RAF Kinloss

Kinloss Barracks is a former Royal Air Force station (RAF Kinloss), located near the village of Kinloss, on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland.

The RAF station opened on 1 April 1939 and served as a training establishment during the Second World War. After the war it was handed over to Coastal Command to watch over Russian ships and submarines in the Norwegian Sea. Until 2010 it was the main base for the RAF's fleet of Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft. It was intended that the MR2 would be replaced by the Nimrod MRA4, but the MRA4 was cancelled in the Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010. This meant that Kinloss was no longer required by the RAF. Regular flying operations ceased on 31 July 2011. However, the runways will be maintained to be used as a relief landing site, e.g. from RAF Lossiemouth.

In November 2011 the Ministry of Defence and 12 (Air Support) Engineer Group announced that 930 Service personnel from 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) will move from Waterbeach Barracks, near Cambridge, to Kinloss in summer 2012. First units of 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) arrived in June 2012, with the majority expected by July.

Kinloss

Kinloss (Gaelic: Cinn Lois) is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located near the shore of Findhorn Bay, around 3 miles (5 km) from Findhorn and 2.5 miles (4 km) from Forres. Northeast of the village is Kinloss Barracks, formerly RAF Kinloss which opened on 1 April 1939.

It is believed that 1,000 aircraft were dismantled at Kinloss, after the end of the Second World War. Investigations are on for possible radioactive contamination in RAF Kinloss.

The Cistercian Kinloss Abbey was created in 1150 by King David. Under abbot Robert Reid the abbey became a centre of academic excellence in the 1530s. It now lies almost completely ruined.

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Coordinates: 57°38′13″N 3°33′47″W / 57.637°N 3.563°W / 57.637; -3.563