RAF Milltown


Royal Air Force Station Milltown or RAF Milltown is a former Royal Air Force station located south of the Moray Firth and north east of Elgin, Scotland.
Flying stopped in 1977 but the site is still used by the Ministry of Defence.

History

RAF Milltown, lying to the southeast of Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth, began life as a bombing decoy for nearby RAF Lossiemouth. Between 1941 and 1943, three runways and two hangars were constructed and the airfield became a satellite of RAF Lossiemouth.
In July 1946, along with RAF Lossiemouth, Milltown was officially handed over to the Royal Navy as HMS Fulmar II, a Deck Landing Training School.

Draw-down and closure

Closed for flying in 1977, the site was retained by the RAF as a high frequency signals station, with some 50 masts transmitting on the RAF VOLMET and RAF STCICS systems. The signals station closed in December 2003 when the RAF's high frequency communications system was replaced by the Defence High Frequency Communications Service. The site is surplus but will be retained by the MOD for services use.

Units and aircraft

List of flying units permanently based at Milltown.
Source: Unless otherwise indicated details sourced are from: Hughes, Jim., A Steep Turn to the Stars. Peterborough, GMS Enterprises., pp. 79–82
ServiceUnitAircraft / RoleFromDate FromDate ToTo
RAFNo. 20 Operational Training Unit Vickers WellingtonRAF Lossiemouth5 September 19431 September 1944
RAFNo. 224 SquadronConsolidated LiberatorRAF St. Eval15 September 1944July 1945RAF St. Eval
RAFNo. 311 SquadronConsolidated LiberatorRAF Tain15 February 194615 February 1946Disbanded
RAFNo. 111 Operational Training UnitConsolidated Liberator, Handley Page HalifaxThe BahamasJuly 19451946Disbanded
RAFNo. 1674 Heavy Conversion UnitConsolidated LiberatorJuly 19451946
FAA767 Naval Air SquadronFairey Firefly, North American Harvard, Supermarine Seafire
FAA766 Naval Air SquadronSupermarine Seafire
FAALossiemouth Handling SquadronGloster Meteor TT.2019581962
CivilFulmar Gliding Club1976RAF Kinloss
CivilHighland Gliding Club1971October 1975Dallachy Airfield
RAFNo. 663 Volunteer Gliding Squadron1973February 1977RAF Kinloss
RAFNo. 81 Signals Unit - Detachment High frequency communications19772003 - 2006Role transferred to DHFCS.

Current use

The majority of the runways and taxiways are intact but a number of the aircraft stands have been removed. The area has been used for a variety of activities, including storage, truck testing and livestock grazing.

2018 - planning for construction of a Solar PV power plant

2017-12-06 the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee of Moray Council agreed to raise no objection to the 50 MW Milltown Airfield Solar PV proposal. The project was approved in May 2018 by the Scottish Government as the first solar project to be approved by the Energy Consents Unit. The Solar Power plant will have a peak power of 50 MWp and include 200 000 solar panels. Assuming an insolation of 1160 kWh/m2,yr this corresponds to a capacity factor of approximately 13% and an annual production of 58 GWh/yr, or 15 000 homes each with a consumption of 3 900 kWh/yr.

Citations