RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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SKB
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RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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^ RNAS Yeovilton

Introduction
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, (IATA: YEO, ICAO: EGDY) (HMS Heron) is an airfield of the Royal Navy, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases (the other being RNAS Culdrose) and is currently home to the Royal Navy's Westland Lynx helicopters and the Commando Helicopter Force Westland Sea King HC4.

The site consists of 1,000 acres (1.6 sq mi; 4.0 km2) of airfield sites plus ranges and minor estates. Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is a large multi-role air station with an annual budget of some £61 million. The airfield is also home to the Fleet Air Arm Museum and the station hosts an annual Air Day.


History
In 1938, the potential of the land at Yeovilton for use as an airfield was spotted by Westland Aircraft's chief test pilot Harald Penrose and an offer was made to buy the land. The owners, however – the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the Church of England – refused to sell it. In 1939, the Admiralty Air Division commandeered 417 acres (169 ha) of the land and work began on the construction of the site. The runways being completed in 1941 despite problems with poor drainage. A main runway of 3,645 ft (1,111 m) and three subsidiary runways each of 3,000 ft (914 m) had been constructed.

750 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford on 24 May 1939 from the Royal Navy Observer School, but after Ford was bombed early in the war, it moved to RNAS Yeovilton. They were joined by 751 and 752 Squadrons with the Naval Air Fighter School soon following. In addition Westland Aircraft developed a repair facility at the site. From July 1940, the site was subjected to Luftwaffe bombing on several occasions. 794 Naval Air Squadron was the first to be formed at the base and served to train other squadrons to practice aerial gunnery, and part of one of the runways was marked up as a flight deck to practice landing on an aircraft carrier. 827 Naval Air Squadron was also stationed at Yeovilton operating Fairey Albacores and later Barracudas starting in May 1943, becoming the first squadron to receive Barracudas in any substantial number. Several units which were preparing for embarkation were also stationed at the site during the Second World War. Because of pressure on space at the airfield, satellite sites were set up at Charlton Horethorne and Henstridge in 1942. A centre for Air Direction Radar was also established at Speckington Manor on the edge of the airfield.

After the end of the war, Yeovilton became one of the main demobilization centres for the Royal Navy, with many of the men helping to refurbish the runways while they stayed at the base. In 1952, Yeovilton became the shore base for the fleets all-weather fighters. The runways were further extended by Taylor Woodrow in 1952 and 1957 to cope with jet aircraft. In May 1953, it became the headquarters of Flag Officer Flying Training.

During the 1960s, further development work was undertaken, with the School of Fighter Direction returning to the site and the Sea Venoms being replaced by the de Havilland Sea Vixens then in turn by the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom FG.1 as a carrier-borne fighter. The 1970s saw the Flag Officer, Naval Air Command (FONAC), transferring from RNAS Lee-on-Solent. Royal Navy fixed wing operations were phased out, and the Phantoms transferred to the RAF. The base remained as the home of the Commando Helicopter Squadrons, using the Wessex HU.5 and later the Sea King HC.4, and the fixed wing Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit (FRADU) and became the main shore base for the Navy's fleet of Sea Harrier FRS.1 (and later, FA.2s). A ski-jump (now removed) was installed to enable practice of ski-jump assisted take-offs.

In July 2006, Sea King HC.4 helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton were deployed to Cyprus on Operation Highbrow to assist with the evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon. Following the closure of RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) in 1999, HMS Heron became the main shore base for the Lynx fleet.

In the mid 1980s Defence Estates announced that many of the Royal Navy ratings married quarters at RNAS Yeovilton were surplus to requirements. As a result, The Welbeck Estate Group acquired in the nearby town of Ilchester two entire estates of apartments in Hermes Place and Lyster Close that were used by personnel at HMS Heron. These were refurbished and sold to local buyers.

Since 1993 the Fleet Air Arm’s Memorial Church has been the Church of St Bartholomew in Yeovilton.

Until April 2006 Yeovilton was also the home of BAE Sea Harrier FA2's and T8's.


Current Operations
It is home to Royal Navy Lynx Wildcat Maritime Force (LWMF), Royal Navy Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), the Army Reconnaissance Force (ARF) and elements of the Royal Navy Fixed Wing Force. RNAS Yeovilton operates over 100 aircraft of four different types and is manned by around 1675 service and 2000 civilian personnel including MoD employees and permanent contractors. Training of aircrew and engineers of resident aircraft types is also carried out at RNAS Yeovilton. It is also the location for the RN Fighter Controller School, training surface based aircraft controllers.

During periods of busy flying training, pressure on the RNAS Yeovilton circuit is relieved by the use of RNAS Merryfield, nearby.

800 Naval Air Squadron, 801 Naval Air Squadron and 899 Naval Air Squadron (training) were disbanded in 2006, and all Harrier operations ceased in 2010 after the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The replacement Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, is now due to enter service in 2018, when it will equip the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. These aircraft will however, be operated from RAF Marham.


Air Day
The station holds an annual air show when the airfield is open to the public. It includes both a flying and static aircraft display.


Operational Units
Fleet Air Arm

Front-line Squadrons
815 Naval Air Squadron, Lynx HMA.8, Operational on Frigates and Destroyers.
825 Naval Air Squadron, Wildcat HMA.2, First frontline Wildcat Squadron.
845 Naval Air Squadron, Sea King HC.4, Royal Marines Commando Support. Temporarily stationed at RAF Benson
846 Naval Air Squadron, Merlin HC.3, Royal Marines Commando Support.
847 Naval Air Squadron, Wildcat AH.1, Royal Marines Commando Support.

Other Squadrons
'A' Flight, 736 Naval Air Squadron, Hawk T.1, Fleet training requirements
727 Naval Air Squadron, Tutor T.1, Grading and flying training for RN/RM aircrew & others.
Royal Navy Historic Flight.
Training units
Royal Navy School of Fighter Control.
Royal Navy School Of Aircraft Control.
Underwater Escape Training Unit.

Royal Marines
Commando Helicopter Force

Army Air Corps
1 Regiment, Wildcat AH.1
652 Squadron


Future
Army Air Corps
In October 2015, the consolidation of the Army Air Corps for Army 2020 will result in a large regular aviation regiment of Wildcat AH.1 being based at RNAS Yeovilton. As such, all 62 UK military Wildcats on order will operate from Yeovilton. 1 Regiment will return from Gütersloh in Germany, and merge with 9 Regiment from Dishforth. The current 652 (Wildcat Fielding) Squadron will become 1 Regiment's Wildcat Operational Conversion Unit. 1 Regiment will form part of the Army Air Corps' Aviation Reconnaissance Force along with 5 Regiment.

1 Regiment , Wildcat AH.1
659 Squadron
661 Squadron
669 Squadron
672 Squadron
652 Squadron, (Wildcat OCU)

Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm will continue to build up the Commando Helicopter Force again at Yeovilton with the Merlin HC.3 fleet previously based at RAF Benson being transferred from the Royal Air Force. 845 NAS stand up with the Merlin HC.3 on 9 July 2015, following on from 846 NAS who started to receive their aircraft on 30 September 2014. 848 NAS stood up in May on the Sea King HC.4 to cover the last remaining Sea King operations while 845 converts onto Merlin.

The CHF will return to prioritising its main amphibious role in support of Royal Navy operations after focusing on more than a decade of service in land-locked Afghanistan. The Merlins will be painted in standard Royal Navy grey, unlike the green 'Junglie' Sea Kings they replace. Eventually, the Merlins will be upgraded to HC.4 standard to ensure the aircraft are fully capable of deploying in an maritime/amphibious role. The squadrons will each operate around 10 aircraft, with a further 5 undergoing maintenance.

Commando Helicopter Force
845 Naval Air Squadron, Merlin HC.3
846 Naval Air Squadron, Merlin HC.3
847 Naval Air Squadron, Wildcat AH.1

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Re: RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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Re: RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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Wildcat infrastructure works at Yeovilton

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Re: RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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Full 'Lynx Farewell' flyover route videos in Lynx thread: https://www.ukdefenceforum.net/viewtopi ... 761#p42761

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Re: RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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(Forces TV)
RNAS Yeovilton's air day has officially launched, with the show taking place on the 8th of July. Every year tens of thousands of people attend and this year is a landmark anniversary for the event. Aircraft like the swordfish and sea fury, which were the stars of the first air day here back in 1947, will be taking to the skies again 70 years on.

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Re: RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (RN FAA)

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A model of the F35 on display at Yeovilton Air Day today. Its used to teach ground crews.

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(Royal Navy) 27/02/2018
World class survival training facility opens at Yeovilton.

Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton has opened a world leading, first of its kind in the UK, facility to provide survival training in the event of a helicopter incident or accident over the water.

The Royal Navy School of Maritime SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape) and Underwater Escape Training Unit (UETU) was opened by Rear Admiral Keith Blount OBE who welcomed all to the new facility.

He said: “This has been a journey and triumph of The Fleet Air Arm’s hard work that something as splendid as this has been developed and built. The tremendous robust work of the previous 'Dunker' facility has allowed us to develop and engineer much more sophisticated training at this World Class facility. You should be really proud of yourselves at what you have achieved, thank you."

The facility in the first stage provides training to Yeovilton’s personnel who will be taught the procedures to follow whilst in an aircraft as it hits the water and sinks below the surface, day or night! They are then taught how to safely exit the aircraft whilst it is fully submerged under the water and return to the surface.

For the second part of the training they are then instructed on how to make safe whilst on the surface of the water by housing themselves in personal life rafts and waiting to be rescued. The third element of training is the rescue by air where personnel are winched from their life rafts on the water and recovered to safety.

Previous to this new facility across three pools housing 1,125,000 litres of water all of these elements of training were conducted separately in different locations and at different times due to the nature of training.

Now however the new Royal Navy School of Maritime SERE and Underwater Escape Training allows for all this training to take place in one location in a totally simulated facility.

The Environmental Pool Trainer facility is capable of simulating full climatic conditions (Wind, Rain, Waves, Darkness) to ensure the training is fully representative of all the elements that might be faced in the real situation. The pool can have a two metre swell!

Simon Jones, Project Manager at DIO (Defence Infrastructure Organisation) said: "This facility demonstrates DIO's ability to deliver cost effective, bespoke solutions for our customers as is an essential component of our commitment to our world class military training. Our robust framework allowed us to collaborate with both Military and Industry partners to deliver this challenging project to specific timescales."

The building has been named after Rear Admiral Godfrey Place VC CB CVO, DSC and this facility allows for the delivery of all the training as a progressive evolution all in one place and is truly a world leading facility on a scale that has not been seen in the UK before.

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