RAF Fersfield

Post-World War II military drawdown. With the end of the war, the vast number of heavy bomber airfields in the UK were no longer required for strategic purposes, and RAF Fersfield was deemed surplus to the needs of the peacetime Royal Air Force.

The former airfield is now used for a mix of industrial and agricultural purposes. The main technical site has been redeveloped into the Fersfield Industrial Estate. Much of the concrete from the three runways and extensive taxiways has been broken up and removed, with the land returned to agriculture. However, some sections of the perimeter track, a few original Nissen huts, and building bases are still visible. In the 1960s, the site was famously used by Lotus Cars for testing vehicles on the remaining runway and perimeter track sections. A memorial dedicated to the personnel of the USAAF 445th Bomb Group and those who lost their lives in Operation Aphrodite is located on-site.

RAF Fersfield was a Class A heavy bomber airfield built between 1943 and 1944 for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Designated as USAAF Station 140, its primary operational unit was the 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy), which flew B-24 Liberator bombers as part of the Eighth Air Force's 2nd Bombardment Division. The airfield holds significant historical importance as the main base for 'Operation Aphrodite' and 'Operation Anvil', top-secret and highly dangerous projects that used remote-controlled, explosive-laden B-17 and B-24 drone aircraft as early guided missiles against hardened German targets, such as V-weapon sites. It was during an Aphrodite mission launched from Fersfield on August 12, 1944, that Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the elder brother of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, was killed when his aircraft exploded prematurely. After the USAAF departed in 1945, the airfield was returned to the RAF and used for storage and maintenance by various units until its closure.

None. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Fersfield as an airport. The extensive redevelopment for industrial and agricultural use, combined with the removal of the majority of its essential aviation infrastructure, makes any return to aviation operations logistically and financially unfeasible.