Dave Eade wrote part seven of the Wattisham Chronicles way back in early 1999 - in the seven years since then the aviation scene in East Anglia has changed beyond virtually all recognition. Fortunately, in this time of change, the future of Wattisham as a centre of Army Air Corps aviation in the UK has remained largely beyond any real doubt - although few could have predicted the operational deployment of Apache would become quite the drawn-out saga it has! So, with Dave's kind permission and the gentle persuasion of the Air-Scene UK editor, I will bring the story of Wattisham - from a local aviation enthusiast's viewpoint - up to date and I hope this new chapter will maintain Dave's excellent standards. August 2000 saw the first visit to the base by a British-built Apache, this being an unplanned nightstop due to a 'tech', giving the locals a chance to see what was to come in the near future. It was to be several more years however, before the sight and sound of the Apache was to become familiar in the Suffolk skies. The first pair of Apaches for Wattisham's own 3 Regiment were delivered to the base in January 2005, although initially they were to be flown by the Air Manoeuvre Training Advisory Team (AMTAT) as the first Wattisham-based Apache crews were down at Middle Wallop on the conversion to type course. Deliveries - mainly from storage at RAF Shawbury - continued throughout 2005 and by late summer enough were on strength that visitors to the fence could usually bank on seeing daily Apache operations from the flightline.
663 Squadron
had previously operationally deployed with the Gazelle and Lynx/TOW combination
in early 2003 as part of Operation Telic, the UK effort in the invasion
of Iraq. Forewarned, the squadron had spent much of Christmas 2002 preparing
its aircraft for the upcoming operation only to find them 'acquired' by
the Royal Marines squadron (847 NAS) and having to start over again. The
squadron successfully completed its operational deployment, despite suffering
the all-too-common equipment shortages and the usual bureaucratic manner
in Even prior to the Apache, the AAC conducted a high percentage of its flight training at night. Although much of this is flown at military facilities like the STANTA battle area and RAF Woodbridge, it is still necessary to operate frequently over local areas and low-flying is simply part of the required training. With the further increased emphasis on night operations the Apache brings, the issue became unavoidable (aided by some shameless local political points-scoring gleefully recorded in the local media), so the AAC took the PR initiative and 3 Regiment hosted Wattisham's first open day in July 2005 for many years. Details can be found here, but suffice is to say it was a well presented and organised event that was supported enthusiastically by local residents and did Army relations with the local community a power of good. A year on, hopes that such a successful event would become an annual fixture (indeed, it seemed to be presented as such at the time) appear to have been dashed with no public event in 2006 - the Regiments are simply too busy with a heavy programme of exercises and forthcoming deployments.
So far we've
looked at the Air Army Corps and the major changes that have taken place
within the last few years, and those that are still to come, but it must
not be forgotten that both the Suffolk Police and the Royal Air Force
still operate helicopters from Wattisham. 'B' Flight, 22
Squadron's two Sea King HAR3As, continues to maintain constant Search
and Rescue cover for South-east England from Wattisham. Two newsworthy
events involving the flight occurred in the first half of 2006; February
saw a freshly-cleaned Sea King land in the grounds of Buckingham Palace
to attend a evening reception with the Queen, while still remaining 'on
call', and in June the small unit reached the two-thousand operational
sortie milestone in just twelve years at Wattisham. This impressive figure
was reached in quite dramatic fashion when fire took hold of the 'Sealand'
platform located just off the coast from Felixstowe, the residents being
rescued by winch. The long-term future of 'B' Flight - like all RN/RAF
SAR helicopter units - looks bleak, with the MoD stating that the replacement
for the ageing Sea King fleet would be provided by Although certainly the smallest flying unit located at Wattisham, Suffolk Police's Air Support Unit with their Eurocopter EC135 cannot lay claim to being the quietest! Its high pitched and distinctive sound can regularly be heard around the county, as it hovers over various incidents in support of officers on the ground. Since 2000, the ASU have flown from one of the old Hardened Aircraft Shelters on the north site and, after initially receiving a somewhat bad press, it looks like the leased aircraft has proved its worth and is here to stay. In particular, the aircraft provided invaluable during the Suffolk Police investigation into the Ipswich murders in late 2006.
As previously mentioned, the runway and landing aids have been maintained, and it was always intended that RAF transport aircraft would be able to operate directly from the base in support of the Army, although the positioning of the new hangars appears to have complicated this somewhat. Initially, it was rumoured locally that the new management was very hostile to visiting aircraft, although in recent years this (if true) appears to have eased somewhat and an increasingly expanding mix of aircraft can be seen on a regular basis. RAF Chinooks and C-130s have become quite common, along with most other UK military helicopter types and the base is frequently used as a fuelling stop when crossing into Europe. Harriers from RAF Cottesmore used Wattisham as a Forward Operating Location for a week long exercise in September 2003, and the placing of a Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP) for RAF and AAC helicopters in one of the HAS sites during exercises has become standard practice.
Visits by
fast jets are As mentioned
in part seven, spotting - and photographing - the daily AAC movements
can be quite difficult. Most rotary movements rarely keep to the runway
centreline, and most based helicopters will go 'south side', cutting the
runway out and air taxi direct to the ASP. That said, with some patience,
a little luck and some local knowledge, photographs from both ends of
the runway are perfectly obtainable. In this respect, the Apache is actually
the most photogenic of the Wattisham residents, as generally they will
approach/depart runway heading - just don't bother trying to photograph
one in anything less than perfect light! Crash Gate 2 remains the usual
meeting point for local enthusiasts to catch up on the local gossip, although
'number crunchers' will need a So what sort of attitude can a visiting spotter, hoping to see a few Apaches, expect from the Army given the current world climate? Well, prior to the Apache's arrival interest in AAC operations from Wattisham was virtually non-existent from even the local enthusiast community - we can be a fickle bunch and the Gazelle and Lynx seemed a poor substitute for a flight of Phantoms! Few bothered to peer through the fence, let alone attempt to get a picture unless something unusual was about. The Apache has changed this, and the local network of spotters has gradually returned to the fence and interest in the base and its operations is at an all-time high since the AAC moved in. Initially the Army seemed rather mystified when enthusiasts began to reappear in numbers on the perimeter fence, and a few attempts at moving people on have taken place. Happily, attitudes seem to have changed somewhat in the first half of 2006, with recent contact between personnel and spotters of a far more friendly nature. Indeed, the author has had more than one Apache crew pose for his camera recently! A good relationship can only be of benefit to both the AAC and spotters alike, and there seems no reason why it cannot develop further.
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