RAF North Luffenham

The closure as an active airfield was due to military reorganisation and a shift in defence strategy. In 1963, the last flying units, the Gloster Javelin all-weather fighter squadrons, were disbanded. The station was then repurposed for non-flying roles, including hosting a Bloodhound surface-to-air missile site. The final closure as an RAF station in 1998 was part of the post-Cold War 'Options for Change' defence review, which identified the base as surplus to RAF requirements, leading to its transfer to the British Army.

The site is currently an active military base known as St George's Barracks. It was transferred to the British Army in 1998 and has since housed several regiments, most recently the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment. The original runways, taxiways, and dispersal pans are largely intact but are not maintained for aviation use. Many original WWII-era hangars and buildings also remain. However, the Ministry of Defence announced in 2016 that St George's Barracks is scheduled for closure and disposal. Rutland County Council is leading a major redevelopment project to transform the site into a new garden community, with plans for thousands of new homes, employment spaces, schools, and public amenities.

RAF North Luffenham has a rich and varied military history.

- **World War II:** Opened in December 1940, it initially served as a satellite for RAF Cottesmore. It became a key base for No. 5 Group, RAF Bomber Command, in 1941, hosting squadrons like No. 61 and No. 144 flying Handley Page Hampdens and Avro Manchesters. From 1943, it was a major Heavy Conversion Unit (No. 29 OTU), training crews to fly four-engined heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax.

- **Cold War (RCAF Era):** After the war, it was used for training before being transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1951. As 'RCAF Station North Luffenham', it was the headquarters for the RCAF's No. 1 Fighter Wing, a critical part of NATO's European air defence. It hosted three squadrons (Nos. 410, 439, and 441) flying the Canadair Sabre jet fighter.

- **Cold War (RAF Fighter & Missile Era):** The station returned to RAF Fighter Command control in 1955. It became home to all-weather fighter squadrons (including No. 46 Squadron) flying the Gloster Javelin. Concurrently, from 1959 to 1963, it was one of the UK's 20 Thor Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) sites, operated by No. 144 Squadron RAF. After the Thor missiles were removed and the Javelins disbanded, the station hosted a Bloodhound Mark II surface-to-air missile (SAM) site from 1964 to 1989, operated by No. 257 Squadron.

- **Later RAF Use:** Until its closure in 1998, it was home to various support and administrative units, including the important No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (AIDU).

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The focus is entirely on the planned military closure and subsequent large-scale civilian redevelopment into a new settlement. The site's future is firmly rooted in non-aviation use, and its return to an operational airfield is considered highly improbable.