Ministry of Defence Stafford otherwise known as MOD Stafford, Stafford Station or Beacon Barracks is a Ministry of Defence site in Stafford, in England. It was formerly Royal Air Force Stafford or more simply RAF Stafford, a non-flying Royal Air Force station.

History

The station was originally established as the home of No. 16 Maintenance Unit in the 1930s. It became home to No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron in 1958. The RAF Tactical Supply Wing was also formed at RAF Stafford in 1970 and operates still from MOD Stafford. An RAF Mountain Rescue Team was based at RAF Stafford.

RAF Closure

In April 2004 it was announced that units from RAF Stafford would be moved to RAF Wittering, effectively closing the station. RAF Stafford officially ceased to be an RAF station on 31 March 2006 to become Beacon Barracks. However, as of August 2024, the RAF's "gate guardian" aircraft, a Harrier GR3 (pictured), remains in place. Beacon Barracks was renamed from RAF Stafford in 2006, after the Royal Air Force moved out. In 2013, the British Government announced the redevelopment of the barracks, to allow 16 Signal Regiment to move there, in 2015.

Based units

The following notable units are based at MOD Stafford.

British Army

Royal Corps of Signals

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)

Royal Air Force

Joint Aviation Command No. 22 Group (Training) RAF