MOD Boscombe Down
| MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury, Wiltshire in United Kingdom | |||||||||
A Eurofighter Typhoon at MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Military test and evaluation airfield | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | QinetiQ and Royal Air Force | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°09′27″N 01°44′49″W / 51.15750°N 1.74694°W | ||||||||
| Area | 572 hectares (1,410 acres) | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1917 | ||||||||
| In use | 1917 – present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Occupants | |||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: EGDM, WMO: 03746 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 123.7 metres (406 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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| Source: UK MIL AIP Barkston Heath | |||||||||
MOD Boscombe Down (ICAO: EGDM) is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the south-eastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, 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).
The base was originally conceived, constructed, and operated as Royal Air Force Boscombe Down, more commonly known as RAF Boscombe Down, and since 1939, has evaluated aircraft for use by the British Armed Forces. The airfield has one active runway 3,212 metres (10,538 ft) in length. The airfield's evaluation centre is currently home to Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTS), Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron (HATS), Handling Squadron, and the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS). It will be home to an anti-jamming test facility by 2026.