RAF Upper Heyford

The primary reason for the closure was the end of the Cold War. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, the strategic need for a large US forward-operating base in the UK diminished. The closure was part of a wider post-Cold War military drawdown by the United States, known as the 'Peace Dividend', which involved significant reductions in forces and the closure of numerous bases across Europe.

The site is no longer an active airfield. Following its closure, it was sold by the Ministry of Defence for private development. It is now being extensively redeveloped into a large new town called 'Heyford Park'. The development includes thousands of homes, a school, shops, and commercial business units.

Despite the redevelopment, a significant portion of the site's Cold War heritage is preserved. It is considered the best-preserved Cold War airfield in the UK. Many of the iconic structures, including the 'Victor Alert' Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) area, numerous Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS), the avionics building, and the water tower, are protected as Scheduled Monuments or Listed Buildings by Historic England. The main runway and taxiways remain largely intact and are used for vehicle storage, automotive testing, and as a filming location for movies and television shows. A heritage centre on site documents the base's history.

RAF Upper Heyford has a rich and significant military history spanning much of the 20th century.

- **Early Years (WWI & WWII):** First established in 1918 for the Royal Flying Corps, it served as a training base. During the Second World War, it was a key base for RAF Bomber Command, primarily used as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) for crews flying bombers like the Vickers Wellington and de Havilland Mosquito.

- **Cold War - USAF Operations:** The base's most prominent role was during the Cold War. In 1950, it was transferred to the United States Air Force. Initially, it was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base, hosting B-47 Stratojet bombers on rotational duties, forming a key part of the US nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union.

- **The 20th Fighter Wing and the F-111:** From 1970 until its closure, Upper Heyford was famously home to the USAF's 20th Tactical Fighter Wing (later 20th Fighter Wing). The wing operated the General Dynamics F-111E Aardvark, a technologically advanced, all-weather, long-range tactical strike aircraft. The base was the largest F-111 wing in the USAF, and its primary mission was to conduct deep-strike nuclear and conventional missions against Warsaw Pact targets in the event of a conflict. The F-111s from Upper Heyford participated in the 1986 Operation El Dorado Canyon, the US air raid against Libya. The base, with its massive 12,500 ft runway, hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), and extensive support infrastructure, was a critical NATO asset and a prime example of a Cold War 'super base'.

There are no plans or realistic prospects for reopening RAF Upper Heyford as a commercial, military, or general aviation airport. The extensive and ongoing residential and commercial redevelopment of the site as 'Heyford Park' makes a return to aviation operations infeasible. The protected status of much of the airfield's infrastructure and the presence of a new community built across the former domestic and technical sites preclude any future use as an airport.