RAF Mount Pleasant

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Mount Pleasant Airport
IATA: MPN – ICAO: EGYP
Summary
Airport type		Joint (Civil and Military)
Operator		RAF
Location		Stanley
Elevation AMSL		243 ft / 74 m
Coordinates		51°49′22″S 058°26′50″W / -51.82278, -58.44722
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
10/28	8,497	2,590	Asphalt
5/23	5,003	1,525	Asphalt

RAF Mount Pleasant (IATA: MPN, ICAO: EGYP) (also known as Mount Pleasant Airport, Mount Pleasant Complex or MPA)^[1] is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI). The base, home to anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 British military personnel, is located about thirty miles southwest of Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, on the island of East Falkland. The world's longest corridor, a half-mile long, links barracks, messes and recreational and welfare areas of the base.^[2] The base is occasionally referred to by its residents as the Death Star because of its sometimes confusing layout.

1 History
2 Current equipment
3 Passenger flights
4 See also
5 Sources
6 External links

Location of RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands

RAF Mount Pleasant is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the Royal Air Force.^[3] The RAF previously had a small base at Stanley. In 1982 during the Falklands War when the islands were occupied by Argentine military forces, British aircraft were sent to disable the runway with Vulcan bomber and Royal Navy Sea Harriers. The raids were highly successful, as on the first mission, one of the twenty-one 1,000 lb bombs, hit the runway, disabling it for fast jet use. The Argentines were able to use the runway until the end of the conflict to allow C130 transport planes carrying supplies to arrive. After the war the runway was fully repaired by British military engineers. These raids, although representing only a small part of the effort directed against the Argentines' on the Falklands, also graphically demonstrated RAF Strike Command's ability to strike the Argentine homeland if it had been necessary. These raids forced the Argentine Air Force to withdraw their Mirage III fighters to remote mainland bases where they would be safe from RAF attack, instead of engaging the Royal Navy and RAF Sea Harriers over the Falklands.

The raid also confused the Argentine commanders into thinking that a full scale invasion was about to begin. They embarked on a plan to intercept the British task force, a move that led to the sinking of the General Belgrano. The Argentine navy retreated into their territorial waters, and like their airforce, played no further significant part in the defence of the islands.

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 Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet aircraft. HMS Hermes was the first to take guard duty, whilst HMS Invincible went north to change a gearbox that had broken while departing the mainland UK, the Argentines claimed the aircraft carrier was hit on May 30, and needed repairs. 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 quickly rushed south and commissioned during the journey. Once the Port Stanley runway was available for jets, Illustrious was relieved by several RAF Phantoms.

The British government later decided to construct a new RAF base as the centrepiece of plans to considerably strengthen the island's defences. This was intended to deter any future Argentine attempts to take the islands by force again. Mount Pleasant, to the west of Stanley, was chosen as the site for the new base. The airfield was opened by Prince Andrew in 1985, and became fully operational in 1986.^[4].

RAF Mount Pleasant

RAF Mount Pleasant has a wide range of social and sporting facilities including a gym, swimming pool, golf course, diving centre, go-karting, laserquest, library, cinema, bowling, climbing wall, indoor and outdoor sports pitches. There are two NAAFI shops, hairdressers, medical centre, and education centre on the base. There is also a complex that includes a café and a small shop (RO NO KEs), which are both owned and run by the Falkland Islands Company.^[5]

Currently based at Mount Pleasant are No. 1435 Flight with 4 Tornado F3s, No. 1312 Flight, with a single VC-10 tanker and one Hercules C130, as well as No. No.1564 Flight (since November 2007) with 2 Sea King helicopters maintained by SKIOS (Sea King Integrated Operational Support), a civilian engineering amalgamation between Augusta Westland and VT Aerospace. There are also 2 Sikorsky S61 civilian Helicopters run by British International Helicopters Limited (Brintel). Commercial satellite photography shows two munitions storage areas to the north of the base with four associated loading stations near the runways. Ground units include No 7, 303, and 751 Signals Units and a Rapier detachment from the RAF Regiment.^[6]^[7]

The 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) provides a constant support and is part of the Joint Service Falkland Islands Detachment which consists of RAF and RLC EOD teams. It is mainly based in Stanley but there is also a detachment at Mount Pleasant. The group destroys munitions from the Falklands War that did not explode at the time and briefs troops, tourists and citizens on the areas which are safe and the minefield marking which have been put in place.^[8]

There is also a Joint Communications Unit (JCU) providing the electronic warfare and command and control systems for the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force stationed there.^[9]

Using the IATA airport code MPN, RAF Mount Pleasant also acts as the Falkland Islands' only international airport, along with its military role. Flights open to civilian passengers are operated six times each month. Since autumn 2007 these flights have been operated by a civilian airline, Omni Air International, on behalf of the Royal Air Force, they fly to and from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, with a refuelling stop at RAF Ascension Island in the south-central Atlantic Ocean. These flights currently use McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft.

Additionally, every Saturday LAN Airlines operates scheduled commercial flights to the city of Punta Arenas in southern Chile stopping at Río Gallegos, Argentina once a month.