RAF Cottesmore is a Royal Air Force airbase in Leicestershire, England. It houses all the operational Harrier GR7 squadrons in the Royal Air Force.

RAF Cottesmore opened on 11 March 1938. The station was mainly a training station, and the first squadrons were equipped with Vickers Wellesley aircraft, but soon converted to Fairey Battles. Later RAF Bomber Command took over the airfield, again as a training station, flying Handley Page Hampdens. On 8 September 1943 the United States Army Air Force took over Cottesmore, flying troop transport aircraft. Paratroops for the Normandy invasion and Operation Market Garden took off from Cottesmore.

After World War II Cottesmore again became a training station. In 1954 English Electric Canberras were moved there, the first time front-line combat arcraft based there, but all had left by the end of 1955.

In 1957 it was announced that Cottesmore would became a base for the V-bomber force, carriers of Britain's nuclear deterrent. The squadrons carried out Quick Reaction Alert duties using Handley Page Victor and later Avro Vulcan bombers, until 1969. When they left the base was used by 90 Signals Group.

Cottesmore became home to the Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE). Established in July 1980 and officially opened on 29 January 1981, the centre undertook training of new Panavia Tornado pilots from the RAF, Luftwaffe, Germany Navy and Italian Air Force. The centre closed in 1999.

External links

• Official web site http://www.raf-cott.demon.co.uk/index.html