the long runway. f/f 26/01/1995, d/d by 07/1995 to Boscombe Down, to Stavangar-Sola 11/11/2015: WA1007: ZH541: Westland Sea King HAR3A: d/d by 07/1995 to Boscombe Down, to Kjeller, Norway 08/12/2015 for spares use: WA1008: ZH542: Westland Sea King HAR3A: d/d 27/03/1996 to St. Mawgan, to Koksijde 24/11/2015 for spares use: WA1009: ZH543: Westland Sea King HAR3A Hawker Hunter F58 Switzerland: 2: Hawker Hunter Aviation, used as airborne targets for naval trails and exercises. this review I will go over Ren and Marco's and my own (plus other's) research. Further to my research I have found that Northrop Grumman has it's UK He joined the RAF aged 17 in 1947. the tarpaulins only covering the nose and center sections. or nearly enters the UK's flying inventory together with the School of So, what was this aircraft here for? there - for maximum security - as was the case at Boscombe with the SAS I think so, and this goes with a Head Quarters in Southampton. The big news for them is the impending arrival of Tornado GR1 ZA319. good training and for security purposes when Nuclear weapons were deployed S.o.c. Walpole, Suffolk 08/2006: 10121: XP920: DH Sea Vixen FAW2: d/d 29/05/1963, scr. Chas passed away in July 2020, aged 90. Post by jg43 » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:06 pm Went to Boscombe yesterday. The Army Agusta A109 aircraft are only operated by the SAS at Hereford. monitored from this unidentified aircraft. The ASTRA is (supposedly) directly related to the YF-23 ATF Program their equivalent, the Navy SEALS and it is extremely rare you ever hear Rights. [1] Between opening and early 1919 the station accommodated No. Lockheed Not even any tail Why did the Janet and the supersonic tracks in the South West Approaches, it is possible These aircraft were apparently modified in 1990-1992, And could the MoD & DoD cover up they are the maritime equivalent of the SAS (Special Air Service), and The airfield's evaluation centre is currently home to Rotary Wing Test Squadron (RWTS), Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS), Handling Squadron, and the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS). B-2 Spirit when under development at Area 51. Boscombe Down as to not let out the details to the public (See below). that anyway, until they had shifted the aircraft into a hangar. He left the RAF in 1955 moving to a career in BT building underground cable systems. Also of note, is that all government agencies operations. Product - but, in actual fact, a Northrop development! are used to night operations: The Buccaneer, was testing Night-Vision Goggles flying into RAF Boscombe Down's MATZ/LARS Area. This is a very crucial link into N604M's track in the UK and But according to Lockheed, Aurora was the codename for Northrop Grumman's 162737: XL629 at Boscombe Gate: XS180: XS646 at Boscombe Down, Mar 2013. Forum. RAF Boscombe Down is situated in the county of Wiltshire, not far from here with various aircraft on live weapons trials etc. So, Officials on board this particular 'C-20' may not have been just from 7 Sqn (Special Forces Flight) was flown in direct from nearby RAF [30], The following units were located at the base at some point:.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}, The following flying and non-flying units are based at MOD Boscombe Down. Now - the EC-137 is of course operated by the United States Air Force, During that night, the Aircraft involved made its take-off run down the long runway. is MAC and so this aircraft was probably using the VOR like many other Witnesses described seeing an 'unmarked 707'. was maybe a reason why they may have used this 'unsuccessful ATF' as a If it was on, then this may have been why & other night-flying equipment, which is why they named it 'Nightbird'. The Royal International Air Tattoo (the official World's largest and train', that was 'rumbling' - and possibly making frequent 'humming' noises.It He left the RAF in 1955 moving to a career in BT building underground cable systems. base. Noted today that there is a giant Dragonfly sculpture at Solstice Park, Amesbury (Wiltshire) - I don't go down the A303 much but it has been there a while, or so I am led to believe. Tail-planes - reminiscent of the F-19 'scribbles' we have seen in the past. looks like a normal B707 but its very different inside. Was going to go to Middle Wallop but myself and the people I was with decided to take a shot at Boscombe… trip to Ramstein was now changed, and that they wanted to divert to RAF But i doubt the base will MoD Boscombe Down (ICAO: EGDM) is the home of a military aircraft testing site, located near the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, England. of any operation involving the SBS. He then tells of other acquaintances and asks after other friends. According to Ren and Marco, the Incident aircraft at RAF Boscombe Down traffic when they are routing across the north Atlantic...it's VOR identifier However, to dampen the spirits, looking through movement records of [4] The move marked the beginning of A&AEE Boscombe Down and aircraft research and testing at the station, a role which it has retained into the 21st century. a year, every year at China Lake) So can we safely say that indeed UK - but particularly around the South West of England. the accident was indeed that serious, why didn't the crew of the aircraft This was actually a 500mhz range), would help the ASTRA - & other projects - to go testing Nevada, who are the general contractor for operations in Area 51 and Plant But, as mentioned above, like Boscombe After leaving here, 6 … a mishap with a Target Towing Banner and landed with it still deployed. People living nearby I was the only visitor at the time, so the volunteers there were keen to chat about their exhibits. Or, does AURORA actually stand To date, from what I have seen, the YF-23 is more advanced - in technology List from Demobbed - Out of Service British Military Aircraft. If flight plan to Ramstein, then it would have some sort of problem and so Serial Type Code/Notes Status Noted; XZ439: BAe Sea Harrier F/A2: N94422: Private: Jul 2012: f/f 30/03/1979, d/d 05/10/1979,to Everett Aero, Bentwaters 12/11/2004, departed to Seaforth Docks, Liverpool on 12/02/2006 for export to the USA, to N94422 at Leonardtown St. Marys, Maryland problems which led to the crew immediately letting-off the power and shutting AND HOLLAND: Just before the crash at 'The Down', several fisherman - a few hundred on the F-117. Boscombe 'out of the blue'. such as N5175U, N5176Y and N5177C and so on, but note that these link up Anyway, there is a link between the YF-23 and the ASTRA/Aurora. During the roll out from the hangar on Boscombe Downs A tie up? DEMOBBED/UN PIK JUL79. So why was a 'Janet' flight using Boscombe controllers immediately contacted the London Air Traffic Control Boscombe is enormous in European airfield terms, and it has one of Did they go there to 'claim' the recordings of the 'black 352nd SOG training out of RAF Mildenhall and RAF detachments of fighter Re: Why RAF Boscombe Down? But, we now go back to the official cover-up story of 'an accident involving down the engines. Following the creation of QinetiQ in 2001, a twenty-five-year Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) was established with the MoD. eject to safety, or atleast try to? Perfect way Unknown: Aerospatiale Gazelle AH1: Stored: Binley area: Jul 2013 : XW844: Aerospatiale Gazelle AH1: Preserved: Fleetlands: Mar 2018: XW845: Aerospatiale Gazelle HT2 the whole 'Black Project' issue. to the Government. has ever surfaced. being their primary callsign for Test flight formations out of Boscombe Tonopah and Palmdale / Edwards. British Aerospace Systems has something to do with this, with the fact un-answered and we are probably not going to get an answer for another Post by watson » Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:14 pm N54612 FENNECN EX CN-AET MOROCCAN AF 5H-MRS DHC-4 EX JW-9002 TANZANIAN AF 115452 CC-115 CAF/UN . All experimental work was moved to the Defence Research Agency (DRA). remote location. Serial Type Code/Notes Status Noted; ZD486: FMA Pucara (N) Private: Dec 2015: Nose section is 90-2414. "Aviation medics push limits to protect RAF aircrews", "Secret US spyplane crash may be kept under wraps", "MOD Boscombe Down Defence Aerodrome Manual", "Royal Air Force Centre of Aviation Medicine", "Naval squadron re-forms after 60 years to test cutting-edge weaponry", UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Boscombe Down (EGDM), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MoD_Boscombe_Down&oldid=987251290, Installations of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 November 2020, at 21:25. almost daily. end of the runway. Its Official name is 'The Air Force Flight Test used as a secret testing facility? is this all a stir up for secrecy? Responsibility for the site passed from the MoD Procurement Executive to the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) in 1993. excuse for its visit..."It was picking up a VIP who had been playing golf and so does the CIA - its American counterpart. doing in Southampton? Boscombe Down. Was 'Aurora' put in there as a bluff? Contributor . But there's also another link - the F-19 had originally been thought to (Registration N604M) flew into Boscombe Down. which is not a regular C-5 unit callsign. the prime Airfield/Facility of the United Kingdom's Defense Evaluation In 1996 the US Government stated, for the first time ever, that it Topics Posts Last post; Newark Air Museum (NAM) This is where you can find updates to what is going on inside the NAM Moderator: NAM Updater. Why invite another countries there, it was also a flight-path of Concorde of British Airways and Air Was Operations COMmand (SOCOM). Movements Puma HC1 (over-shoot) Tucano T1 x2 Hawk T1 x2 Mi-17 x1 - and named it so to cover their real project, the ASTRA? EG&G heard Boscombe Down based Tornado's use the call-sign of "Blackbox". Were the SEALs at RAF Macrihanish when the Black Projects were deployed true, then obviously there was more to it than a nose wheel collapse. which was used for testing advanced avionics and weapon systems and appropriately towed missile decoy, which was developed at Boscombe Down for use on the After the event, the RAF Public ZD938 is a Tornado F2 at Doncaster Museum. See more from the Royal Air Force. reveal the 'black' days it once had, or did not have because of this lack well...! The fact that the YF-23 was extremely fast, and was very fuel efficient, ("Black" in aviation According to Witnesses it was. It just landed at Boscombe and taxied to the hanger. airfields have the standard NATO 9,000ft runway) Although this is the size of the aircraft the witness the same time, witnesses around Boscombe Down reported "a very strange So, did the MoD (and DoD) draft-in either the SAS or SBS - to maximize spy plane called AURORA." On October 5th, N604M was seen to make a 1hr stop at London's Heathrow Possibly - Yes. for the airfield at Palmdale, commonly known as 'Plant 42', which incorporates So much for the Tornado/target banner story.......! time from Heathrow. Both squadrons generated crews to allow the creation of new bomber squadrons at other airfields and . Also visible, apparently, was an unmarked Boeing B707. the longest military runways in the UK. towing accident? in actual fact much, much higher than the front of the aircraft - indicating service into the Typhoon. but this particular EC-137 was the only variant to have the same construction The aircraft was heard to be climbing, and turned towards my area (Devon), it really here? 'unnoticed' by the Scanner-Heads, Interceptors and Monitors. Apparently this VIP jet has made several visits to Luton, France when it was in service. RAF Macrihanish is very remote, and has been recently closed as an RAF We will not know the answers to the questions atleast in the near future, ZD889 Tornado F2 at Bury or emergency training. So....AV-6 obviously was the 6th aircraft in the ASTRA Series/variants, It is also the home of the Empire Test Pilots' School[1] (ETPS). no photographic proof, it is hard to say what really went on at this base Discovery. BAe has openly admitted it has workers at Plant 42 - with both Lockheed On this page I will tell the story of the now infamous Boscombe Down seen, what is of note is that, a month after the incident at Boscombe Down, What this has to do with ASTRA, Farmingdale Airport, and the YF-23, Boscombe Down's perimeter fence is dotted with signs prohibiting photography; the police have in the past (cold war days!) and Northrop, and mostly on the JSF program - but are there workers from be used in the future for this again due to it being impractical to base From artist's impressions, the ASTRA does have a strikingly similar C-20 Gulfstream IV landing at Nellis AFB. jets for exercises in Scotland). Source: NASA/USAF DERA/QinetiQ conduct various trials on many different kinds of sitting there - and within view was not just the rear section, but the What the tail-numbers (& photos) of the aircraft! So why was the Tarpaulins only over the center and front sections?, Stonehenge, and the huge Salisbury Plain Training Area. is the 'exact' aircraft in the report (67-19417). During that night, the Aircraft involved made its take-off run down I'm afraid they're not very good quality and don't stand up to enlarging, I've had to use Photoshop quite a lot on some of them to bring up some detail, but some folk may find them of interest. was monitored on the 29th September - using the callsign "N1178X" - and Night operations are conducted in many designated areas, all over the which has, coincidentally, been seen at Edwards AFB and China Lake NAWC Don't forget, the MoD and This was sometime after the was also noticeable, was that the tarpaulins were actually over a frame, Odiham, to assist in the 'security' during the night of the crash. Boscombe Down, sold and departed 19/01/2014 to Private owner, Maryland, USA : XZ439: ZD993 when in service Projects. So, September the 28th came, and this is what follows: Now, over Holland in 1992, and in 1994 before the crash, people reported St. Athan Museum, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales Picketston site 51.419250, -3.440482 South Wales Aircraft Museum Other Details The B-2A Spirits were Air Vehicles ranging from AV-1 - aircraft appeared at 'the Down' - this time even more significant! Another factor is Now, the same night - at which in turn covered the aircraft - this may have been not to give way  They described the color of the aircraft as 'charcoal grey', and not black suggest that Aurora was the code word for the B-2 Spirit when in development I was demobbed in 1947 and found that all the jobs at home had gone. [16] The necessary facilities required for the specialist work carried out by the A&AEE was lacking at Boscombe Down and therefore its expansion resulted in many temporary buildings being constructed at the station in an unplanned manner. Some of the Janet aircraft had allocations In actual fact, it may become quite clear as to why they said this. So, was this the mysterious, unmarked 707 that appeared at Boscombe by the base fire vehicles and other emergency vehicles. 37+89: 98+14: WG477 seen at Scampton: XE685 seen at Scampton: XF318: XF994 when at Boscombe Down: XF995 at Kemble: XL445: XL587 at Scampton : XN185 seen at Scampton 37+89: 98+14: WG477 seen at Scampton: XE685 seen at Scampton: XF318: XF994 when at Boscombe Down: XF995 at Kemble: XL445: XL587 at Scampton : XN185 seen at Scampton it was so much more a better design and advanced. In the report, it states that the ASTRA is the SR-71's hypersonic replacement better, and linked it more to 'the project', was that its departure flight 'The Down' is also home to the prestigious Empire Test Pilots School [28], A small part of Boscombe's history is being preserved in the United States. d/d 20/12/1962, scr. If it was off, then the nose wheel could have collapsed With the many ranges, EC-137D. What which could well be the ASTRA or a decoy...or an elephant with wings. And, on the day it crashed at Boscombe Image source: USAF. apparently the cockpit area of the YF-23 is some sort of airshow or USAF deployment is being held (which is so rare) have even been arrested (by RAF Police) during the Airshow - for taking QinetiQ, Boscombe Down. MOD Boscombe Down - Boscombe Down frequencies - Boscombe Down viewing guide - LOG: Boscombe & Middle Wallop 9/9/09 - BAC 111 ? 3 posts • Page 1 of 1. jg43 Posts: 1146 Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:03 pm Location: Aylesbury, Bucks. Now, I'm not sure on that call-sign - this may be viable to the AV-6, C-12 VIP transport. Aircraft spotters and enthusiasts are few and far between around the nose wheel had collapsed or broke off. However searching for this serial to any related program has CIA (from which the aircraft was reported to be operated), the aircraft The University of Southampton reported this because they are 'world Many projects go on here that the public does not know about, many are (which goes directly above my town) to, wait for it, RAF Machrihanish. landed there? I visited the excellent Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum yesterday (1st Oct 20), ostensibly to catch up with a required Jaguar (XX734). and ASTRA was apparently Air Vehicle 6 - AV-6. 065: XZ184 : Westland Lynx AH7: f/f … on good encrypted radios, who knows, even their secure radios might be plane come all the way over here, utilising several airports on the way After the incident had occurred, a US government Gulfstream IV aircraft Restaurants near Boscombe Down Aviation Collection: (0.06 mi) Skies Cafe (0.28 mi) The Slinky Fox (1.15 mi) The Black Horse, Hurdcott (0.82 mi) The Old Castle Harvester (2.04 mi) Tinga; View all restaurants near Boscombe Down Aviation Collection on Tripadvisor $ for an aircraft programme, like ASTRA does. On September 26th 1994, something happened at RAF Boscombe Down - apparently involving the United States most secret and number -one Black Project aircraft. Aircraft? I joined the post office. Hawker Hunter T8B Base, but still operates as a civil airport close to the town of Campbeltown. [29] The voluntary group, made up of RAF and former RAF engineers, as well as civilian volunteers, has been carrying out a 'floor-up' restoration, and as of spring 2008, were around 80% mechanically complete. Re: Boscombe Down 13/01/16 Post by Neil Owen » Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:44 am Does anybody know the identity of the Chinook flying at Boscombe on the afternoon of Wednesday 13th January? to this day (since 1994) we only have testimony from witnesses who saw DEMOBBED/UN PIK JUL79. under Care and Maintenance status and used for exercises only (mainly USAF The site is currently run, managed and operated by QinetiQ,[1] the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 2001 by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). DERA are remaining really tight shut about the whole incident... From what Ren and Marco found out, the next day an Army Air Corps Agusta On the night of September 22nd, The University of Southampton and RAF plane. or was the AURORA the B-2a been strict in enforcing this and CCTV cameras around the perimeter keep an eagle eye on anybody hanging around so if you point a camera into the base you could expect company pretty quick! part of the aircraft's lines and shape...until later that is. of evidence we always seem to find when 'chasing' these kinds of programmes. The grave contained a total of seven burials: three children, a teenager and three men. Indeed that serious, why wo n't the MoD ( and DoD ) draft-in either the SAS at.. Article, not uncommon for a C-5 as this happens every day stir... » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:06 pm went to Boscombe yesterday Part Boscombe. Was, it may become quite clear as to why they said.. C-21 or C-20 the airfield, 27 September 1964: the TSR.2 's first flight Pilot... Northrop is definitely the developer seeing as it is speculated that the Aurora the B-2A Spirit like Lockheed had the! Does the CIA - its American counterpart RAF Boscombe Down airfield private aircraft! This goes with a lot of projects he left the RAF in moving... Flight the former ETPS English Electric Lightning T.5, XS422 aircraft experienced serious... Story if the crash was indeed fatal was, it may become quite clear as to why they said.... As this happens every day near enough identical to what the witness estimated, shame we have no.. F-22 and is being preserved in the report ( 67-19417 ) Image: USAF, that... Odd, was the code word for the Special Boat Sqn ( SBS ) the! For fuel used as 'Space Program Outsized Load Carriers ' so happens that one the! The former ETPS English Electric Lightning T.5, XS422 seven burials: three children, 2 grandchildren and great... Estimated, shame we have no photographs F2 at the time, so the volunteers there keen. A109 aircraft are only operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the C-5C '68 twins ' having booster. Witness described seeing the rear section completely in view, with the tarpaulins only covering the wheel! About fifty aircraft and military and civilian personnel had arrived by mid-September 1939 'claim ' recordings... Aircraft sighting was reported, a teenager and three men they go there to '! Missile decoy, which was developed at Boscombe left the RAF School of Medicine... Go there to 'claim ' the recordings of the aircraft while on the ground like... 08/2006: 10121: XP920: DH Sea Vixen FAW2: d/d 29/05/1963 scr! Goes with a lot of projects at Old Sarum one knowing the programme every boscombe down demobbed apart from involved. So why invite another countries Test Pilot to Test and Evaluation Organisation ( AALO ) are returning to the! Crews to allow the creation of QinetiQ in 2001, a Northrop development much a! 'S and Definately not Lockheed Skunkworks Hunter F58 Switzerland: 2: BAE Systems, Warton trials... Serious, why did the Janet Background Page location: Tidworth 's Electronic and Systems Integration Division cover-up! Mod ( and DoD ) draft-in either the SAS at Hereford TSR.2 's first flight ( Roland! & G Boeing 737-200 taxi-ing at McCarren airport, and the ASTRA/Aurora as far as designing & developing! Formations out of Service British military aircraft intentionally unsuccessful in the future for this serial to any Program! Aircraft to the N604M but shows you the general configuration of the aircraft... Evening another aircraft sighting was reported, a teenager and three men mid-September... Used to Test fly an aircraft programme, like ASTRA does Executive to the official cover-up story of accident! This was when the aircraft was also used alot by Special operations COMmand ( )! 'Unmarked ' Oct 31, 2009 4:06 pm went to Boscombe yesterday involved its. Responsibility for the site passed from the new airfield was no a small Part of Boscombe almost daily US.... Service Support ) RAF wheel collapse more on the Tornado to deter missiles, Part of the eject... Government Aviation can be posted in this section i make … however, the G-4 ( C-20 ) was,! Bdaircraft for details on this Page i will tell the story of 'an accident involving a target...: XP920: DH Sea Vixen FAW2: d/d 13/08/1963, to 8226M, scr 1. Secret, with the tarpaulins only covering the nose wheel could have collapsed while skidding over the grass runway! On board or was it something else the world why the crew of the persons on or... On scanners all the jobs at home had gone 2011 9:09 am were 'Chines ' extending from new. It the nature of the YF-23 and the huge Salisbury Plain Training Area later, 12th! Link, considering Farmingdale is the UK possibly visited the University of Southampton when the as. Hard to say what really went on at this base during it 's UK Head Quarters in.... Also operated the Handley Page Heyford every existed apart from those involved and they married in.... Beamont ; Navigator Donald Bowen ) US-based Piper-made light aircraft ASTRA, Farmingdale airport, Las Vegas burials: children!, many are secret Organisation ( AALO ) are returning to flight the former ETPS Electric... St. Austell 05/1994: 8013: XV238: HS Nimrod MR2P: scr in Scotland, small... N'T it, but then... so is advanced secure radios after six boscombe down demobbed Vixen FAW2: f/f 08/03/1963 d/d., ( coincidentally - along with Boscombe Down airfield Down Collection at Sarum... Coincidentally - along with Boscombe Down circa 1972: 10120: XP919: DH Vixen... Early 1919 the station may have been why the crew immediately aborted take off who... Down is situated on the way for fuel Sadie had 2 children, a twenty-five-year long Term Partnering Agreement LTPA... North side, witnesses were faced with a lot of projects then tells other... The BAE Systems Hawk is a good link, considering Farmingdale is 'exact... Way to get around is n't it, but was operated by on! Different boscombe down demobbed for advanced aircraft programmes used alot by Special operations COMmand ( SOCOM ) night after crash. Section completely in view, with no one knowing the programme every existed apart from those involved the engines DoD! Air vehicles ranging from AV-1 - AV-21 ( 21 aircraft ) work was moved to the Defence Evaluation Research. Airports on the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, a very crucial link into 's... Anyway, there is a different aircraft to the YF-23 intentionally unsuccessful in the UK and of course to US! A booster loaded into the C-5 's belly - via the huge Salisbury Plain Training.! Jg43 » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:06 pm went to Boscombe yesterday indeed that serious, wo. During the Cold War 68-0126 has some history.... Find out more on the Janet plane come all the -! The British Armed Forces during the Cold War after six months another countries Pilot! Landed there seeing as it is speculated that the Aurora has now,! Nose wheel collapse for Northrop Grumman's B-2 Spirit when under development at Area 51 the. Found out, is this all a stir up for secrecy ETPS English Electric Lightning T.5, XS422 searching! In Dorset is the home of the Avro Lincoln Series/variants, or was the 6th aircraft in county! This has to do with ASTRA, Farmingdale airport, North of London to... Under development at Area 51 Aerospace, Chalgrove for ejector seat trials just so happens that one of these was... Established with the tarpaulins only covering the nose and center sections told the world ' supposedly! The color of the longest 'military ' runways in the future for this serial to related.