The Development of Military Airfields: A History
Introduction
From the earliest landing grounds of the 20th century to the modern runways of the jet age, military airfields have undergone a rapid pace of development. Britain’s first military airfield, Larkhill Aerodrome, opened in 1910. Operated by the Army, the airfield became home to the first military unit to use aircraft instead of balloons.
When the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was officially formed in 1912, the British government planned to establish twelve ‘Air Stations’ for their use. The first was located at Montrose in Scotland, providing aircraft for the defence of nearby naval bases. These early airfields were generally small and simple, often comprising little more than a grass landing strip and a few aircraft sheds or canvas hangars.
WWI & Interwar
At the start of World War One (WWI) the RFC comprised only five aircraft squadrons, growing to more than 150 by 1919, by which time the RFC had been incorporated into an independent military branch, the Royal Air Force (RAF). This rapid wartime expansion was accommodated through the hasty establishment of around 300 aerodromes and landing grounds across Britain.
During the 1920s more than 250 airfields were closed and reverted to their former use, with the newly-formed RAF being drastically reduced in size and budget.
From the mid-1930s, military airfields underwent a renewed phase of transformation, spurred on by the growing threat of war with Germany and rapid development of new aircraft. The ‘expansion period’ saw the evolution of 13 successive development schemes each intended to establish standardised layouts and practical building designs.
Standardisation meant that a complete set of drawings for one station could, theoretically, serve all stations of the same type. This was a more cost-effective approach to airfield development, enabling rapid construction to meet increasing demands.
New airfields were built with efficiency in mind. Most technical buildings were established near the main landing ground for both convenient access and ease of ground defence. By 1939, around 100 permanent airfields were operational in Britain, ranging from fighter and bomber stations, to training and transport airfields.
WWII
As World War Two (WWII) started, the dangers of concentrating all the key airfield infrastructure around a central location had not yet been fully considered. It was only after the ‘Battle of Britian’ in the summer of 1940, and the subsequent concerted German bombing campaign of 1940/1941, ‘the Blitz’, that airfield layouts were adapted to disperse facilities over a wider area.
As the war progressed, the increased use of heavy bomber aircraft, such as the Handley Page Halifax and Short Stirling, and the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator, meant more larger airfields were required. Grass landing grounds were no longer sufficient, and airfields were rapidly upgraded with concrete or tracked runways to enable large scale bomber operations, despite the frequently unfavourable British weather.
By 1942, the Class ‘A’ airfield had become the standard for bomber airfields. The defining feature was the three concrete runways, placed at 60° angles to form a triangle – appearing as the letter ‘A’ from the air. Bomb stores were established well away from other airfield infrastructure, and the magazines were spaced apart to avoid a catastrophic chain reaction in the event of enemy bombing or accidental detonation.
It was this same reasoning that saw the development of the ‘blast pen’, an E-shaped aircraft dispersal with earth-covered revetments on three sides. This was designed to minimise damage to other aircraft in the event of an explosion in one of the pens.
By the end of WWII there were over 440No. active military airfields in the UK.
Post-war
After the war, airfield design was again adapted to meet contemporary demands. Many airfields were decommissioned, and the RAF was reduced in size. With aircraft being fewer in number but bigger and heavier due to new jet technologies, a single, longer runway was considered more suitable than several shorter ones.
The 1950s saw the establishment of Operational Readiness Platforms (ORPs), which allowed V-bomber jet aircraft to be parked in a permanently ‘active’ state to enable a quick take-off on operations.
Since the end of the Cold War in the 1990s the number of military airfields in the UK has drastically reduced. Many former RAF bases have since been sold off or redeveloped, and UXO finds at former airfields are not uncommon.
There are currently 31No. operational RAF or USAAF airfields across the UK.
Do you want to learn more about the typical sources of UXO hazard associated with military airfields and how Zetica can mitigate them? Get in touch today or order a UXO handbook via: uxo@zetica.com
