were completely destroyed (approximately 75% during the first wave), along with the death of a small number of the scientists working on

the project. Although Joseph Goebbels claimed that the raid had only pushed the project back by two months, the reality is that the V2 rockets never became the threat that was feared thanks in part to Operation Hydra.

Planning map.

Highlighted areas were the focus of the attack.

The success of the diversion was such that the German fighters were only able to regroup and arrive at Peenemunde in time to catch the last wave of bombers.

In total there were only 40 allied aircraft that were shot down (around 7% of the aircraft that took part) which was a good ratio for bomber command compared with other raids into Germany.

Being in the first wave, 51 Sqn

Planning map. Highlighted areas were the focus of the attack.

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 11

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Exercise Able Archer - Nov 1983

An Airman on Guard Just like previous TACEVALS, it was a rude awakening with the landrover pulling a mobile siren around the roads on the married patch, usually about 0430/0500hrs to give everyone the ‘Good News’ that they are on a Station Exercise for 4 or 5 days.

STANEVALS or TACEVALS a familiar dread.

Greens on, bags packed and get myself out of the caterer’s house on Vulcan Street and walk onto camp with all my gear, to be given further instructions. Only 18 at the time, it was something I had done several times already, so I knew the drill. My role on this exercise was as a bomb dump guard which was located across the A15, now the Fire Training area.

We were shuttled over to the HQ setup at the bomb dump to start our guard rotation by an old green coloured sherpa minibus. DMS boots, battlefield blouse, trousers and putties on. Our trusty eyes our only defence. No SLR issued as I remember

in those days, we were not exactly the infantry! With the promise of November weather I wasn’t exactly excited about the next few days. However, I did look forward to a brew, egg banjo’s, all in stew and a game of pontoon to while away the hours. The food was transported across in hot locks with red hot coals in a sliding draw to keep the food hot, but it rarely worked. If we were lucky on our downtime, we had a radio to listen to or one another’s company to enjoy. I liked the stories the old sweats regaled us with about ‘team building’, drinking and detachments to bases overseas. The furthest I’d been by age 18 was Rhyl in Wales.

So stuck on top of a bomb dump storage area, we were freezing. The greens back in

the day were pretty useless and not like the layering sytem we have now. Our task was to be on the lookout for the enemy trying to get in, through or over the bomb dump perimeter. Using our Mk1 eyeballs, and the green landline to call the guard force should we need it. Rarely did that happen, though we had to call in regulaly to ensure we were still alive and to check when the brew wagon was coming about for our mug of morale!

Little did I know then, but the exercise was cut short for the Station and everyone

stood down. Not, however, the Bomb Dump guards who had to stay put for another 24hrs or so to ensure the area was secure. The story went that the USSR thought the exercise was the real deal and that war was imminent.

Fortunately NATO pushed out the message it was just an Exercise and there were some level heads behind the Iron Curtain. Seemingly it was a close call.

It is definitely worth the time to read up, research or watch the Able Archer 1983 exercise senario, its quite an interesting story.

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Heritage Centre The Heritage Centre has been busy over the summer with some 61 visits for around 400 visitors undertaken from May through to September.

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f you have never been then it is very easy to arrange as a section FD visit, simply email wadheritagecentre@mod.gov. uk. We are very lucky at the moment that we have gained a few new Guides but we can always do with more. If this isn’t your cup of tea there are always openings for volunteers in the Heritage Centre in various roles and for projects that we take on, so please get in touch if you would like a little bit of magic pixie dust to add to your SJAR or OJAR. The Vulcan training engine has now been refurbished with the help of some Stn and DE&S volunteers and is now a focal point as visitors arrive at the Heritage Centre.

We have received the Second World War Lancaster films from the Australian War Memorial which are high quality from the latter stages of the Australian Sqns time here as well as several donations of items, including a Lancaster propeller blade, a photo album

and personal effects from an engineer who was a volunteer pre war at Waddington. He was subsequently part of the BEF in France and served in India for a long time. There also a few more items in our Sentry display.

The latest large project at the Heritage Centre involves a Canberra fuselage which we are currently preparing for display. Canberra’s were based here in the 1950s, prior to the Vulcans arriving with 21 and 27 Sqn operating them at Waddington. Canberras have been in the history of three of the current Sqns at RAF Waddington as well, so it is a nice link to the stations history all round.

The ongoing project to commemorate our Lancaster is still advancing with the aluminium plaque now having been cast by a local company and an Exped well in the planning.

All will be publicised in the new year.

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 15

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RAF Athletics Association Inter-station Championships and Individual Championships 2023 The RAF Athletics Association Championships were on the 19th July at Corby.

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AF Waddington, with assistance from RAF Wittering, took a team of 10 athletes to compete against 9 other RAF stations. The fixture comes in the middle of the athletics summer calendar with many competitors targeting seasons best performances. The full track and field programme was crammed into 6 hours. This meant the events came thick and fast, keeping the crowd entertained and the athletes on their toes.

Collectively the RAF Waddington / Wittering team put in 33 performances earning 13 podium finishes.

Bronze medals Rory Clark - Discus Matt Lamb - 400mH John Fulcher - Triple jump, 100m, Pole vault Loz Ramm - Shot Putt Emily Cantley - 200m Steven Sim - 5000m Chole Tyler - 5000m

Silver medals Loz Ramm - High Jump 100m-100m-300m-300m relay team (John Fulcher, Emily Cantley, Matt Lamb, Chole Tyler.)

Gold medals John Fulcher - 110mH Loz Ramm M50 - Shot Putt Emiley Cantley - Triple Jump.

There are notable mentions for; Haydn Davies finishing 4th in his 100m heat despite picking up an injury halfway through the race, John Fulcher who completed an unofficial decathlon, swapping the Shot Putt and 1500m for Triple Jump and 200m, scoring 3796 points. Ian Baker putting in a sub 5 minute 1500m, before competing in the 800m and 3000m steeplechase. Nial Rennie with a sub 16:59 5000m.

Steven Sim with a 16:14 5000m.

At the end of the meeting, team captain Matt Lamb had

these words to say. “Helena, the OIC, is out with injury and I am glad we were able to put in a good performance.

It was good to see a few old faces and even better to see new ones. I hope this can encourage those who took part for the first time to look into joining a Station athletics club or their local one. One day we will beat Cosford, this year we just missed out and we came 3rd, next year who knows?”

If anyone wants to give athletics ago there are three training camps coming up at RAF Cosford. There you can learn about the opportunities the RAF has to offer from fellow athletes and coaches from novice to expert level.

The dates for the camps are: 26-27 October, 16-17 November and 7-8 December. If you are interested or would like more information please email darryl. loveland444@mod.gov.uk.

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 17

How the RAF Benevolent Fund supported

RAF Waddington in 2022 The RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity, has released its 2022 Impact Report, highlighting how it has continued to support members of the RAF Family in 2022 through practical, emotional and financial support.

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he Fund helped over 40,000 members of the RAF Family in 2022, including over 24,000 serving personnel and their families, and over 16,700 veterans and their families, with a huge 96% of beneficiaries saying the Fund improved their quality of life.

One way the Fund supported the RAF Community was through RAF Station grants, where over 10,000 people were helped, including 2,300 RAF personnel and their families based in RAF Waddington.

In 2022, RAF Waddington were given an £8,000 grant for Ben Play and Ben Parenting, a £1,700

Stations Welfare Grant, £6,250 for refurbishment works in the new Integrated Welfare Facility, and a £545 grant for Operation Christmas.

This year, the RAF Benevolent Fund awarded a further £6,181 grant towards Ben Play and Ben Parenting and £4,000 for the Families Day event which took place in July.

PR contact: Anna Ramsey, PR Manager, RAF Benevolent Fund M: 07595 657979| E: anna.ramsey@ rafbf.org.uk

Irene Greenwood, Welfare Programmes Manager at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “The grants the Fund provides RAF bases like Waddington are crucial to ensure RAF families have the mental, financial and practical assistance they need. Some of the initiatives and events we have funded have allowed serving personnel and their families to come together and socialise with others, improving morale and mental health, and reducing isolation. We are thrilled that the Fund is able to make a difference.”

18 INSIGHTMAGAZINE

Running Club Summer 2023 Season Round Up The Running Club has been involved with both the Local League and RAF races across the summer season and has had some success in both.

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Our final summer race was the Halton Hills race which is a very historic race and held around the hills behind the camp. For anyone who has never been to Halton it is an eye opener and beats any of the gentle hills anywhere in Lincoln, the weather was good and none of the tracks were too muddy.

he Lincs Services Running League (LSRL) is made up of the local bases and this season consisted of four races of mostly road courses in the local area.

The season started in May with our race which we combined with the CO’s Cup and included the chance to run on the taxiway and the long drag up the runway albeit with the prevailing wind at your back on a superb day for running. By combining it we were able to dramatically add to the points tally as all runners score points towards the team prize so if you only took part in one race this year you still added to Waddington’s score, there were 120 runners who took part in total.

The race at Wittering included the RAF 10Km Championships which was a great chance to see some of the top RAF runners sprinting off into the distance and achieving some impressive times and everyone was chip timed so

it was a good chance to get an accurate 10k result. RAF Marham also combined their race with their CO’s Cup and organised their race around the perimeter MT route which unfortunately we could only muster a small team for. The last race was at Wyton and was held over three laps of their waterfront.

For those who are keen on running around muddy fields and tracks in the depths of winter; please look to the upcoming cross-country season, which is again held across the local bases usually starting in November and finishing in March. Ladies run approx. 5km and gents approx. 10K. As with the summer season all runners are welcome with a very wide range of abilities at all the

races and the guarantee of a drink and chocolate at the end. We will also attend as many RAF races as possible and once again don’t just think that this is for the elite as the team prizes are often closely fought by those stations that can get a full ladies or men’s team and if nothing else it is a chance to represent the station and see just how good some of the top RAF runners actually are.

Please contact any of the running committee or look for announcements on the Station Community TEAMs page or the poster in the Gym.

We took the overall prize, and this is where everyone counts in the summer league as every runner scores for the Station prize irrespective of finishing position.

INSIGHTMAGAZINE 19

Waddington Development Team Hello all. Welcome to the RAF Waddington Development Team (WDT) newsletter.

The WDT exists to design, drive, and support the delivery of those changes in the Station’s near and medium-term futures. A richly diverse staff comprising of a multitude of backgrounds and skill sets the team is a fundamental force multiplier in how this Station evolves over the coming 0-15 years.

Whether it be new operational capabilities, new buildings, new services, or broader new initiatives, the WDT will have a finger in the pie somewhere and a significant part to play in that change.

As you read through this newsletter, and subsequent editions, you will get a feel for the breadth of change already underway here at RAF Waddington, in the pipeline to be delivered, or indeed existing as a future aspiration for this station of ours.

The team have made some huge inroads into complex issues of late and indeed delivered some very notable wins in the recent months – more of this later in the newsletter. They are a very open and welcoming team so please do engage with them as required to help be a part of designing this mutual future of ours. I do hope you find this document of use and you can look forward to the following editions over the coming months.

Group Captain M D Lorriman-Hughes OBE Station Commander, RAF Waddington

Land Purchase The Waddington Development Team (WDT) cements significant expertise from across defence with a goal to develop and prepare RAF Waddington for the future and bring about a tangible benefit to RAF personnel.

With a footprint largely unchanged since its days supporting bomber aircraft, WDT will bring coherence to RAF Waddington and ensure that this 107-year-old airfield remains on the forefront of Defence, adaptable enough to accommodate and operate present and future capability well into the second half of this century.

To enable momentous change, the team have finalised the purchase of 11 Acres of land expanding our horizons with new opportunities for future development and expansion within this new boundary and allows us to fundamentally rethink our footprint on site.

Expansion of RAF Waddington footprint is a clear sign of the strategic importance of our site moving forward and a senior level acknowledgement of just how relevant we are to the future of Defence.

Waddington Development Team, Building 143, RAF Waddington, Lincoln, LN5 9NB, email: WAD-WDT-Group@mod.gov.uk 20 INSIGHTMAGAZINE

New Rubb Hangars Space: the final frontier?

Ok, so it’s not the final frontier but it is the biggest problem that my team grapple with on a daily basis. With all the demands on Waddington, and a pretty tight footprint, there is always a need for some quick thinking and novel solutions. With more and more exercises happening at Waddington, provision of undercover technical space, and additional resilience for our permanent airframes was something that we were very keen to get after.

Traditional hangars have a very large footprint and a long lifespan and adding permanent buildings further reduces the space that we have available. They are also very expensive and take a long time to construct. We needed an option that could provide more technical space, quickly and in a manner that does not constrain us in the future.

Enter RUBB. Anyone who has deployed on Ops will be familiar with Rubb hangars. Made in the UK, these portable and adaptable hangars provide much needed space and can be customised to include lighting, heating and air conditioning among other things. Working across a number of funding streams, we have been able to source enough money to purchase two new Rubb hangars for installation in June 23... Not a small feat given the current financial picture and a win which the team are justifiably proud of.

The arrival of these Rubb hangars will be an absolute gamechanger in terms of the level of support we can provide visiting air forces as well as adding extra resilience for our resident airframes.

Understanding the WDT Operations Officer Role The core role of our WDT Operations Officer is to engage closely with station stakeholders regarding air operations and airfield matters and providing sound advice to the Project Team and the Station Commander. This can take the form of understanding the battle rhythm of routine exercises and assessing the impact on ongoing station transition or looking at the impact of new permanent requirements from the airfield.

Experience helps them to analyse the development of the aerodrome for future strategic use and how the WDT may play a part, working hard to enable a smooth and safe transition throughout.

WDT have been key enablers for bringing Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team (The Red Arrows) to their new home at RAF Waddington from RAF Scampton. Our Operations Officer was heavily involved in resolving impact on Air Traffic Control and associated airfield services, including valuable communications and collaboration with adjacent stations and understanding Battlespace Management Operations oversight.

Current challenges for WDT include ongoing facilitation and transition to bring Protector into initial operational capability at RAF Waddington with specific focus for WDT Operations Officer on how airfield operations and the local airspace will be affected.

“As there is interconnection with other projects by the introduction of such a unique capability, I am fully immersed in the provision of infrastructure to allow Protector to operate effectively from the site.”

Waddington Development Team, Building 143, RAF Waddington, Lincoln, LN5 9NB, email: WAD-WDT-Group@mod.gov.uk INSIGHTMAGAZINE 21

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Better Station and Community Facilities

Sustainability

The Wave Viewing Area

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New Station Main Entry Point

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VULCAN STREET

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