RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron)
In 1939, the Admiralty Air Division commandeered 417 acres (169 hectares) of the land, and work began on the construction of the site.[2] After the end of the war, Yeovilton became one of the main demobilisation centres for the Royal Navy, with many of the men helping to refurbish the runways while they stayed at the base.[4] In the mid 1980s, Defence Estates announced that many of the Royal Navy ratings married quarters at RNAS Yeovilton were surplus to requirements.In July 2006, Sea King HC4 helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton were deployed to Cyprus on Operation Highbrow to assist with the evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon.[9] The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 recommended that in order to replace the Navy's ageing Westland Sea King HC4's which formed the Commando Helicopter Force at Yeovilton, the RAF's AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin fleet should be transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.[11][12] The last phase of the transition occurred when 845 NAS departed Benson for Yeovilton on 16 June 2016, bringing nearly 15 years of RAF Merlin operations to a close.[13][14] The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2 began replacing the Westland Lynx HMA8 when the first production aircraft arrived at Yeovilton in January 2013.In order to allow the Army Air Corps to locate their Wildcat helicopters and 750 personnel at Yeovilton, extensive redevelopment of the station began in 2014.Known as Project WINFRA, the work involves eight separate contracts worth a total of £150 million and was undertaken by Mott McDonald and Carillion.[24] The Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) was disbanded in March 2019, previously operating at RNAS Yeovilton since 1972.[26] With the aircraft having now been transferred to the civilian register, displays are now funded from charity events run by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.The station operates over 100 aircraft, and is staffed by around 1675 service and 2000 civilian personnel, including Ministry of Defence (MOD) employees and permanent contractors.The Merlin HC3/3A fleet is currently undergoing an upgrade to HC4 and HC4A, to ensure the aircraft are fully capable of deploying in a maritime / amphibious role.
HMS HeronYeoviltonSomersetEnglandMerlin HC3846 Naval Air SquadronRoyal Naval Air StationMinistry of DefenceRoyal NavyFleet Air ArmCommodoreconcreteairbaseYeovilEnglish countyRNAS CuldroseWildcat HMA2Army Air CorpsWildcat AH1Commando Helicopter ForceMerlinairfieldFleet Air Arm MuseumWestland Aircrafttest pilotHarald PenroseEcclesiastical CommissionersChurch of EnglandhectaresrunwaysmetresSupermarine Seafire750 Naval Air SquadronRNAS FordRoyal Navy Observer SchoolLuftwaffe794 Naval Air Squadron827 Naval Air SquadronFairey AlbacoresBarracudasSecond World WarCharlton HorethorneHenstridgeTaylor WoodrowBAe Sea Harrier FRS1899 Naval Air SquadronSea Venomsde Havilland Sea VixensMcDonnell-DouglasPhantom FG1RNAS Lee-on-SolentPhantomsRoyal Air ForceWessexSea KingFleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction UnitSea Harrierski-jump assisted take-offsDefence EstatesIlchesterstone frigateChurch of St Bartholomew800 Naval Air Squadron801 Naval Air SquadronBAE Sea Harrier FA2 and T8Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIRAF MarhamQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriersOperation HighbrowRNAS PortlandNATO'selectronic warfareStrategic Defence and Security Review 2010AgustaWestland AW101 MerlinRoyal Navy'sRAF BensonNo. 78 Squadron845 Naval Air SquadronNo. 28 Squadron848 Naval Air SquadronSea King HC4AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2Westland Lynx HMA8700W NAS702 NAS825 NASArmy 20201 Regiment AACGütersloh9 Regiment AACDishforth652 (Wildcat Fielding) SquadronOperational Conversion Unit5 Regiment AACMott McDonaldCarillionRoyal Navy Historic FlightWildcat Maritime ForceaircraftMinistry of Defence (MOD)Royal MarinesAfghanistanRNAS Merryfield727 Naval Air SquadronGrob Tutor T1air show815 Naval Air Squadron825 Naval Air SquadronTutor T1Underwater Escape Training UnitRoyal Navy Wildcat Demo TeamJoint Aviation CommandCommando Merlin HC4/4A847 Naval Air Squadron1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team1 Regiment652 Squadron659 Squadron661 SquadronRoyal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers EuropeMerlin HC3/3ACaptainBrigadierNick TindalAgustaWestland aircraft