RAF Welford

Royal Air Force station and USAF munitions depot in Berkshire, England

RAF Welford
Type	Munitions storage and support facility - '2nd largest munitions storage facility' in Europe.
Logo
Photo
Caption	RAF Welford in May 1944.
Founded	1943
Location	Near Newbury, Berkshire, England
Command	501st Combat Support Wing (United States Air Force)
Battles	Operation Desert Storm (1991) Operation Epic Fury (2026)
Status	Functioning ammunition dump
Headquarters
Area served
Military units	Royal Air Force / US Air Force
Operator
Website	rafwelfordhistoricalsociety.org 501csw.usafe.af.mil
Remarks

RAF Welford is a Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England, located approximately six miles north-west of Newbury.

The anonymous 'Works Unit Only' sign on the M4 leading to RAF Welford. The red colour is an indication that this is a military installation. The red sign was replaced with a more anonymous blue one around 2015

Aerial shot of the base from Google Maps

Although nominally an RAF station, it has been operated by the United States Air Force since 1955 as one of the largest conventional munitions storage facilities in Western Europe, primarily supporting bomber operations from RAF Fairford.

History

RAF Welford opened in 1943 as a World War II airfield for the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force, operating C-47 and C-53 troop carrier aircraft.

It closed after the war and was placed on care and maintenance before reopening in September 1955 as a USAF munitions depot under the 7531st Ammunition Squadron during the Cold War.

The site has remained a key USAF munitions storage facility since, with brief periods of RAF administrative control in the 1990s before full return to USAF operation under the 420th Munitions Squadron.

Current status

RAF Welford is home to the 420th Munitions Squadron (420 MUNS), part of the 501st Combat Support Wing headquartered at RAF Fairford.

It functions as the second-largest conventional munitions storage area in Europe and one of the largest heavy-munitions compounds for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA).

The base provides rapid war-reserve materiel (WRM) munitions movement, stockpile maintenance and support for global strike operations.

'Ammo Alley at RAF Welford.

Ammunition storage and role

The facility stores large quantities of conventional heavy munitions, including general-purpose bombs (Mk 82, Mk 84), precision-guided munitions and associated ordnance for bomber aircraft.

It serves as a forward NATO war stock and rapid-response depot. In May 2019 the USAF moved 450,000 pounds (200 tonnes) of explosives to the site.

Munitions are stored in secure underground bunkers and moved as required to support deployed operations.

Link to RAF Fairford

RAF Welford is directly linked to RAF Fairford, the USAF's primary bomber forward operating location in Europe.

The 420th Munitions Squadron at Welford supplies munitions to bombers (including B-1, B-2 and B-52) deployed at Fairford, enabling heavy bombing missions.

The two sites operate as a paired logistical system under the same wing, with Welford providing the ammunition storage and rapid-movement capability for Fairford's strike aircraft.

Operational use in conflicts

Munitions stored at or supplied from RAF Welford have supported USAF bomber operations from RAF Fairford in multiple conflicts, including:

• The 1991 Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) and the 2003 Iraq War.

• Recent operations against Iranian targets in 2026, with bunker-busting and precision-guided bombs loaded for B-1B missions launched from Fairford.

Similar support has occurred for operations in Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere when bombers have deployed to Fairford.

Bombs at the RAF Welford storage system

Munitions Transport between RAF Welford and RAF Fairford

Munitions and bombs are routinely transported by road between RAF Welford (main US munitions depot) and RAF Fairford (bomber operating base). The two US-operated bases lie on opposite sides of Swindon.

Route and Distance

Convoys travel via the M4 motorway, a distance of approximately 27 miles (43 km).

Handlers

Transfers are managed by the United States Air Force’s 420th Munitions Squadron at RAF Welford, coordinating with crews at Fairford.

Timeline and Purpose

Moves occur when heavy bombers (B-1B, B-52) deploy to RAF Fairford for exercises or operations. Bombs are then fitted with JDAM kits and loaded onto aircraft.

Security Measures

Convoys are highly secure with armed escorts. Movements often take place at night with no identifying markings on vehicles for operational security.

Munitions Stored at RAF Welford and Transported to RAF Fairford

RAF Welford is the primary US munitions depot in Western Europe, supplying RAF Fairford via road convoys managed by the 420th Munitions Squadron.

Main Munitions

USAF photo of the new version of the JDAM with bunker buster warhead attached in 2021.

Picture in the Daily Mirror of the JDAM being loaded onto a bomber at RAF Fairford in March 2026. These bombs would have come from RAF Welford.

• GBU-31 JDAM (colloquially "JDAM" or "smart bomb"): GPS-guided 2,000 lb precision bomb. Uses BLU-109 penetrator ("bunker buster") for hardened bunkers/underground facilities or Mk 84 for general targets. Intended for military bunkers, infrastructure, fixed/relocatable targets.
• Mk 82 / Mk 84 ("iron bombs" or "dumb bombs"): 500 lb / 2,000 lb unguided general-purpose bombs. Blast/fragmentation for troops, vehicles, buildings, rail yards, infrastructure.
• AGM-158 JASSM ("JASSM"): Stealthy long-range stand-off cruise missile for high-value, defended military targets from range.

Cluster bomb variants historical only; banned by UK under Convention on Cluster Munitions (US not a signatory).

Destructive Capacity

GBU-31 delivers ~945 lb explosive; blast radius 100–300 m, destroys reinforced structures. B-52 carries 20+ per sortie; B-1B more.

UK government rules governing the transport of high explosives between RAF Welford and RAF Fairford

ADR Class 1 signage required.

Loading the bombs at RAF Welford.

Military high explosives (UN Class 1) moved by road from the US munitions depot at RAF Welford to RAF Fairford are regulated under the Ministry of Defence Explosives Regulations (JSP 482) and JSP 800 Volume 4b (Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road).

These movements benefit from military exemptions under the Carriage of Explosives by Road Regulations and ADR as implemented in the UK.

Convoy vehicles on the M4 are required to display plain orange plates at the front and rear of each transport unit, along with explosive hazard placards (Class 1 diamonds) on both sides and the rear. Historical discussion s don't mention whther the movements between Welford and Fairford use military logistics trucks in spaced formation with escort vehicles, clearly marked in accordance with these regulations.

US strikes on Iran using heavy bombers from RAF Fairford (after 10 March 2026)

While the UK government authorised only limited defensive operations against Iranian missile and drone sites, evidence from Iranian authorities, independent monitors and open-source reporting indicates that B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress bombers operating from RAF Fairford delivered high-concussion and earth-penetrating munitions with far wider effects on civilian infrastructure and populations.

Targets struck

• Qeshm Island (Strait of Hormuz): Bahman Qeshm pier, coastal radar and IRGC anti-ship missile launchers.
• Bandar Abbas (Hormozgan Province): IRGC naval command centres, ballistic missile corridors and anti-ship batteries near the commercial port.
• Western & Southern underground complexes: Khorgu and Haji Abad hardened missile bases.
• Kashan and Isfahan regions: Military aerospace facilities, radar sites and structures adjacent to nuclear research hubs.

Civilian and infrastructure casualties

• Qeshm Island: Primary desalination plant disabled, cutting fresh water to at least 30 villages; fishing docks and port facilities at Bandar Pol and Qeshm also damaged. Localised civilian deaths reported but figures obscured.
• Bandar Abbas: Commercial port terminals, power grids and fuel depots heavily damaged; blast-wave casualties in adjacent residential areas logged by HRANA and other monitors.
• Underground bases: Seismic effects from 2,000 lb bunker-busters collapsed rural housing, irrigation systems and roads; dozens of injuries and displacements in surrounding villages.
• Kashan/Isfahan: Structural damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure, including passenger terminals at Kashan International Airport. High-concussion munitions dropped nearby also caused structural degradation to culturally protected urban heritage sites in Isfahan, such as the Shah Mosque. Civilian deaths were documented among facility workers and nearby residential populations.

Overall Iranian health ministry figures record thousands of civilian deaths nationwide from the campaign, with independent tallies confirming hundreds more injured in these specific zones. US and UK statements continue to assert purely military targeting, yet the pattern of strikes on dual-use and civilian-adjacent sites suggests effects extended well beyond the claimed defensive mandate.

Protests

No major public protests have been recorded specifically at RAF Welford itself, which is a secure, low-profile munitions storage site.

Protests against US operations using UK bases have instead focused on the more visible bomber operations at RAF Fairford, including during the 2003 Iraq War and 2026 Iran-related strikes.

See also

• RAF Fairford
• 420th Munitions Squadron
• 501st Combat Support Wing
• United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

External links

RAF Fairford & Welford (US Air Force)