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.
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.