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Historic USAF base in the heart of Suffolk.
Opened
1934
Location
Mildenhall, Suffolk, United Kingdom
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, historically used as a joint UK-US military installation. Since the 1950s it has served primarily as a key United States Air Force base in Europe, hosting refueling and special operations aircraft under the 100th Air Refueling Wing.
The base played a significant role during the Cold War and has supported numerous US and NATO operations. It holds the IATA code MHZ and ICAO code EGUN, though it does not operate commercial passenger services.
The United States Air Force announced plans to consolidate operations and eventually close Mildenhall, with activities expected to transfer to RAF Lakenheath over time, though the base remained operationally active into the 2020s.
Getting to & from
The base is accessible by road from nearby Mildenhall town, with Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge reachable by car or limited local bus services.
Airlines here
RAF Mildenhall serves no commercial airlines; it is a military installation operated primarily by the United States Air Force.
Notable facts
- ›Home to the USAF 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only permanent US air refueling wing in Europe.
- ›The base was opened in 1934 and hosted the start of the England-to-Australia MacRobertson Air Race.
- ›RAF Mildenhall has hosted SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft during the Cold War.
- ›The USAF announced plans to close Mildenhall and consolidate UK operations at RAF Lakenheath.
- ›The base does not handle civilian commercial flights and has no public terminal facilities.
This profile is provided for general information only. Details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airport's official website before acting on them.
