RAF Holmpton

Military Decommissioning. With the end of the Cold War, the station's primary mission as a key early-warning and command-and-control facility against a Soviet threat became redundant. This led to a strategic drawdown of UK air defence assets.

The site is now a privately owned and award-winning museum known as 'RAF Holmpton - The Cold War Experience'. The underground bunker and many of the surface buildings have been preserved and restored. It is open to the public for guided tours, offering a unique insight into the secret world of Cold War defence and showcasing a vast collection of period equipment and memorabilia.

RAF Holmpton was never a conventional airport with runways. It was a highly significant and secret Cold War air defence radar station. Key points of its history include:
- **Establishment (1950s):** Built as part of the 'ROTOR' program, a massive project to upgrade the UK's air defence network. It was designated as a Ground-Controlled Intercept (GCI) station.
- **Underground Bunker:** Its most notable feature is a vast, 35,000 sq ft, nuclear-hardened underground bunker, built to withstand a nearby nuclear blast and allow operations to continue.
- **Cold War Role:** It was upgraded to a Master Comprehensive Radar Station (MCRS) and later became a key reporting post in the UK Air Defence Ground Environment (UKADGE). Its primary function was to detect incoming hostile aircraft (primarily Soviet bombers) and provide command and control to coordinate RAF fighter interceptions.
- **ICAO Code:** The ICAO code 'GB-1206' is an unofficial identifier used in non-official databases and flight simulation software. The site never held official airport status and therefore did not have an official ICAO code.

There are zero prospects for this site to reopen as an airport. It was never designed or used as an airfield for fixed-wing aircraft, and its current, successful function as a historical museum is its established long-term purpose.