Muharraq Airfield

The Royal Air Force's history with Bahrain began in 1924, with flights originating from Shaibah Air BaseinIraq. Bahrain's strategic importance to the British led to the signing of a civil air agreement with the King of Bahrain in 1934.^[2]

The Royal Air Force established a base there in the area as RAF Bahrain on 22 May 1943, as part of RAF Iraq Command. It was renamed RAF Muharraq in 1963. From 15 September 1967 to 8 August 1969 Air Forces Gulf Communication Squadron RAF flew from the base.^[3] The base was also used by Search and Rescue Flight RAF Muharraq, based there from the mid-sixties to 1971.^[4]

The following squadrons were here at some point:

• A detachment from No. 212 Squadron RAF from 1942 with the Consolidated CatalinaIB^[5]
• A detachment from No. 413 Squadron RCAF from 1942 with the Catalina I &IV^[6]
• No. 8 Squadron RAF between 30 June and 14 October 1961 with Hawker Hunter FGA.9 & FR.10^[7]
• No. 30 Squadron RAF between 1 September 1964 and 7 September 1967 with the Blackburn Beverly C.1^[8]
• Detachment from No. 73 Squadron RAF from January 1954 with the Vampire FB.9^[9]
• No. 84 Squadron RAF between 30 December 1970 and 1 October 1971 with the Hawker Siddeley Andover C.1^[10]
• No. 105 Squadron RAF between 6 August 1967 and 1 February 1968 with Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.1^[11]
• No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF between 1 October 1958 and 15 November 1967 with the Percival Pembroke C.1, Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC.1 & CC.2^[12]
• No. 208 Squadron RAF between 30 June and 15 November 1961 with the Hunter FGA.9^[5]
• Detachment from No. 294 Squadron RAF between 1945 and 1946^[13]

Units

• No. 35 Air Despatch & Reception Unit (1943-44)^[14]
• No. 1417 Communications Flight RAF (1953-58)^[15]
• Gulf Communications Flight (1967-70)^[16]
• HQ RAF Persian Gulf (1959-67)^[17] became HQ Air Forces Gulf (1967-71)^[18]
• No. 158 Repair & Salvage Unit (1945)^[19]
• Search & Rescue Flight, Muharraq (1969-71)^[20]
• No. 43 Staging Post (1943-46)^[21]
• Bahrain Station Flight^[22] became Muharraq Station Flight^[23]

The base was formally closed on 15 December 1971.^[24][25]

The base was used by a detachment of Vickers VC10 tankers from No. 101 Squadron RAF during the Gulf War training with Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR1's.^[26]

From May 1997 a detachment of VC10s returned supporting Operation Jural and later Operation Bolton over Iraq.^[27]

It became part of No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group in the Middle East.^[2] Commanded by a Squadron Leader (RAF) until 2015, the current ranking Officer is a Warrant Officer First Class (Supply Chain) RN.

The base is also used by Mine countermeasures helicopters patrolling the Persian Gulf such as HM-15's Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon's.^[28]

• List of airports in Bahrain

• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
• Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.