MOD Boscombe Down
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).
| MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||||||
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| Amesbury, Wiltshire in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
A Eurofighter Typhoon at MOD Boscombe Down | |||||||||||||
MOD Boscombe Down Shown within Wiltshire | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°09′27″N 01°44′49″W | ||||||||||||
| Type | Military test and evaluation airfield | ||||||||||||
| Area | 572 hectares (1,410 acres) | ||||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||||
| Operator | QinetiQ and Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
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 two runways, one 3,212 metres (10,538 ft) in length, and the second 1,914 metres (6,280 ft). 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).