RAF Fairford

RAF Fairford
Near Fairford, Gloucestershire in England
A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress at RAF Fairford during 2019
RAF Fairford Location in Gloucestershire
Coordinates	51°40′56″N 001°47′24″W / 51.68222°N 1.79000°W / 51.68222; -1.79000
Type	RAF station (US Visiting Forces)
Area	470 hectares (1,200 acres)[1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	US Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa
Condition	Operational
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1944–1950 (Royal Air Force) 1950 – present (US Air Force)
Events	Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT)
Garrison information
Occupants	99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron 420th Air Base Squadron 420th Munitions Squadron
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: FFD, ICAO: EGVA, WMO: 036440
Elevation	87 metres (285 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 09/27 3,045 metres (9,990 ft) Asphalt
Source: UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication[2]

Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford (IATA: FFD, ICAO: EGVA) is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 2019, the base has played host to a Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady detachment from the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. It is the USAF's only European airfield for heavy bombers and routinely supports Bomber Task Force (BTF) operations.^[3][4] Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in 1991.

RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK. As well as having a sufficiently long runway for a shuttle landing (the runway is 3,045 m (9,990 ft) long), it also had NASA-trained fire and medical crews stationed on the airfield.^[5] The runway is rated with an unrestricted load-bearing capacity, meaning that it can support any aircraft with any type of load.

RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), an annual air display. RIAT is one of the largest airshows in the world, with the 2003 show recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest military airshow ever, with an attendance of 535 aircraft.^[6]