RAF Хонингтон: Тарихы мен қазіргі жағдайы

Royal Air Force air combat support station in Suffolk, England

Royal Air Force Honington or more simply RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located 6 mile (10 km) south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. It was used as a bomber station during the Second World War and through the Cold War, hosting Handley Page Victors and Hawker Siddeley (Blackburn) Buccaneers. RAF Honington has been the RAF Regiment depot since 1994.

Construction of Honington airfield, which was undertaken by John Laing & Son, began in 1935, and the station was opened on 3 May 1937. Squadrons of RAF Bomber Command using the airfield prior to the Second World War were:
No. 77 Squadron RAF (Hawker Harts and Vickers Wellesleys) (July 1937 – July 1938)
No. 102 Squadron RAF (Handley Page Heyford) (July 1937 – July 1938) – Moved to RAF Driffield
No. 75 Squadron RAF (Handley Page Harrow and Vickers Wellington) (July 1938 – July 1939) – Moved to RAF Stradishall. IX Squadron (Wellington Mk Is, later changing to Mk lAs.) (4 September 1939 – 1940). IX Squadron flew the first RAF bombing raid of the Second World War on 4 September 1939 flying a sortie against the Kriegsmarine in the Baltic resulting in the loss of two Wellingtons. In July 1940, No. 311 (Czech) Squadron RAF formed at Honington with Wellingtons, later moving to RAF East Wretham in November 1940. Then, in May 1941, a Wellington returning from a night trip attempted to land at Honington with its wheels retracted. It skidded to one side and crashed into the main bomb dump where it burst into flames. Group Captain J. A. Gray and Squadron Leader J. A. McCarthy, the station medical officer, were the first on the scene of the crash. Both entered the burning aircraft in an attempt to rescue the crew who were trapped and, between them, they saved two crew members. For their gallantry, both officers were awarded the George Medal.

RAF Honington was then used by RAF Transport Command. The station provided support the Berlin Airlift and was transferred to RAF Bomber Command in 1949. It accommodated storage facilities for No. 94 Armament Maintenance Unit in the 1950s and a 9,000 ft concrete runway was completed in 1956. The station then became home to Hawker Siddeley (Blackburn) Buccaneer bombers from November 1969. Squadron Nos. 12, 15 and 16 were formed. 15 and 16 squadrons moved to RAF Laarbruch in West Germany in 1971. No. 237 OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) was formed at Honington when the RAF took over Buccaneer training from the Royal Navy. 208 and 216 squadrons were also based there. As a result, the TWCU moved to Lossiemouth (to replace the Buccaneers) in November 1993. Honington ceased to be a flying station on 1 February 1994 when No. 13 Squadron relocated to RAF Marham. The Depot moved in June 1994, when RAF Catterick in North Yorkshire, home of the previous depot, transferred to the British Army. During 2018, No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment moved to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, completing the move in September of that year. No. 20 Wing RAF Regiment (Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Wing) disbanded on 1 April 2019 having been at Honington since 2011. The CBRN role was taken over by 28 Engineer Regiment of the Royal Engineers, with No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment coming under army command, before disbanding in October 2021.

RAF Honington's mission statement is "Delivering Air Force Protection Capability for the RAF and Defence". The station is the single hub for RAF Force Protection, incorporating the RAF Regiment Headquarters and the RAF Police Headquarters. Together they are responsible for protecting the RAF at home and abroad. The station is home to over 1,500 military personnel, civil servants and contractors. RAF Honington is home to three RAF Regiment field squadrons. Through the RAF Force Protection Centre and RAF Regiment Training Wing, the station also provides initial and advanced training for members of the RAF Regiment and specialist training for the RAF's entire Force Protection capability.

RAF Honington's badge, awarded in June 1956, features the head of St. Edmund in front of two crossed arrows pointing downwards. The head of St. Edmund represents the nearby town of Bury St Edmunds which is approximately to the south east of the station, in whose coat of arms the representation is featured. The arrows in saltire, represent St. Edmund's martyrdom. The station's motto (Pro anglia valens) is in Latin and translates into English as Valiant for England. The forts were designed to be lowered into the ground while not in use; as such they would be inconspicuous and would not interfere with the passage of taxiing aircraft or vehicles. The forts could be raised to about 2 feet (1 m) above ground level where each would pose a physical impediment to aircraft and vehicles and from where a small crew could fire rifles or light machine guns. The examples at Honington are described by Historic England as having "importance as comparatively rare surviving examples of an unusual and innovative type of airfield defence installation. The outer structure and lifting heads of both remain in good condition, and the example which is in working order, with its principal internal fittings intact, is of particular interest."