Hardened Aircraft Shelters

Details

ALCONBURY

49/0/10008 ALCONBURY AIRFIELD 10-SEP-07 Hardened Aircraft Shelters

II* A pair of Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS, buildings 4109 and 4110) built c.1983 by the US Air Force, two of 13 of the type which are only found at Alconbury. The HAS were specially designed to accommodate the large wingspan (31.39m) of the U2/TR1. The shelters are steel-framed with concrete panelling and clad in corrugated metal, painted in standard NATO dull brown. The shelters have a rectangular plan with a single-storey pedestrian entrance to the left-hand side. The convex roof has characteristic T-shaped roof ventilators. Rolling steel and concrete doors mounted on runners are supported with a framework of steel girders designed to transfer an equal amount of weight to each runner.

INTERIOR: The interior walls are clad in corrugated metal. Many internal fittings remain including the reinforced concrete floors, air filtration plant, ducting, lighting and electrical switch gear. To the rear of the shelters, a concrete platform and crew room at an upper level is accessed by a metal staircase. Jet efflux was vented through an opening to a blast deflector fence.

HISTORY. Land for an airfield at Alconbury was first acquired in 1938 as a satellite landing ground for RAF Upwood and when war broke out, the base was used by Blenheims from RAF Wyton. As part of the US 8th Air Force, it fulfilled a variety of roles until being handed back to the RAF in November 1945. In June 1953, the base was reactivated for the US 3rd Air Force and from 1959 Alconbury assumed its principal Cold War role as the home to various reconnaissance squadrons. In 1983, U2/TR-1s (spy planes) were permanently based at Alconbury, resulting in the construction of 13 extra wide Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS), a squadron HQ, Avionics building and new concrete aprons and taxi-ways. Flying ceased in 1995 and the base has since fulfilled a number of commercial uses.

SOURCES. RCHME/English Heritage, 'MPP Cold War Survey', 1999. Cocroft, W.D and Thomas, R.J.C 'Cold War, Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946-1989', English Heritage, 2003.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE The pair of Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS) at Alconbury airfield were constructed by the US Air Force in 1983. Only 13 of this type were constructed in Europe, all at Alconbury, and thus they are examples of a very rare form of HAS, and along with other buildings of this type and age, represent the physical manifestation of the global division between capitalism and communism that shaped the history of the late 20th century. These aircraft shelters meet the criteria as unique examples of military architecture of very considerable interest designed specifically to accommodate the U2/TR1 planes which were deployed at Alconbury in the final decade of the Cold War. They have strong group value with the Avionics building.

Listing NGR: TL2188077147 (building 4110) and TL2194877252 (building 4109)

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

502672

Legacy System:

LBS

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