Warton Aerodrome

In 1940 new runways were built at Warton so that it could act as a "satellite" airfield for the RAF Coastal Command station at Squires Gate airfield in Blackpool.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/office_of_the_chief_executive/lancashireprofile/aero/baesystems.asp |title=Lancashire County Council: Lancashire Profile |date=24 February 2007 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224034214/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/office_of_the_chief_executive/lancashireprofile/aero/baesystems.asp |archive-date=24 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}

The airfield was first operated as an air depot of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during the Second World War, as thousands of aircraft were processed on their way to active service in Britain, North Africa, the Mediterranean and mainland Europe. It hosted the 402d Air Depot, later the 402d Base Air Depot, from 15 April 1943 - 24 November 1945.{{cite web |url=https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/432118/402-maintenance-wing-afmc/|last1=Haulman|first1=Daniel L.|title=Factsheet 402 Maintenance Wing (AFMC)|date=2012-04-05|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|access-date=May 5, 2014}}

On 14 August 1944 Glenn Miller, recently promoted to the rank of major, played a concert to 10,000 servicemen on a platform erected in front of No. 4 Hangar.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p1WoAgAAQBAJ&q=Glenn+Miller+Freckleton&pg=PA37 |title = The Freckleton, England, Air Disaster: The B-24 Crash That Killed 38 Preschoolers and 23 Adults, August 23, 1944|isbn = 9780786478415|last1 = Hedtke|first1 = James R.|date = 14 January 2014| publisher=McFarland }} On 23 August 1944, the accidental crash of a USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber caused the Freckleton Air Disaster, resulting in 61 fatalities, including 38 children and two teenagers.{{cite book

| title = The Freckleton Tragedy, 1944

| first = Joyce

| last = Turner

| publisher = Landy Publishing

| location = Blackpool, UK

| year = 2007

| isbn = 978-1-872895-77-2

}}

It then became a Royal Air Force station.

File:BAC TSR.2 XR219 Warton 11.06.66 edited-2.jpg at Warton in 1966]]

In 1947, English Electric took over the site, moving its main design office there from the Strand Road site in Preston in 1948.

With the merger of English Electric Aviation and the other aircraft divisions of the major British manufacturers in 1960, it became a British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) site. BAC was then nationalised and merged with Hawker Siddeley and Scottish Aviation to form British Aerospace (BAe) in 1977. British Aerospace was privatised in 1981 and was renamed BAE Systems in 1999. As such the airfield has been the flight test centre for various frontline military aircraft including the English Electric Canberra, the English Electric Lightning, the BAC TSR-2, the Sepecat Jaguar, the Panavia Tornado, the BAE Hawk (formerly the Hawker Siddeley Hawk) and most recently the Eurofighter Typhoon.

File:RAF Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Lofting-1.jpg Typhoon F2 flying through the Mach Loop]]

Warton was used as the base for all British development aircraft (DA) and Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) in the Eurofighter programme. Warton has been home to the initial Typhoon squadrons of the Royal Air Force, No. 17 Squadron and No. 29 Squadron. This was under the so-called "Case White" programme where BAE assumes more responsibility for training and support of the new aircraft than previous RAF types which were introduced under a more "in house" system. BAE states that this allows inevitable problems with any new aircraft to be quickly ironed out by BAE personnel on site. BAE plans to offer this on site service to any export customers.

Warton was also used for development flying of the Nimrod MRA4 Maritime Reconnaissance and Attack aircraft until the aircraft was cut in the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010.

The final new build Tornado left Warton in 1998, a GR.1 for Saudi Arabia. Following this the main assembly hall was re-fitted as the final assembly site of the Eurofighter Typhoon. BAE estimate that modern manufacturing techniques will allow the 30-week assembly time for a Tornado to be reduced to 16 weeks for the Typhoon.

File:Rth Warton Airfield 14.09.06.jpg

File:Confluence of the river Ribble and River Douglas - geograph.org.uk - 128848.jpg ]]

Warton is the base for BAE Systems' Corporate Air Travel department which operates scheduled services for employees (and those of partner organisations) to Farnborough, Munich, Cambridge, RAF Coningsby, and RAF Marham. The Farnborough and Munich services are provided by Corporate Air Travel's Embraer 145 aircraft, with the others contracted out to other operators. Many ad hoc passenger flights also take place operated by various VIP operators.

The site is not open to the public. For many years limited areas were made accessible during open days, on a four-yearly cycle alternating with Samlesbury, which the company held for the families and friends of employees and local residents. These "Families' Days" were free of charge and typically included demonstrations of activities, tours of simulation facilities and impressive flying displays. The last Families' Day was held in 2006.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lep.co.uk/news/26-000-attend-bae-family-day-1-114515 |title=26,000 attend BAE 'family day' - Lancashire Evening Post |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022308/http://www.lep.co.uk/news/26-000-attend-bae-family-day-1-114515 |url-status=dead }}

From November 1994, the Lancashire Constabulary operated a Eurocopter AS355 helicopter stationed at Warton. Later, it was replaced by a newer, more capable, EC135.

This has now been withdrawn{{When|date=January 2018}} and is being covered by the National Police Air Service based at Barton.

The airfield has English Electric Lightning F.6 XS928 on permanent static display{{cite book |title= Wreck & Relics, 23rd Edition |last=Ellis |first=Ken |publisher= Crecy Publishing Ltd |year=2012 |isbn=9-780859-791724|location= Manchester }}

{{main|Seeds of hope}}

In January 1996 four women, known as the Ploughshare Four, caused more than £1.5m in damage to a Hawk warplane at the site. They were found not guilty of criminal damage at Liverpool Crown Court after a jury deemed their action was reasonable under the Genocide Act 1969. The Hawk was destined for Indonesia where the women argued it would likely be used to kill civilians in East Timor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-quaker-activist-sam-walton-pacifist-disarm-saudi-arabia-fighter-jet-bae-uk-yemen-a7555246.html|title = An arrested activist wants the UK and Saudi Arabia on trial for war crimes| website=Independent.co.uk |date = February 2017}}

On 29 January 2017 Rev Dan Woodhouse, a Methodist minister in Leeds and Sam Walton, a Quaker, were arrested at the site after allegedly trying to disarm warplanes bound for Saudi Arabia. Lancashire Constabulary said they were being held on suspicion of causing criminal damage. In a statement, Woodhouse said stopping warplanes "would save lives".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-38787630|title=Two arrested over 'disarming warplanes' at BAE Systems in Warton|work=BBC News |date=29 January 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://old.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23724|title=Ekklesia | Methodist minister and Quaker arrested for trying to disarm warplanes|date=30 January 2017|website=old.ekklesia.co.uk}} Walton reported that the two carried one of the hammers used by the Ploughshare Four, which had since been confiscated by police. In October 2017 Walton and Woodhouse appeared at Burnley Magistrates court facing charges of criminal damage; both were found not guilty after successfully arguing that they acted for the greater good.{{Citation|title=I Broke Into an Arms Factory to Destroy Fighter Jets {{!}} Investigators| date=8 March 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelofzqFFm8|language=en|access-date=2021-03-23}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-41763568|title='Greater good' pair cleared of BAE attack|work=BBC News|date=26 October 2017}}

Since 2012, the aerodrome has provided one of the two sites of Lancashire Enterprise Zone, the other site being at BAE Systems' Samlesbury Aerodrome.{{cite news |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9554645._Big_companies__interested_in_East_Lancashire_enterprise_zone/ |title='Big companies' interested in East Lancashire enterprise zone |last=Dillon |first=Jonathon |newspaper=Lancashire Telegraph |date=26 February 2012 |access-date=26 March 2015}} The zone's site at Warton covers {{convert|72|ha}}.{{cite news |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9890635.Lancashire_enterprize_zone_due_in_to_boost_jobs_18_months/ |title=Lancashire enterprize [sic] zone due in to boost jobs 18 months |last=Woodhouse |first=Lisa |newspaper=Lancashire Telegraph |date=23 August 2012 |access-date=26 March 2015}} BAE Systems, Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Enterprise Partnership coordinate the site's development.

• List of aerospace flight test centres

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.baesystems.com/en/product/typhoon BAE Systems Typhoon]
• [http://www.967atc.co.uk 967 ATC Sqn]

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSkD_zqhhao British Aerospace 1980s promotional video]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoY7fmd0ksc Apprentice at Warton with Eurofighter assembly in March 2010]

{{Borough of Fylde buildings}}

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Category:Aircraft assembly plants in England

Category:Airports in England

Category:Airports in Lancashire

Category:Aviation in Lancashire

Category:BAE Systems facilities

Category:British Aircraft Corporation

Category:Buildings and structures in the Borough of Fylde

Category:English Electric

Category:Research and development in the United Kingdom

Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom