RAF Westcott

Military Conversion. The airfield was not closed for economic reasons or due to an accident, but was strategically repurposed. Following WWII, the site was selected to become the UK's primary center for rocket propulsion research and development, transitioning from an active bomber training base to a top-secret government research facility.

The site is now a thriving high-technology business park known as **Westcott Venture Park**. It has leveraged its unique heritage to become a major hub for the UK's space and aerospace industry. The site is home to the National Space Propulsion Test Facility, where companies test next-generation rocket engines. Numerous innovative companies in rocketry, satellite technology, and autonomous systems operate from the park, including a major test site for Reaction Engines and its revolutionary SABRE engine. While the main runways are no longer in use for aviation, their outlines are still visible, and parts of the original infrastructure, including rocket test stands, have been preserved or repurposed. It is a key strategic asset in the UK's modern space ecosystem.

RAF Westcott has two distinct and significant historical phases:

1. **World War II (1942-1945):** Opened in September 1942, RAF Westcott was a key training facility for RAF Bomber Command. It was home to No. 11 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which trained night bomber crews primarily using Vickers Wellington and Avro Anson aircraft. Thousands of aircrew from the UK, Commonwealth, and Allied nations passed through Westcott before being assigned to front-line squadrons, playing a crucial role in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

2. **Cold War & Space Race (1946-1990s):** In 1946, the site became the Guided Projectile Establishment, which was renamed the Rocket Propulsion Establishment (RPE Westcott) in 1947. For over 40 years, it was the most important site for rocket engine development in the UK. Key projects developed and tested at Westcott include the Rolls-Royce RZ.2 engines for the Blue Streak ballistic missile, the Gamma rocket engines for the Black Knight research rocket, and engines for the Sea Slug and Bloodhound missile systems. It was central to Britain's independent nuclear deterrent program and its early space exploration ambitions.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening RAF Westcott as a functional airport. The site has been extensively and successfully redeveloped into a strategic business and technology park. The original runway infrastructure is partially dismantled, built over, or repurposed for roads and test areas. Its current use as a national center for space propulsion and technology is incompatible with a return to aviation operations.