RAF Mount Pleasant

RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the RAF. The RAF had previously a small base at Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. During the 1982 war, British aircraft largely destroyed that base.

After the war ended, the British still faced the problem of potential Argentine aggression in the future, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harrierss until the local airfield was repaired. HMS Hermes was the first to take guard duty, whilst HMS Invincible went north to change a gearbox. Invincible then returned to relieve Hermes which urgently needed to return to the UK to have its boilers cleaned. Invincible returned until the ship was relieved by HMS Illustrious, which was rushed south so quickly that it was actually comissioned underway! Once Port Stanley airfield was repaired, Illustrious was relieved by several RAF Phantoms.

However the British government then decided to construct a new RAF base to strengthen the island's defences. Mount Pleasant, 25 miles west of Port Stanley was chosen. The airfield was opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of York in 1985.

Currently based at Mount Pleasant are No. 1435 Flight with 4 Tornado F3ss, No. 1312 Flight, with a single VC-10 tanker and one Hercules C1, as well as No 78 Squadron with Chinook and Sea King helicopters. Ground units include No 7, 303 and 751 Signals Units and a Rapier detachment from the RAF Regiment.