RNAS Ford

The closure was a result of post-World War II military restructuring and defence budget cuts in the United Kingdom. As aircraft technology advanced, requiring fewer but more strategic airbases, many coastal stations like RNAS Ford were deemed surplus to the requirements of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

The site has been completely repurposed and is no longer recognizable as an active airfield, although remnants of the runways and perimeter tracks are still visible. The former airfield is now home to three main entities:

1. **HMP Ford:** A significant portion of the site is occupied by Her Majesty's Prison Ford, a Category D men's open prison, which was established shortly after the station's closure in 1960.
2. **Ford Airfield Market:** The remaining runways and hardstandings host one of the largest open-air markets in Southern England, held regularly on weekends.
3. **Ford Airfield Industrial Estate:** A large industrial park with numerous businesses operates on another part of the former airfield.

RNAS Ford has a rich and varied military history.

- **WWI Origins:** First opened in 1918 as a Royal Flying Corps (later RAF) training airfield for night flying and gunnery, it was closed after the war.

- **WWII and RAF Ford:** The airfield was reactivated in 1936 as part of the RAF expansion program. During the early stages of World War II, as RAF Ford, it operated as a fighter station. It suffered a devastating low-level bombing raid on August 18, 1940, during the Battle of Britain, which resulted in 28 fatalities and the destruction of many aircraft.

- **Fleet Air Arm and HMS Peregrine:** In 1943, the station was transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Peregrine (RNAS Ford). It became a crucial base for the Fleet Air Arm, specializing in night fighter operations. Squadrons based here developed tactics for night interception, flew patrols over the English Channel against German E-boats, and later played a role in countering V-1 flying bomb attacks.

- **Post-War Innovation:** After the war, RNAS Ford continued to be an important naval air station. It holds the distinction of being the home of the Royal Navy's first jet squadron, 702 Naval Air Squadron, which was formed here in 1947 to operate the de Havilland Sea Vampire. It also hosted the Naval Air Fighter School before its closure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RNAS Ford as an airport. The site is extensively developed with permanent infrastructure, including a large prison, a major market, and a thriving industrial estate. The logistical and financial challenges of acquiring the land and removing these established entities make any potential reopening unfeasible.