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The Station

Leuchars is a British Army barracks on the East coast of Scotland.  

Leuchars Station passed from the RAF to the British Army in 2015 and is home to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) and the Royal Military Police. 

The RAF continues to operate a fully operational airfield 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year from within Leuchars Station and has a diverse workforce of circa 50 RAF Regular, Reserve & Civil Servants, across Operations, Logistics & Engineering pillars.

These pillars include the Visiting Aircraft Handling Section, Ground Engineering Section, Engineering Support Flight, Air Traffic Control, Ground Radio Maintenance Section, and Mechanical Transport.  

Attack and protect

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Commander

Squadron Leader Alan Frew

Squadron Leader Frew joined the RAF in 1997 as a Trade Group 9 Assistant Air Traffic Controller.

Following tours at RAF Kinloss and RAF(U) Prestwick, Frew was posted to II(AC) Squadron at RAF Marham and then RAF Lossiemouth.

Frew was posted to RAF Akrotiri in 2020 the Deputy Senior Air Traffic Control Officer (DSATCO). 

Selected for promotion to Squadron Leader in October 2021, Frew assumed the role of Officer Commanding Leuchars Diversion Airfield (LDA) and SATCO in April 2022.

Who's based here

Squadrons

UAS Squadrons

Units

History

Aviation at Leuchars dates back to 1911 with a balloon squadron of the Royal Engineers. Heavier than air craft moved in to the site soon afterwards and it was used as a training airfield through the First World War. A Coastal Command station during the Second World War, in 1943 BOAC used the airfield to set up a covert air link to neutral Sweden, rescuing RAF crews who had been shot down and interned as well as importing Swedish goods for the war effort.

Leuchars became a fighter station in 1950 hosting a variety of jet air defence aircraft, belonging both to the RAF and the Royal Navy, due to its coastal location. It remained an air defence airfield through the Cold War and up to 2015 where it was handed over to the British Army and renamed Leuchars Station with the RAF Unit being named Leuchars Diversion Airfield.

Key dates

1911 - Flying starts at Leuchars.

1920 - Station renamed RAF Leuchars.

2014 - The last RAF air defence squadrons left the Station.

2015 - The Station was handed over to the British Army and renamed as Leuchars Station.

2015 - The remaining RAF Unit renamed from RAF Leuchars to Leuchars Diversion Airfield (LDA).