A local council has approved RAF Upper Heyford in Britain—still possibly the best preserved Cold War base on the island nation—for redevelopment. Once among USAF’s largest bases in Europe, the Air Force shuttered the installation in December 1993. Since its closure, it has lain largely dormant as the Cherwill District Council and developers engaged in a protracted battle over its future. That changed last week with the council’s approval of 1,075 homes (including 311 original base houses that will remain) as well as a school, pub, shops, and business space for the land, reports the Oxford Mail. Developers will also build a heritage center and preserve the base’s former command center. Upper Heyford was the long-time home of the 20th Fighter Wing that operated EF-111s and F-111s at the base. Earlier this year, an attempt failed to secure Upper Heyford’s recognition as a UN world heritage site.
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.