RAE Bedford

RAE Bedford (from Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford) based near the village of Thurleigh.

Brief history being, it has been the site of major aircraft experimental development work and has been described as “the finest research and development establishment outside the U.S.A."

Starting in 1946, construction work began on the airfield to turn the site into what became known as the Royal Aeronautical Establishment, Bedford. Where a vast number of prototype aircraft and equipment was put through its paces.

The airfield was decommissioned in February 1994. But due to the cost and impracticality of relocating the Advanced Flight Simulator system the site retained some of its development work (under the banner of QinetiQ ). QinetiQ is an international defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), when it was split up in June 2001 QinetiQ have sold their remaining stake in the Bedford Airfield site (as well as the nearby 'Wind Tunnel' site) and relocated the remaining staff to Farnborough in 2008, finally ending the sites long association with military aviation for now.