RAF Bacton

The airfield was closed following the end of World War II as part of the general military drawdown. As a temporary wartime satellite airfield, its operational necessity ceased with the end of hostilities in Europe.

The site of the former airfield is now almost entirely occupied by the Bacton Gas Terminal. This is a major industrial complex and one of the most important hubs in the UK's national gas infrastructure, processing a significant percentage of the country's gas supply from the southern North Sea and from European interconnectors. Construction of the terminal began in the late 1960s, completely repurposing the land. Very few, if any, physical remnants of the original airfield survive today.

RAF Bacton was a significant World War II coastal airfield and radar station. Opened in 1941, it served primarily as a satellite airfield for the main fighter base at RAF Coltishall. Its strategic location on the Norfolk coast made it vital for the air defence of Great Britain. The airfield hosted fighter squadrons, including those flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, which conducted coastal patrols, protected shipping convoys in the North Sea, and intercepted enemy aircraft. It was also a base for Air-Sea Rescue operations, with squadrons like No. 278 flying Westland Lysanders and Supermarine Walruses. A key feature of the site was its function as a Chain Home Low (CHL) radar station (designated K78), which was crucial for detecting low-flying enemy aircraft that could evade the main Chain Home radar network.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening RAF Bacton as an airport. The site's current use as the Bacton Gas Terminal, a piece of critical national energy infrastructure, makes any future use as an airfield impossible.