Overview

    Wattisham airfield is situated in the heart of rural Suffolk, less than 10 miles north west of the county town of Ipswich. It has it's own dedicated Low Fly Area (LFA10) nearby to allow the resident (and other) units to train realistically at low level with the minimum of disruption to the local population and environment.

   The major MoD training area at STANTA in Norfolk is also within easy reach, as is Colchester barracks.

   The airfield has an operational runway, and can act as the bridgehead airfield for the Parachute Regiment from Colchester if they need to deploy using air transport. RAF Hercules cargo aircraft are frequent visitors here, often to collect troops for onward movement, or for parachute training.

   The main operator at the airfield today is the Army Air Corps. Two Regiments are based here as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, flying Apache attack helicopters. A major REME unit (7 Battalion) is also located here, along with numerous support units.

   There is also an active gliding unit here, which often flies especially at weekends and bank holidays.