RAF Marham Hangar removed in preparation for future construction works.
The demolition of Number 1 Hangar at RAF Marham has been completed and the area prepared for the next stage of construction works to commence as part of Project Anvil 2 over the next few years. This building work will further support the F-35 Lightning aircraft that are based at RAF Marham.
Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), who oversaw the project, awarded the contract to Lockheed Martin to project manage in October 2020. The works were then sub-contracted to local firms, Anglian Demolition, Integral UK, AECOM and the structural demolition work started on 22 February 2021.
Number 1 Hangar was built in the 1930’s as part of the RAF expansion scheme. RAF Marham re-opened on 1 April 1937, one of the first stations in the scheme to be completed. Over the last 80 years the Hangar has been home to a number of different aircraft and Squadrons with the Tornado GR4 being the final aircraft type to use the Hangar. A number of the bricks from the demolition of the Hangar will be re-purposed and used in a Heritage Wall that will be built at the site of the old Victor Aircraft. This wall will commemorate each aircraft type that has been based at RAF Marham since it first opened in 1916, many of which will have been housed in the Hangar over time.
The mechanical demolition process took just over two months with over 90% of the waste product recycled. With the Hangar located in close proximity to the runway it was imperative that the risk of materials being blown onto the runway was minimised. As well as a special netting erected around the whole site Anglian Demolition used a water spray throughout the demolition process ensuring no particles blew across to the runway.
RAF Marham Station Commander Group Captain James Beck viewed the ground and met with the contractors before the site was completely cleared. He said “This is a bittersweet moment for me. I started my flying career in this Hangar as a young Flight Lieutenant as part of IX(B) Squadron flying the Tornado so there are definitely lots of memories here. However, in my current role as the Station Commander of RAF Marham and as a pilot of the F-35 Lightning I can see the future with the start of the next phase of building that is taking place to support the Lightning programme and the exciting times ahead for the Station.”
Chris Seymour, RAF Marham Project Manager from Lockheed Martin said “Providing world class maintenance and training capabilities for the UK’s F-35 Lightning fleet is critical to the security of the UK and this next phase of infrastructure marks an important milestone in our continual commitment to the readiness and sustainment of the F-35 and its operations worldwide.”
