RAF Waddington
| RAF Waddington | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Waddington, Lincolnshire in England | |||||||
The RAF's first Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint arrives at RAF Waddington in November 2013 | |||||||
For Faith and Freedom | |||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Main operating base | ||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||
| Controlled by | No. 1 Group (Air Combat) | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Coordinates | 53°10′21″N 0°31′51″W / 53.17250°N 0.53083°W | ||||||
| Grid reference | SK985645 | ||||||
| Area | 391 hectares (970 acres) | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1916 | ||||||
| In use |
| ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Group Captain Dominic Holland | ||||||
| Occupants | See Based units section for full list. | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: WTN, ICAO: EGXW, WMO: 03377 | ||||||
| Elevation | 70.1 metres (230 ft) AMSL | ||||||
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| Source: RAF Waddington Defence Aerodrome Manual | |||||||
Royal Air Force Waddington (IATA: WTN, ICAO: EGXW), commonly known as RAF Waddington, and informally known by its nickname 'Waddo' is a Royal Air Force station located beside the village of Waddington, 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometres) south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in England.
The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) hub. It is home to a fleet of aircraft composed of the Beechcraft Shadow R1, Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint, and General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. Since October 2022, it has also been home to the RAF's Aerobatic Team the Red Arrows.