RAF Ascension Island: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Military airfield in the Atlantic Ocean}} |
{{Short description|Military airfield in the Atlantic Ocean}} |
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{{Use British English|date=August 2023}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} |
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{{Infobox military installation |
{{Infobox military installation |
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| caption = A Royal Air Force [[Lockheed_TriStar_(RAF) |TriStar]] at RAF Ascension Island. |
| caption = A Royal Air Force [[Lockheed_TriStar_(RAF) |TriStar]] at RAF Ascension Island. |
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| caption2 = {{Language with name/for|la|Auxilium trans mare|Support across the Sea|break=yes}} |
| caption2 = {{Language with name/for|la|Auxilium trans mare|Support across the Sea|break=yes}} |
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| image2 = RAF Ascension Island |
| image2 = RAF Ascension Island badge.png |
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| image2_size = |
| image2_size = 150px |
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| pushpin_map = Ascension Island #South Atlantic #Atlantic Ocean |
| pushpin_map = Ascension Island #South Atlantic #Atlantic Ocean |
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| pushpin_label = RAF Ascension Island |
| pushpin_label = RAF Ascension Island |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[File:Landing Fields - Ascension Island - Ascension Island - NARA - 68159096 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Wideawake Field in the 1940s]] |
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[[File:RAF Ascension Nov 83.jpg|thumb|Air station in November 1983.|left]] |
[[File:RAF Ascension Nov 83.jpg|thumb|Air station in November 1983.|left]] |
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In 1939 Ascension became important as a [[high-frequency direction finding]] radio station covering trade routes.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UDXnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA248|title=The Invisible Weapon: Telecommunications and International Politics, 1851-1945|first=Daniel R. |last= Headrick|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0199930333}}</ref> Wideawake Airfield (named after a noisy colony of [[sooty tern]]s nearby) was built by the US military in 1942 by arrangement with the British government. The |
In 1939 Ascension became important as a [[high-frequency direction finding]] radio station covering trade routes.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UDXnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA248|title=The Invisible Weapon: Telecommunications and International Politics, 1851-1945|first=Daniel R. |last= Headrick|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0199930333}}</ref> Wideawake Airfield (named after a noisy colony of [[sooty tern]]s nearby) was built by the US military in 1942 by arrangement with the British government. The work was done by a US task force<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.les-smith.com/Ascension-Island/WideAwakeNews.htm|title=Ascension Island - The Wide-Awake News|website=www.les-smith.com}}</ref> of the USAAF 38th Engineer Combat Regiment and the airfield opened on 10 July 1942.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fsgfort.com/fortfinder/poi/wideawake-airfield/|title=Wideawake Airfield, Ascension Island; Fortfinder}}</ref> The first aircraft to land on Ascension Island was a [[Fairey Swordfish]] from [[HMS Archer (D78)|HMS ''Archer'']] in June, 1942 and it went on to be used by more than 25,000 aircraft as a staging point during the [[Second World War]].<ref name="mysterra">{{cite web|url=http://www.mysterra.org/webmag/ascension-island/history.html|title=Ascension History|website=mysterra.org|publisher=Mysterra Magazine|access-date=3 January 2011|archive-date=27 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027190438/http://www.mysterra.org/webmag/ascension-island/history.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> An unusual visitor was a captured German [[Junkers Ju 88]] bomber, which landed there in October 1943 as it was being flown from the Middle East to the United States in stages.<ref name="Newdick">{{Cite web |last=Newdick |first=Thomas |date=2020-11-12 |title=The Amazing Story Of How This Nazi Recon Plane Ended Up Being Tested In The U.S. During WWII |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37574/how-this-nazi-recon-plane-ended-up-being-tested-in-the-united-states-during-world-war-ii |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=The Drive |language=en}}</ref> |
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A [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] tracking station (now administered by the [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]]) was officially activated as a satellite of Patrick Air Force Base (now [[Patrick Space Force Base]]) in Florida on 25 June 1956.<ref name="Mueller">{{Cite report|url=http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf|title=Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982|last=Mueller|first=Robert|publisher=Office of Air Force History|volume=I|page=464|isbn=0-912799-53-6|access-date=15 May 2018|year=1989}}</ref> |
A [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] tracking station (now administered by the [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]]) was officially activated as a satellite of Patrick Air Force Base (now [[Patrick Space Force Base]]) in Florida on 25 June 1956.<ref name="Mueller">{{Cite report|url=http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf|title=Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982|last=Mueller|first=Robert|publisher=Office of Air Force History|volume=I|page=464|isbn=0-912799-53-6|access-date=15 May 2018|year=1989}}</ref> |
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The airfield's runway was extended in the latter part of 1980.<ref name="Mueller" /> The base was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging airfield during the [[Falklands War]]. At one stage, Wideawake became the busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft movements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/falklands/falklands_gallery_04.shtml|title=Falklands Conflict Gallery|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> A series of long-range bombing raids was carried out from there under the name [[Operation Black Buck]].<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=Rowland |author-link=Rowland White (British writer) |year=2012 |title=Vulcan 607 |location=London |publisher=Bantam Press |isbn=978-0-593-07126-7 |oclc=941503520 |page=35 }}</ref> The first mission was on 30 April 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spelproducts.co.uk/ascension-islands-wideawake-airfield/|title=Ascension Island's Wideawake Airfield|first=Matt|last=Kent|date=2 August 2016}}</ref> |
The airfield's runway was extended in the latter part of 1980.<ref name="Mueller" /> The base was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging airfield during the [[Falklands War]]. At one stage, Wideawake became the busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft movements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/falklands/falklands_gallery_04.shtml|title=Falklands Conflict Gallery|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> A series of long-range bombing raids was carried out from there under the name [[Operation Black Buck]].<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=Rowland |author-link=Rowland White (British writer) |year=2012 |title=Vulcan 607 |location=London |publisher=Bantam Press |isbn=978-0-593-07126-7 |oclc=941503520 |page=35 }}</ref> The first mission was on 30 April 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spelproducts.co.uk/ascension-islands-wideawake-airfield/|title=Ascension Island's Wideawake Airfield|first=Matt|last=Kent|date=2 August 2016}}</ref> |
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In 2017 a parliamentary answer disclosed the runway needed a 'full depth resurfacing'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2017-06-21/HL103|title=Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament|website=questions-statements.parliament.uk}}</ref> In June 2020 the U.S. Department of Defense announced the runway would be repaired, with a completion date in 2022 after eighteen months work; until then commercial flights were suspended.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2020/02/14/ascension-island-airport-to-reopen-to-wide-body-traffic-by-2022|title=Ascension Island airport to reopen to wide-body traffic by 2022|website=MercoPress}}</ref> |
In 2017 a parliamentary answer disclosed the runway needed a 'full depth resurfacing'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2017-06-21/HL103|title=Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament|website=questions-statements.parliament.uk}}</ref> In June 2020 the U.S. Department of Defense announced the runway would be repaired, with a completion date in 2022 after eighteen months work; until then commercial flights were suspended.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2020/02/14/ascension-island-airport-to-reopen-to-wide-body-traffic-by-2022|title=Ascension Island airport to reopen to wide-body traffic by 2022|website=MercoPress}}</ref> Normal flights were able to resume in August/September 2022 when repairs to the eastern side of the runway were completed (see further discussion below).<ref name="MA">{{Cite web |last=Cisneros |first=Mila |date=2022-09-08 |title=Atlantic runway reopens, increases U.S., British military capabilities |url=https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3153481/atlantic-runway-reopens-increases-us-british-military-capabilities/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=[[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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The USAF relies upon contractors to maintain the airfield facilities and the satellite station. An update is underway, with a completion date in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/chugach-wins-119m-usaf-contract-to-support-raf-ascension-island/|title=Chugach wins 9m USAF contract to support RAF Ascension Island|first=George|last=Allison|date=7 July 2020}}</ref> |
The USAF relies upon contractors to maintain the airfield facilities and the satellite station. An update is underway, with a completion date in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/chugach-wins-119m-usaf-contract-to-support-raf-ascension-island/|title=Chugach wins 9m USAF contract to support RAF Ascension Island|first=George|last=Allison|date=7 July 2020}}</ref> |
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The Target Tracking Radar Station was a [[Nike Zeus]] test facility for tracking reentry vehicles from [[Cape Canaveral]] missile launches. Built from 1960-1961 for [[anti-ballistic missile]] measurement, the "Golf Ball" radar antenna was on [[Cat Hill, Ascension Island|Cat Hill]], and a [[Collimation|collimation tower]] for radar calibration was towards English Bay.{{r|Avis}} The facility is home to the Detachment 2 of the 45th Mission Support Group, part of the U.S. Space Force's [[45th Space Wing|Delta 45]]. It operates a ground tracking station in support of the [[Eastern Range]] and rocket launches from [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] in [[Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.patrick.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/329842/45th-mission-support-group/|title=45th Mission Support Group – Fact Sheet|date=July 2017|website=45th Space Wing|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> |
The Target Tracking Radar Station was a [[Nike Zeus]] test facility for tracking reentry vehicles from [[Cape Canaveral]] missile launches. Built from 1960-1961 for [[anti-ballistic missile]] measurement, the "Golf Ball" radar antenna was on [[Cat Hill, Ascension Island|Cat Hill]], and a [[Collimation|collimation tower]] for radar calibration was towards English Bay.{{r|Avis}} The facility is home to the Detachment 2 of the 45th Mission Support Group, part of the U.S. Space Force's [[45th Space Wing|Delta 45]]. It operates a ground tracking station in support of the [[Eastern Range]] and rocket launches from [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] in [[Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.patrick.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/329842/45th-mission-support-group/|title=45th Mission Support Group – Fact Sheet|date=July 2017|website=45th Space Wing|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> |
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The NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit and the [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]] Earth Station at Donkey Plain were built in the mid-1960s for space operations and communications, including the latter's use for transmitting "microwave borne data via the [[Early Bird Satellite]] back to the NASA facility at [[Andover, Maine]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritage.org.ac/avis19.htm|title=Avis Part Nineteen - A Time For Change|publisher=Ascension Island Heritage Society|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> |
The NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit and the [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]] Earth Station at Donkey Plain were built in the mid-1960s for space operations and communications, including the latter's use for transmitting "microwave borne data via the [[Early Bird Satellite]] back to the NASA facility at [[Andover, Maine]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritage.org.ac/avis19.htm|title=Avis Part Nineteen - A Time For Change|publisher=Ascension Island Heritage Society|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509194308/http://heritage.org.ac/avis19.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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==Operations== |
==Operations== |
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The station comes under the overall jurisdiction of the [[Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands]], an officer of one-star rank.<ref name="bfbs.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.bfbs.com/news/troops-south-atlantic-long-term-64980.html |title=Troops in South Atlantic |
The station comes under the overall jurisdiction of the [[Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands]], an officer of one-star rank.<ref name="bfbs.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.bfbs.com/news/troops-south-atlantic-long-term-64980.html |title=Troops in South Atlantic 'for long term' | British Forces News |access-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012525/http://www.bfbs.com/news/troops-south-atlantic-long-term-64980.html |archive-date=3 December 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> {{As of|December 2018}}, the incumbent is [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|Commodore]] Jonathan Lett.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Navy commodore new Commander of BFSAI at MPC in Falklands|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2020/11/20/royal-navy-commodore-new-commander-of-bfsai-at-mpc-in-falklands|access-date=2021-09-18|website=MercoPress|language=en}}</ref> |
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The RAF airfield on Ascension Island is run on a day-to-day basis by around 19 RAF personnel, headed by a wing commander.<ref name="bfbs.com" /> |
The RAF airfield on Ascension Island is run on a day-to-day basis by around 19 RAF personnel, headed by a wing commander.<ref name="bfbs.com" /> |
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RAF Ascension Island is normally the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence's South Atlantic air bridge flights to [[RAF Mount Pleasant]], on the Falkland Islands, from [[RAF Brize Norton]] in Oxfordshire, in the UK.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Eklund|first1=Dylan|title=A rock and a hard place|journal=The Official Royal Air Force Review 2015|date=2015|page=118|issn=1758-9681}}</ref> |
RAF Ascension Island is normally the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence's South Atlantic air bridge flights to [[RAF Mount Pleasant]], on the Falkland Islands, from [[RAF Brize Norton]] in Oxfordshire, in the UK.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Eklund|first1=Dylan|title=A rock and a hard place|journal=The Official Royal Air Force Review 2015|date=2015|page=118|issn=1758-9681}}</ref> |
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Beginning in November 2017, the Ascension Island Government has contracted [[South Africa]]n air carrier [[Airlink]] to conduct regularly scheduled charter flights between [[Saint Helena Airport]] and Ascension Island on a monthly basis. Flights are currently scheduled on the second week of every month, arriving at Ascension on Saturday afternoon and returning to [[Saint Helena]] on Sunday morning. The first of these flights |
Beginning in November 2017, the Ascension Island Government has contracted [[South Africa]]n air carrier [[Airlink]] to conduct regularly scheduled charter flights between [[Saint Helena Airport]] and Ascension Island on a monthly basis. Flights are currently scheduled on the second week of every month, arriving at Ascension on Saturday afternoon and returning to [[Saint Helena]] on Sunday morning. The first of these flights were scheduled for 18 and 19 November 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Airlink-Ascension Island Government|url=http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/government/travel-shipping/flights/airlink/|website=Ascension Island Government|access-date=15 October 2017|date=5 October 2017|archive-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014183603/http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/government/travel-shipping/flights/airlink/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally civilian passengers had been permitted on flights to and from [[RAF Brize Norton]] with reservations handled by AW Ship Management, with some customers doing package deals combined with the [[RMS St Helena (1989)|RMS ''Saint Helena'']], which travelled between Saint Helena and [[Cape Town]], South Africa until the opening of St Helena Airport to passenger flights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rms-st-helena.com/manage/wp-content/uploads/RMS_St-Helena_Main_Brochure_MAR2015_web.pdf|title=RMS St Helena Brochure|publisher=AW Ship Management|page=18|access-date=2020-01-06|archive-date=13 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113105249/http://rms-st-helena.com/manage/wp-content/uploads/RMS_St-Helena_Main_Brochure_MAR2015_web.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rms-st-helena.com/raf-flights/|title=RAF Flights Fly with the RAF and meet the RMS en route|publisher=AW Ship Management|access-date=2020-01-06|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226091228/http://rms-st-helena.com/raf-flights/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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Ascension serves as a [[diversion airport]] for [[ETOPS]] aircraft crossing the Atlantic. In January 2013, a [[Delta Air Lines]] [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200LR]] en route from [[Johannesburg]] to [[Atlanta]] diverted to Ascension as a result of engine problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://avherald.com/h?article=45bee9df&opt=0|title=Incident: Delta B772 over Atlantic on Jan 9th 2013, engine trouble|website=Aviation Herald|first=Simon|last=Hradecky|date=10 January 2013|access-date=11 January 2013}}</ref> |
Ascension serves as a [[diversion airport]] for [[ETOPS]] aircraft crossing the Atlantic. In January 2013, a [[Delta Air Lines]] [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200LR]] en route from [[Johannesburg]] to [[Atlanta]] diverted to Ascension as a result of engine problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://avherald.com/h?article=45bee9df&opt=0|title=Incident: Delta B772 over Atlantic on Jan 9th 2013, engine trouble|website=Aviation Herald|first=Simon|last=Hradecky|date=10 January 2013|access-date=11 January 2013}}</ref> |
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==Suspension of operations and runway repair== |
==Suspension of operations and runway repair== |
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Potholes on the runway led to the suspension in April 2017 of all Ministry of Defence South Atlantic Air Bridge Flights between [[RAF Mount Pleasant]] and [[RAF Brize Norton]] until at least 2019/2020. An [[Airbus A330]] aircraft operated by [[AirTanker Services]] on behalf of the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] carried out those flights although a limited number of commercial passenger tickets were available. Those flights |
Potholes on the runway led to the suspension in April 2017 of all Ministry of Defence South Atlantic Air Bridge Flights between [[RAF Mount Pleasant]] and [[RAF Brize Norton]] until at least 2019/2020. An [[Airbus A330]] aircraft operated by [[AirTanker Services]] on behalf of the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] carried out those flights although a limited number of commercial passenger tickets were available. Those flights traveled via Dakar.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40442318|title=Ascension: The increasingly unreachable island|first=Alastair|last=Leithead|work=BBC News |date=4 July 2017|access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref> Planes for emergency medical evacuation flights and the newly established monthly charter flight to [[Saint Helena Airport]] were not impacted given the size of aircraft used. Essential personnel and equipment were also exempt from the suspension.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/55513-south-atlantic-airbridge-ops-at-ascension-island-suspended|title=South Atlantic Airbridge ops at Ascension Island suspended|access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/02/runway-potholes-halt-regular-ascension-island-flights |title=Runway potholes halt regular Ascension Island flights |first=Patrick |last=Wintour |date=2 May 2017 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In February 2021, an RAF [[Airbus A400M Atlas|A400M]] aircraft delivered Covid-19 vaccines to the island.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-19 |title=RAF transport Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/coronavirus/raf-transport-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-to-ascension-island-in-the-south-atlantic-ocean/ |access-date=2022-12-26 |publisher=[[Royal Air Force]] |language=en-gb}}</ref> |
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While A330s were unable to land at the airport until the repair reached a stage to permit the resumption of full flight operations, the United States military continued to maintain a weekly flight between the island and [[Patrick Space Force Base]] in [[Florida]], only for the use of its personnel, while the [[MV Ascension|MV ''Ascension'']] supply ship regularly services US facilities.<ref>{{cite journal | author =Haff, Capt. Dana | title =M.V. Ascension | url =http://www.the-islander.org.ac/oldsite/1414.htm | date =December 17, 1998 | journal = |
While A330s were unable to land at the airport until the repair reached a stage to permit the resumption of full flight operations, the United States military continued to maintain a weekly flight between the island and [[Patrick Space Force Base]] in [[Florida]], only for the use of its personnel, while the [[MV Ascension|MV ''Ascension'']] supply ship regularly services US facilities.<ref>{{cite journal | author =Haff, Capt. Dana | title =M.V. Ascension | url =http://www.the-islander.org.ac/oldsite/1414.htm | date =December 17, 1998 | journal =The Islander | issue =1414 | publisher =The Islander Newspaper | location =Ascension Island | access-date =May 5, 2008 | archive-date =20 March 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190320005711/http://www.the-islander.org.ac/oldsite/1414.htm | url-status =dead }}</ref> |
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[[File:Ascension Island eastern runway reopens.jpg|thumb|A C-17 lands on the restored eastern portion of the runway, {{nowrap|31 August 2022}}]] |
[[File:Ascension Island eastern runway reopens.jpg|thumb|A C-17 lands on the restored eastern portion of the runway, {{nowrap|31 August 2022}}]] |
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A repair project aimed at restoring service to the airport celebrated its halfway point in March 2022.<ref name="halfway">{{Cite web |last=Cisneros |first=Mila |date=2022-03-02 |title=Atlantic runway repair reaches halfway point |url=https://www.afimsc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2949186/atlantic-runway-repair-reaches-halfway-point/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=[[Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2022, the eastern portion of the runway was completed, allowing full flight operations to resume, with a U.S. Air Force [[C-17 Globemaster III]] of the [[21st Airlift Squadron]] being the first aircraft of that size to use the improved runway on 31 August 2022.<ref |
A repair project aimed at restoring service to the airport celebrated its halfway point in March 2022.<ref name="halfway">{{Cite web |last=Cisneros |first=Mila |date=2022-03-02 |title=Atlantic runway repair reaches halfway point |url=https://www.afimsc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2949186/atlantic-runway-repair-reaches-halfway-point/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=[[Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2022, the eastern portion of the runway was completed, allowing full flight operations to resume, with a U.S. Air Force [[C-17 Globemaster III]] of the [[21st Airlift Squadron]] being the first aircraft of that size to use the improved runway on 31 August 2022.<ref name="MA"/> Earlier that month, an RAF A400M aircraft flying from Ascension Island was refueled for the first time by a [[Airbus A330 MRTT|Voyager KC.2 aircraft]] flying out of [[RAF Mount Pleasant]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://aviationsourcenews.com/news/raf-atlas-c1-aircraft-refuelled-over-south-atlantic-for-first-time/|work=Aviation Source|date=1 August 2022|title=RAF Atlas C1 aircraft refuelled over South Atlantic for first time|first=Len|last=Varley|access-date=26 February 2023|archive-date=25 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225202602/https://aviationsourcenews.com/news/raf-atlas-c1-aircraft-refuelled-over-south-atlantic-for-first-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The repairs to the western side of the runway were fully completed in April 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cisneros |first=Mila |date=2023-05-10 |title=AFIMSC completes largest runway construction project in years |url=https://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3391110/afimsc-completes-largest-runway-construction-project-in-years/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=[[Eglin Air Force Base]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="halfway"/> |
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== Based units == |
== Based units == |
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Units based at Ascension Island |
Units based at Ascension Island:<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 December 2019|title=Director of Overseas Bases|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-joint-operating-bases-pjobs/fd|access-date=8 May 2021|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Ministry of Defence|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Airman 1st Class Dalton|date=6 February 2019|title=Small island, big mission – Ascension Island supports 45 SW|url=https://www.patrick.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1749916/small-island-big-mission-ascension-island-supports-45-sw/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803135240/https://www.patrick.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1749916/small-island-big-mission-ascension-island-supports-45-sw/|archive-date=3 August 2020|access-date=15 January 2020|website=45th Space Wing|publisher=US Air Force|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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=== Strategic Command === |
=== Strategic Command === |
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{{Reflist |refs= |
{{Reflist |refs= |
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<ref name=Avis>{{Citation |format=personal anecdote |last=Avis |first=Graham |date=9 February 2002 |chapter=Avis Part Eighteen - Curry or Stew! |chapter-url=http://www.heritage.org.ac/avis18.htm |title=An Introduction to the History of Ascension Island |url=http://www.heritage.org.ac/HS1frameset.htm |access-date=2014-04-13 |quote=By the end of 1956, 181 St Helenian men were employed in a temporary capacity on Ascension Island constructing the US Base. … The Base operations were eventually expanded by the addition of a Target Tracking Radar Station, which was built from 1960 - 1961. This facility, known as the Golf Ball, was built on a site overlooking the Archer Cemetery at Comfortless Cove. It meant the construction of a separate road, the Nike Zeus Road, to the area, replacing the old dirt road from the back of Long Beach. A collimation tower, complete with its own access track cutting across the old Victorian path to the sand blowhole was constructed part of the way towards English Bay, to calibrate the radar. … mid-sixties of the NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit, and the Cable & Wireless Earth Station at Donkey Plain. This station was built by Cable & Wireless and Marconi at the request of NASA}}</ref> |
<ref name=Avis>{{Citation |format=personal anecdote |last=Avis |first=Graham |date=9 February 2002 |chapter=Avis Part Eighteen - Curry or Stew! |chapter-url=http://www.heritage.org.ac/avis18.htm |title=An Introduction to the History of Ascension Island |url=http://www.heritage.org.ac/HS1frameset.htm |access-date=2014-04-13 |quote=By the end of 1956, 181 St Helenian men were employed in a temporary capacity on Ascension Island constructing the US Base. … The Base operations were eventually expanded by the addition of a Target Tracking Radar Station, which was built from 1960 - 1961. This facility, known as the Golf Ball, was built on a site overlooking the Archer Cemetery at Comfortless Cove. It meant the construction of a separate road, the Nike Zeus Road, to the area, replacing the old dirt road from the back of Long Beach. A collimation tower, complete with its own access track cutting across the old Victorian path to the sand blowhole was constructed part of the way towards English Bay, to calibrate the radar. … mid-sixties of the NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit, and the Cable & Wireless Earth Station at Donkey Plain. This station was built by Cable & Wireless and Marconi at the request of NASA }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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*[https://www.ascension.gov.ac/travel-and-shipping/travel-by-air/ Ascension Island Government – Travel to Ascension by Air] |
*[https://www.ascension.gov.ac/travel-and-shipping/travel-by-air/ Ascension Island Government – Travel to Ascension by Air] |
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*[https://adip.faa.gov/agis/public/#/airportData/FHAW FAA Airport Data and Information Portal – (FHAW) Ascension Aux AF] |
*[https://adip.faa.gov/agis/public/#/airportData/FHAW FAA Airport Data and Information Portal – (FHAW) Ascension Aux AF] |
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* [https://www.aidu.mod.uk/aip/pdf/ad/FHAW-Ascension-Wideawake-Combined.pdf UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Ascension / Wideawake (FHAW)] |
* [https://www.aidu.mod.uk/aip/pdf/ad/FHAW-Ascension-Wideawake-Combined.pdf UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Ascension / Wideawake (FHAW)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029153538/https://www.aidu.mod.uk/aip/pdf/ad/FHAW-Ascension-Wideawake-Combined.pdf |date=29 October 2020 }} |
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Latest revision as of 09:54, 26 November 2024
RAF Ascension Island | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wideawake Airfield Ascension Island Auxiliary Field | |||||||
| Near Georgetown in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | |||||||
 A Royal Air Force TriStar at RAF Ascension Island. | |||||||
 | |||||||
  RAF Ascension Island Location on Ascension Island  RAF Ascension Island RAF Ascension Island (South Atlantic)  RAF Ascension Island RAF Ascension Island (Atlantic Ocean) | |||||||
| Coordinates | 07°58′10″S 014°23′38″W / 7.96944°S 14.39389°W | ||||||
| Type | Permanent Joint Operating Base | ||||||
| Area | 55 hectares (135.9 acres) | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | UK Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force and US Space Force | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1939 | ||||||
| In use | 1939–present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Wing Commander Kim Surman (UK)[1] | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: ASI, ICAO: FHAW, WMO: 61902 | ||||||
| Elevation | 78.6 metres (258 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
| Source: UK MIL AIP – FHAW Ascension / Wideawake[2] | |||||||
RAF Ascension Island (IATA: ASI, ICAO: FHAW), also known as Wideawake Airfield or Ascension Island Auxiliary Field, is a military airfield and facility located on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The airfield is jointly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Space Force (USSF). Under the terms of an international agreement between the UK and US governments, only state aircraft (e.g. military and diplomatic flights) are authorised to land at Ascension; however, it is also open to air services between Saint Helena and Ascension.[3]
The facility is home to a U.S. Space Force ground tracking station in support of the Eastern Range and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
History
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In 1939 Ascension became important as a high-frequency direction finding radio station covering trade routes.[4] Wideawake Airfield (named after a noisy colony of sooty terns nearby) was built by the US military in 1942 by arrangement with the British government. The work was done by a US task force[5] of the USAAF 38th Engineer Combat Regiment and the airfield opened on 10 July 1942.[6] The first aircraft to land on Ascension Island was a Fairey Swordfish from HMS Archer in June, 1942 and it went on to be used by more than 25,000 aircraft as a staging point during the Second World War.[7] An unusual visitor was a captured German Junkers Ju 88 bomber, which landed there in October 1943 as it was being flown from the Middle East to the United States in stages.[8]
A U.S. Air Force tracking station (now administered by the U.S. Space Force) was officially activated as a satellite of Patrick Air Force Base (now Patrick Space Force Base) in Florida on 25 June 1956.[9]
The airfield's runway was extended in the latter part of 1980.[9] The base was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging airfield during the Falklands War. At one stage, Wideawake became the busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft movements.[10] A series of long-range bombing raids was carried out from there under the name Operation Black Buck.[11] The first mission was on 30 April 1982.[12]
In 2017 a parliamentary answer disclosed the runway needed a 'full depth resurfacing'.[13] In June 2020 the U.S. Department of Defense announced the runway would be repaired, with a completion date in 2022 after eighteen months work; until then commercial flights were suspended.[14] Normal flights were able to resume in August/September 2022 when repairs to the eastern side of the runway were completed (see further discussion below).[15]
The USAF relies upon contractors to maintain the airfield facilities and the satellite station. An update is underway, with a completion date in 2025.[16]
Target Tracking Radar Station
[edit]
The Target Tracking Radar Station was a Nike Zeus test facility for tracking reentry vehicles from Cape Canaveral missile launches. Built from 1960-1961 for anti-ballistic missile measurement, the "Golf Ball" radar antenna was on Cat Hill, and a collimation tower for radar calibration was towards English Bay.[17] The facility is home to the Detachment 2 of the 45th Mission Support Group, part of the U.S. Space Force's Delta 45. It operates a ground tracking station in support of the Eastern Range and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.[18]
The NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit and the Cable & Wireless Earth Station at Donkey Plain were built in the mid-1960s for space operations and communications, including the latter's use for transmitting "microwave borne data via the Early Bird Satellite back to the NASA facility at Andover, Maine".[19]
Operations
[edit]The station comes under the overall jurisdiction of the Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, an officer of one-star rank.[20] As of December 2018[update], the incumbent is Commodore Jonathan Lett.[21]
The RAF airfield on Ascension Island is run on a day-to-day basis by around 19 RAF personnel, headed by a wing commander.[20]
RAF Ascension Island is normally the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence's South Atlantic air bridge flights to RAF Mount Pleasant, on the Falkland Islands, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, in the UK.[22]
Beginning in November 2017, the Ascension Island Government has contracted South African air carrier Airlink to conduct regularly scheduled charter flights between Saint Helena Airport and Ascension Island on a monthly basis. Flights are currently scheduled on the second week of every month, arriving at Ascension on Saturday afternoon and returning to Saint Helena on Sunday morning. The first of these flights were scheduled for 18 and 19 November 2017.[23] Additionally civilian passengers had been permitted on flights to and from RAF Brize Norton with reservations handled by AW Ship Management, with some customers doing package deals combined with the RMS Saint Helena, which travelled between Saint Helena and Cape Town, South Africa until the opening of St Helena Airport to passenger flights.[24][25]
Ascension serves as a diversion airport for ETOPS aircraft crossing the Atlantic. In January 2013, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-200LR en route from Johannesburg to Atlanta diverted to Ascension as a result of engine problems.[26]
The site is home to a high frequency radio station forming part of the Defence High Frequency Communications Service. The station is operated by Babcock International Group on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.[27]
Suspension of operations and runway repair
[edit]Potholes on the runway led to the suspension in April 2017 of all Ministry of Defence South Atlantic Air Bridge Flights between RAF Mount Pleasant and RAF Brize Norton until at least 2019/2020. An Airbus A330 aircraft operated by AirTanker Services on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) carried out those flights although a limited number of commercial passenger tickets were available. Those flights traveled via Dakar.[28] Planes for emergency medical evacuation flights and the newly established monthly charter flight to Saint Helena Airport were not impacted given the size of aircraft used. Essential personnel and equipment were also exempt from the suspension.[29][30] In February 2021, an RAF A400M aircraft delivered Covid-19 vaccines to the island.[31]
While A330s were unable to land at the airport until the repair reached a stage to permit the resumption of full flight operations, the United States military continued to maintain a weekly flight between the island and Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, only for the use of its personnel, while the MV Ascension supply ship regularly services US facilities.[32]
A repair project aimed at restoring service to the airport celebrated its halfway point in March 2022.[33] In August 2022, the eastern portion of the runway was completed, allowing full flight operations to resume, with a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III of the 21st Airlift Squadron being the first aircraft of that size to use the improved runway on 31 August 2022.[15] Earlier that month, an RAF A400M aircraft flying from Ascension Island was refueled for the first time by a Voyager KC.2 aircraft flying out of RAF Mount Pleasant.[34] The repairs to the western side of the runway were fully completed in April 2023.[35][33]
Based units
[edit]Units based at Ascension Island:[36][37]
Strategic Command
[edit]Director of Overseas Bases
- British Forces South Atlantic Islands
- RAF Ascension Island
United States Space Force
[edit]Space Operations Command (SpOC)
- Space Launch Delta 45
- 45th Mission Support Group
- Detachment 2
- 45th Mission Support Group
Airlines and destinations
[edit]| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Airlink | Charter: Johannesburg-O.R. Tambo, Saint Helena |
| Titan Airways | Charter: Saint Helena, London–Stansted[38][39] |
On 18 November 2017, SA Airlink started a scheduled weekly charter from Longwood, Saint Helena to the island.[40]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ascension Island Base". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "UK MIL AIP Ascension / Wideawake AD-2 FHAW" (PDF). UK Military AIP. No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Travel by Air – Ascension Island Government".
- ^ Headrick, Daniel R. (2012). The Invisible Weapon: Telecommunications and International Politics, 1851-1945. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199930333.
- ^ "Ascension Island - The Wide-Awake News". www.les-smith.com.
- ^ "Wideawake Airfield, Ascension Island; Fortfinder".
- ^ "Ascension History". mysterra.org. Mysterra Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ Newdick, Thomas (12 November 2020). "The Amazing Story Of How This Nazi Recon Plane Ended Up Being Tested In The U.S. During WWII". The Drive. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b Mueller, Robert (1989). Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF) (Report). Vol. I. Office of Air Force History. p. 464. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Falklands Conflict Gallery". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ White, Rowland (2012). Vulcan 607. London: Bantam Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-593-07126-7. OCLC 941503520.
- ^ Kent, Matt (2 August 2016). "Ascension Island's Wideawake Airfield".
- ^ "Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk.
- ^ "Ascension Island airport to reopen to wide-body traffic by 2022". MercoPress.
- ^ a b Cisneros, Mila (8 September 2022). "Atlantic runway reopens, increases U.S., British military capabilities". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Allison, George (7 July 2020). "Chugach wins 9m USAF contract to support RAF Ascension Island".
- ^ Avis, Graham (9 February 2002), "Avis Part Eighteen - Curry or Stew!", An Introduction to the History of Ascension Island (personal anecdote), retrieved 13 April 2014,
By the end of 1956, 181 St Helenian men were employed in a temporary capacity on Ascension Island constructing the US Base. … The Base operations were eventually expanded by the addition of a Target Tracking Radar Station, which was built from 1960 - 1961. This facility, known as the Golf Ball, was built on a site overlooking the Archer Cemetery at Comfortless Cove. It meant the construction of a separate road, the Nike Zeus Road, to the area, replacing the old dirt road from the back of Long Beach. A collimation tower, complete with its own access track cutting across the old Victorian path to the sand blowhole was constructed part of the way towards English Bay, to calibrate the radar. … mid-sixties of the NASA Tracking Station at Devil's Ashpit, and the Cable & Wireless Earth Station at Donkey Plain. This station was built by Cable & Wireless and Marconi at the request of NASA
[permanent dead link] - ^ "45th Mission Support Group – Fact Sheet". 45th Space Wing. July 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Avis Part Nineteen - A Time For Change". Ascension Island Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Troops in South Atlantic 'for long term' | British Forces News". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ "Royal Navy commodore new Commander of BFSAI at MPC in Falklands". MercoPress. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ Eklund, Dylan (2015). "A rock and a hard place". The Official Royal Air Force Review 2015: 118. ISSN 1758-9681.
- ^ "Airlink-Ascension Island Government". Ascension Island Government. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "RMS St Helena Brochure" (PDF). AW Ship Management. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "RAF Flights Fly with the RAF and meet the RMS en route". AW Ship Management. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (10 January 2013). "Incident: Delta B772 over Atlantic on Jan 9th 2013, engine trouble". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ "Defence High Frequency Communications Service" (PDF). High Frequency Industry Association. Babcock International Group. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ Leithead, Alastair (4 July 2017). "Ascension: The increasingly unreachable island". BBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "South Atlantic Airbridge ops at Ascension Island suspended". Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (2 May 2017). "Runway potholes halt regular Ascension Island flights". The Guardian.
- ^ "RAF transport Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean". Royal Air Force. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ Haff, Capt. Dana (17 December 1998). "M.V. Ascension". The Islander (1414). Ascension Island: The Islander Newspaper. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ a b Cisneros, Mila (2 March 2022). "Atlantic runway repair reaches halfway point". Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Varley, Len (1 August 2022). "RAF Atlas C1 aircraft refuelled over South Atlantic for first time". Aviation Source. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Cisneros, Mila (10 May 2023). "AFIMSC completes largest runway construction project in years". Eglin Air Force Base. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "Director of Overseas Bases". GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Williams, Airman 1st Class Dalton (6 February 2019). "Small island, big mission – Ascension Island supports 45 SW". 45th Space Wing. US Air Force. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Charter Flight Update". St Helena Government. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "Titan Airways Charter Flights - August 2021 To March 2022". 17 June 2021.
- ^ "(HLE Departures) Saint Helena Airport Departures". FlightStats. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Ascension Island.
- Official website
- Ascension Island Government – Travel to Ascension by Air
- FAA Airport Data and Information Portal – (FHAW) Ascension Aux AF
- UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Ascension / Wideawake (FHAW) Archived 29 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Categories:
- Royal Air Force stations in Africa
- Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Africa
- Airports on Ascension Island
- Serco
- United Kingdom–United States relations
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command
- 1942 establishments in Saint Helena and Dependencies
- World War II Sites in Saint Helena and Dependencies
- Overseas or abroad military installations
- Military of Ascension Island