RAF Geilenkirchen

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RAF Geilenkirchen was a Royal Air Force station in Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as a base for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until January 1968.

[edit] Squadrons Based

2 Squadron (1955-1957) operated the Gloster Meteor FR10 and later the Supermarine Swift FR5.
3 Squadron (1953-1957 and 1959-1961) operated the Hawker Hunter F4 and later the Gloster Javelin FAW4.
5 Squadron (1962-1965) operated the Gloster Javelin FAW9.
11 Squadron (1959-1961) operated the Gloster Meteor NF11 and later the Gloster Javelin FAW4, FAW5 and FAW9.
59 Squadron (1957-1961) operated the EE Canberra B2 and B(I)8.
92 Squadron (1965-1968) operated the EE Lighting F2 and F2A.
96 Squadron (1958-1959) operated the Gloster Javelin FAW4.
234 Squadron (1954-1957) operated the North American Sabre F4 and later the Hawker Hunter F4.
256 Squadron (1958-1958) operated the Gloster Meteor NF11.

[edit] Post-RAF History

The RAF handed over the station to German Air Force in March 1968. The germans used the base as home for a Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the U.S. Army.

In 1980 the base became NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen to house the main operating base for NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. This is a multinational organisation operating NATO Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft.