The 1990s


 
Day Month Year Event
25th Jun 1990 The last 11th Strategic Group tanker mission was flown.
 
27th Jun 1990 The last tanker left Fairford.
 
7th Aug 1990 The 11th Strat. Group was de-activated.
 
1st Jan 1991 Flying operations officially ceased at RAF Fairford.
 
31st Jan 1991 The British government approved the basing of B-52s at RAF Fairford in support of Operation Desert Storm, the allied response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
 
5th Feb 1991 The first five 379th and 416th BW B-52Gs to be deployed to the 806th(P) Bomb Wing arrived for Operation Desert Storm.
 
6th Feb 1991 Three more B-52s arrive.
 
9th Feb 1991 The first Operation Desert Storm mission was flown involving 4 B-52s and an air spare.
 
13th Feb 1991 B-52 crews were given permission to jettison their weapons in the Bristol Channel, causing concern amongst local fishermen.
 
13th Feb 1991 It was announced that B-52s from RAF Fairford would be airborne refuelled by KC-135s deployed to France.
 
18th Feb 1991 A B-52 "probably" from RAF Fairford diverted into Palermo, Sicily.
 
7th Mar 1991 806th(P) Bomb Wing commanders revealed they flew 60 missions during Operation Desert Storm from RAF Fairford.
 
8th Mar 1991 Ten KC-135s passed through on their way back to the United States from deployments in the Gulf.
 
9th Mar 1991 The last of the deployed B-52s departed.
 
20th Jul 1991 The International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
29th Aug 1991 Four 42nd BW B-52s arrived for exercises and departed on Sep 13th and 14th.
 
6th Mar 1992 Five 42nd BW B-52s arrived for Exercise Teamwork 92-1 and departed on the 18th and 19th.
 
19th Jun 1992 The first four B-52Hs to visit RAF Fairford arrived from the 416th BW and departed 29th June.
 
15th Jan 1993 The 7020th was renamed the 720th ABG.
 
27th May 1993 USAF E-3 swap outs passed through RAF Fairford.
 
3rd Jun 1993 Exercise Coronet Comet began, three B-52Hs 416th BW and four KC-135Es Arizona ANG deployed.
 
16th Jun 1993 The first B-1Bs arrived at RAF Fairford, two from 28th BW and one the 319th BW.
 
21st Jun 1993 Exercise Coronet Comet ends.
 
24th Jul 1993 Two Mig-29s collided in mid-air during the IAT air show.
 
3rd Aug 1993 Three US Army Chinooks arrived before departing on the 6th.
 
7th Aug 1993 Eight C-141s arrived after having para-dropped on Salisbury Plain as part of Exercise Roaring Lion.
 
2nd Sep 1993 Exercise Coronet Invader and Solid Stance began, four B-52Hs 416th BW arrived and departed on the 20th.
 
22nd Oct 1993 The first MC-130H to visit RAF Fairford arrived.
 
30th Apr 1994 Eight F-16s and four KC-135s from the Illinois ANG arrived for Exercise Coronet Nova.
 
1st Jun 1994 Four 7th BW B-1Bs arrived and all departed 22nd June.
 
30th Jul 1994 The International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
1st Aug 1994 The 7020th de-activated
 
1st Aug 1994 The 424th Air Base Squadron was activated
 
17th Feb 1995 Four 2nd BW B-52s arrived.
 
Feb 1995 Two 353rd Wing EC-130Hs and a Pen ANG EC-130E arrived and departed 10th March.
 
15h Mar 1995 Three U-2s and 170 airmen arrived from RAF Alconbury.
 
24th May 1995 Five KC-135s and EC-135K stopped over.
 
26h May 1995 Two more KC-135s stopped over.
 
13th Feb 1996 An RAF mini evaluation involving four VC-10s and two Tri-stars from RAF Brize Norton took place.
 
6th Jun 1995 Four B-52Hs arrived with eight F-111Fs of the 27th Fighter Wing.
 
23rd Jul 1995 The International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
29th Aug 1995 A U-2 crashed on take off, accident investigators arrived from the US in a C-135E.
 
27th Dec 1996 Two RC-135s diverted to Fairford due to fog at their planned destination of RAF Mildenhall.
 
28th Dec 1995 The U-2 deployment prepared to start moving to France.
 
4th Jan 1996 The last two U-2s left for France.
 
15th Feb 1996 At a base in the US an SR-71 simulated deployment to RAF Fairford as part of Red Flag.
 
20th Jul 1996 The Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
19th Jul 1997 The Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
25th Jul 1998 The Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
11h Oct 1998 Six B-52Hs 2nd BW arrived with 4 C-17 transport aircraft in preparation for operations of Kosovo.
 
5th Nov 1998 The B-52s departed without flying any offensive missions.
 
21st Feb 1999 Seven B-52Hs from the 2nd Bomb Wing arrived for Operation Allied Force/Noble Anvil as part of the 2nd Air Expeditionary Group.  Additional aircraft including B-1Bs and KC-135s arrived over the next month.
 
10th Mar 1999 A B-2 made a stopover while on a round trip from Whiteman AFB.
 
1st Apr 1999 The first five B-1Bs from the 28th Bomb Wing arrived as part of Operation Allied Force.
 
12th Apr 1999 The first five KC-135s from the 366th Air Refuelling Wing arrived.
 
18th Apr 1999 Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Ryan visited RAF Fairford.
 
16th Jun 1999 The deployed aircraft at RAF Fairford receive their orders and begun to return home.
 
25th Jun 1999 The last of the deployed aircraft left, the KC-135s.
 
24th Jul 1999 The Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford.
 
13th Sep 1999 Two B-52s arrived at RAF Fairford for Exercise Northern Light.
 
24th Sep 1999 MC-130s and MH-53s from RAF Mildenhall deployed to RAF Fairford for a training exercise, Exercise Eclipse Bravo.
 

 

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