Special Munitions Compound
United Kingdom /
England /
Swaffham /
World
/ United Kingdom
/ England
/ Swaffham
World / United Kingdom / England
arsenal / weapon and ammunition storage
Add category
Operated by No. 93 (Expeditionary Armament) Squadron (93 EAS)
Formerly the Tactical Armament Squadron (TAS), its mission statement is "To deliver and develop specialist, expeditionary armament capability to support UK defence policy". It has approximately 130 staff and is a sub unit of No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing.
In order to minimize collateral civilian damage, the UK is using the most precise weapons available: the Brimstone Dual-Mode Seeker anti-armour missile and the Paveway IV bomb.The job of storing and preparing those weapons falls to the team from 93 Expeditionary Armament Squadron (93 EAS).
The Squadron's role is to deploy with RAF aircraft across the world to set up safe preparation and storage areas for weapons, providing safe parking for armed aircraft and the resupply of weapons. The team can then ensure that the flying squadrons have sufficient weapons ready to be loaded onto aircraft by their armourers.
While Brimstone is relatively easy to prepare, Paveway IV is more complex. At the weapon's core is a 500lb (227kg) bomb; the armourers' role is to add the guidance systems.The guidance equipment arrives in kit form. The parts are built around the bomb, allowing it to be directed both by laser targeting and an onboard GPS. This dual guidance makes each Paveway IV a fearsomely accurate weapon.The 93 EAS team can assemble a set of four Paveways in around an hour. Each day they build more as the UK's Tornado and Typhoon aircraft continue to hit Libyan regime ground forces.
The triple fence and watch tower security around this compound dates from the period when it was used for the storage of the UK's own air-drop nuclear bomb : the WE177 which were deployed from here until their final withdrawal from service in 1998.(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WE.177)
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperatio...
Formerly the Tactical Armament Squadron (TAS), its mission statement is "To deliver and develop specialist, expeditionary armament capability to support UK defence policy". It has approximately 130 staff and is a sub unit of No 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing.
In order to minimize collateral civilian damage, the UK is using the most precise weapons available: the Brimstone Dual-Mode Seeker anti-armour missile and the Paveway IV bomb.The job of storing and preparing those weapons falls to the team from 93 Expeditionary Armament Squadron (93 EAS).
The Squadron's role is to deploy with RAF aircraft across the world to set up safe preparation and storage areas for weapons, providing safe parking for armed aircraft and the resupply of weapons. The team can then ensure that the flying squadrons have sufficient weapons ready to be loaded onto aircraft by their armourers.
While Brimstone is relatively easy to prepare, Paveway IV is more complex. At the weapon's core is a 500lb (227kg) bomb; the armourers' role is to add the guidance systems.The guidance equipment arrives in kit form. The parts are built around the bomb, allowing it to be directed both by laser targeting and an onboard GPS. This dual guidance makes each Paveway IV a fearsomely accurate weapon.The 93 EAS team can assemble a set of four Paveways in around an hour. Each day they build more as the UK's Tornado and Typhoon aircraft continue to hit Libyan regime ground forces.
The triple fence and watch tower security around this compound dates from the period when it was used for the storage of the UK's own air-drop nuclear bomb : the WE177 which were deployed from here until their final withdrawal from service in 1998.(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WE.177)
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperatio...
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 52°38'49"N 0°32'7"E
- Büchel Air Base 527 km
- Munitions and Material Depot Hesedorf 587 km
- Miesau Army Depot 598 km
- Ammunition Depot US AFB Ramstein 607 km
- Nuc weapons assembly/disassembly 641 km
- restricted area 832 km
- "Maurizio Pagliano-Luigi Gori" Air Base of Aviano 1139 km
- Vrbetice - Ammunition storage 1277 km
- Military storage area 1306 km
- Missile storage area 1311 km
- Taxiway 1.1 km
- Base Housing Areas 1.1 km
- RAF Marham 1.3 km
- Pentney Water Ski Club 5 km
- Former RAF Downham Market 9 km
- Brookville 12 km
- Former RAF Methwold 15 km
- Langford 17 km
- RAF Feltwell 19 km
- Stanford Training Area (StanTA) 21 km