RAF Bentwaters Has This Bizarre-Looking Cold War Bunker Called The Star Wars Building

Updated Jun 11, 2020 8:47 PM EDT

RAF Bentwaters bustled alongside RAF Woodbridge, commonly known as the ‘Twin Bases,’ near Britain’s eastern shore during the Cold War. Various tactical jet types were based there over the decades and the base had a nuclear alert mission during most of its existence that would have seen the atomic bombs stored in its high-security magazine sent to prosecute the apocalypse. Supposedly, it also played host to one of the most bizarre known encounters between the military and a seemingly unknown craft in 1980, an event commonly referred to as the Rendlesham Forest Incident .

The base, which has been converted into a business and studio park of sorts after the U.S. Air Force vacated it in 1993, is like a Cold War Disneyland—a fairly ominous place frozen in time that has been used as the set to many entertainment projects over the years, and rightfully so. It has some cool features that would cost huge money to replicate for the big or small screen. Arguably the most bizarre of them is the aptly named and out of this world looking ‘Star Wars Building.’

I randomly stumbled across this odd structure while researching another project. I had never seen anything like it. It was clearly designed to attenuate the concussive shockwave from a nearby blast and make attacking it directly on the ground far more challenging, but it looked more like a modernist monument or something out of science fiction than the usual heavily reinforced concrete fortifications built for military applications. RAF Bentwaters looks like a movie set as it is, with its guard towers, fortified hangars and operations buildings, weapons magazines, and fenced in control areas, but this thing looked like it was dropped down to earth from another planet.

Just some of the retired RAF Bentwaters include watchtowers, high-security weapons bunkers, an engine-run hush-house, and much more. , Bentwatersparks.com

After a bit of research into the intriguing structure, that is in a somewhat secluded area near the nuclear weapons storage area and surrounded by auxiliary aircraft parking areas, I quickly learned that it was nicknamed the “Star Wars Building,” which made perfect sense. But little else was available on why it was built, when it is what built, and who used it? Moreover, was this structure a one-of-a-kind design, or were there similar buildings at other U.S. air bases in Europe? I certainly haven’t heard of any.

The almost temple-like Brutalist lines of the Star Wars Building. , Bentwatersparks.com

Military aviation museums are an incredible trove of knowledge that would otherwise be long forgotten. It turns out that the long-closed base has an outstanding one, the Bentwaters Cold War Museum . I reached out to them in an attempt to learn more about the structure in question. The reply I promptly received from the museum’s Graham Gilbert was absolutely awesome.

When was the ‘Star Wars Building’ built and what was its primary use?

It wasn’t there in 1986 as we have an aerial photo from that year of the base, so I’m guessing it was around 1987/1988. It was built for the 527th Aggressor Squadron. The 527th Aggressor Squadron was one of a small number of specialist units that provided training to other squadrons on Soviet air combat techniques. The 527th with their F-16C Fighting Falcon jets covered all Europe’s NATO needs and there were also other aggressor squadrons in the USA and Asia. After a training mission with other NATO aircraft, which very often were based at Bentwaters on a week’s detachment, the Star Wars building was used as an Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI) debriefing facility where the pilots would go through the combat training mission they had just flown. The 527th had a short lifespan at Bentwaters… They were assigned to the base from 1st of July, 1988 until the 30th of September, 1990. The building was then used by the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron’s maintenance personnel for staff use and keeping maintenance records on the Squadrons A-10 ‘Tank Buster’ jets which were located in that area of the airfield.

It wasn’t there in 1986 as we have an aerial photo from that year of the base, so I’m guessing it was around 1987/1988. It was built for the 527th Aggressor Squadron. The 527th Aggressor Squadron was one of a small number of specialist units that provided training to other squadrons on Soviet air combat techniques. The 527th with their F-16C Fighting Falcon jets covered all Europe’s NATO needs and there were also other aggressor squadrons in the USA and Asia.

After a training mission with other NATO aircraft, which very often were based at Bentwaters on a week’s detachment, the Star Wars building was used as an Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI) debriefing facility where the pilots would go through the combat training mission they had just flown.

The 527th had a short lifespan at Bentwaters… They were assigned to the base from 1st of July, 1988 until the 30th of September, 1990. The building was then used by the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron’s maintenance personnel for staff use and keeping maintenance records on the Squadrons A-10 ‘Tank Buster’ jets which were located in that area of the airfield.

A Block 30 F-16C of the 527th Aggressor Squadron at RAF Woodbridge. A faded insignia is still visible on the hardened aircraft shelter today. , USAF

It seems like a very unique design. Do you have any details about how it ended up looking like that?

The wall around the single-story building is to help protect it from nearby bomb blasts if a war had broken out. The front walls are faceted to deflect the blast away from the building, although the side and rear walls are flat!

Inside the Star Wars Building today. The facility is quite large with a labyrinth of rooms, lab-like areas, and corridors., Bentwatersparks.com

To your knowledge, is there any other structure similar to it at other bases in the UK or Europe?

As far as we know it is a one-off design.

Can you give me a little history on the base’s nuclear mission? What type of alert was in place and what aircraft would deliver the weapons if the call had come? What special alterations were made to the base for this purpose?

The USAF’s 81st Fighter Wing who arrived at RAF Bentwaters (and RAF Woodbridge close by, they were known as the Twin Bases) in September, 1951. The 81st was an all fighter-interceptor F-86 Sabre equipped wing, then from October, 1954 on, the Wing started to re-equip with the F-84F Thundersteak which had a tactical nuclear strike mission. Being a single seat and single-engined jet, they carried one small nuclear bomb and targets would have been airfields and other military targets. The F-84F Thunderstreaks were replaced with the F-101A/F-101C Voodoo in 1958, the Voodoo was twin-engined and bigger, but was still a single pilot aircraft. The Voodoo’s were replaced with the F-4C Phantom in 1966 (later the F-4D model replaced the C) which were roughly the same size as the Voodoo, but had two crew. These were all still tactical nuclear strike mission aircraft. We have spoken to some of the pilots who said they knew it was going to be a one-way mission. One F-101 Voodoo pilot told us that his target was a military airfield in Poland and after dropping his bomb he was to fly to a spot near the Norwegian coast and eject and await pick-up from a U.S submarine.

The USAF’s 81st Fighter Wing who arrived at RAF Bentwaters (and RAF Woodbridge close by, they were known as the Twin Bases) in September, 1951. The 81st was an all fighter-interceptor F-86 Sabre equipped wing, then from October, 1954 on, the Wing started to re-equip with the F-84F Thundersteak which had a tactical nuclear strike mission. Being a single seat and single-engined jet, they carried one small nuclear bomb and targets would have been airfields and other military targets.

The F-84F Thunderstreaks were replaced with the F-101A/F-101C Voodoo in 1958, the Voodoo was twin-engined and bigger, but was still a single pilot aircraft. The Voodoo’s were replaced with the F-4C Phantom in 1966 (later the F-4D model replaced the C) which were roughly the same size as the Voodoo, but had two crew. These were all still tactical nuclear strike mission aircraft. We have spoken to some of the pilots who said they knew it was going to be a one-way mission. One F-101 Voodoo pilot told us that his target was a military airfield in Poland and after dropping his bomb he was to fly to a spot near the Norwegian coast and eject and await pick-up from a U.S submarine.

Phantoms at RAF Bentwaters in 1978, shortly before the base lost its nuclear mission. , National Archives

When the A-10 ‘Tank Buster’ jets replaced the F-4 Phantoms in 1979, the nuclear strike mission finished. There are eight alert ‘barns’ on Bentwaters (four at Woodbridge) which were located in the ‘victor alert’ area close to the Western end of the runway so that the jets could take-off to the East. When operational, this area was highly secure with triple fences and a security tower. The jets on alert would sit loaded with a nuke one to each ‘barn’ and depending on the alert status, the crews would be inside a separate building close to their aircraft.

The nukes were stored on base in a special bomb store called the WSA, Weapons Storage Area. This was a row of earth-covered bunkers also in a very secure area with triple fences, entry control zone, dog patrols, security tower, and a security police blockhouse which also contained an armored vehicle.

Here are three great videos. The first is of the base in 2001, including the abandoned Star Wars Building, which pops up at seven minutes and 25 seconds into the video’s runtime. The second is some more recent drone footage of the base, with great shots of the Stars Wars Building and the nuclear weapons storage area. The third is just the second part of the video:

The best photo collection I have seen of this haunting place is from Behind Closed Doors Urban Exploration , which you can and absolutely should check out here . They include the best shots of the interior of the Star Wars Building and some great images of the nuclear storage areas and checkpoints.

So, there you have it, the strange and totally unique Star Wars Building at RAF Bentwaters, a relic to a time long gone that lives on today to make fantasy a reality. Because of its current mission, the good news is that you may very well see the structure appear in a blockbuster movie or science fiction show. Bentwaters Parks, which now operates the installation for commercial purposes, rents out various areas for television and film production, as well as for creative events. I mean, the high-security gate and turnstile area alone is just about as good as it gets for a military thriller or dystopian movie set, right?

So, if you have a use for the Star Wars Building or any other part of the installation, make your sci-fi or Cold War vision come true by giving Bentwaters Parks a call .

A huge thanks to the Bentwaters Cold War Museum . What a fascinating place. Make sure to check them out if you are in the area!

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年6月11日晚上8:47

冷战时期，位于英国东海岸附近的本特沃特皇家空军基地与伍德布里奇皇家空军基地毗邻，通常被称为“双子基地”。几十年来，各种战术喷气式飞机都曾驻扎于此。该基地在其存在的大部分时间里都承担着核警报任务，这意味着一旦发生核灾难，储存在其高度安全弹药库中的原子弹就会被送往核战场。据说，1980年，这里还发生了一起军方与一架看似不明飞行物之间最离奇的遭遇事件之一，即著名的伦德尔沙姆森林事件。

这座基地在1993年美国空军撤离后，被改造成了一个集商业和影视拍摄于一体的综合园区，宛如冷战时期的迪士尼乐园——一个略显阴森、时间仿佛凝固的地方，多年来一直是众多娱乐项目的取景地，而且名副其实。它拥有一些酷炫的特色，如果要在大银幕或小荧屏上复制，将会耗资巨大。其中最奇特的莫过于那座名副其实、外观超凡脱俗的“星球大战大楼”。

我在研究另一个项目时偶然发现了这个奇特的建筑。我以前从未见过类似的东西。它显然是为了减弱附近爆炸产生的冲击波而设计的，使直接攻击地面目标变得更加困难。但它看起来更像是现代主义纪念碑或科幻作品，而不是通常用于军事用途的重型钢筋混凝土防御工事。本特沃特皇家空军基地本身就如同电影布景一般，拥有瞭望塔、加固的机库和作战大楼、武器库以及围栏控制区，但这个建筑看起来就像是从另一个星球空降而来。

本特沃特皇家空军基地退役后，保留了许多设施，包括瞭望塔、高度安全的武器掩体、发动机驱动的静音室等等。（Bentwatersparks.com）

在对这座位于核武器储存区附近、周围环绕着辅助飞机停机坪的隐蔽建筑进行一番研究后，我很快了解到它有个绰号叫“星球大战大楼”，这绰号真是名副其实。但除此之外，关于它的建造原因、建造时间、建造者以及使用者等信息却寥寥无几。此外，这座建筑的设计是否独一无二？还是说在欧洲的其他美国空军基地也有类似的建筑？反正我是没听说过。

星战大厦近乎神庙般的粗野主义线条。（Bentwatersparks.com）

军事航空博物馆是一座知识宝库，否则这些知识很可能早已被遗忘。原来，这座早已关闭的基地里就有一座非常出色的博物馆——本特沃特斯冷战博物馆。我联系了他们，希望能了解更多关于这座博物馆的信息。博物馆的格雷厄姆·吉尔伯特很快就回复了我，他的回复真是太棒了。

“星球大战大楼”是什么时候建成的？它的主要用途是什么？

1986年的时候它还没建好，因为我们有一张当年基地的航拍照片，所以我估计它大概建于1987/1988年左右。它是为第527假想敌中队建造的。第527假想敌中队是少数几个专门为其他中队提供苏联空战技术训练的特种部队之一。第527中队装备F-16C“战隼”战斗机，满足了欧洲所有北约的需求，此外，美国和亚洲还有其他假想敌中队。在与北约其他飞机完成训练任务后（这些飞机通常会在本特沃特基地驻扎一周），这座“星球大战”主题建筑被用作空中作战机动仪表（ACMI）汇报中心，飞行员会在这里回顾他们刚刚执行的作战训练任务。第 527 中队在本特沃特斯的驻扎时间很短……他们从 1988 年 7 月 1 日被分配到该基地，直到 1990 年 9 月 30 日。之后，该建筑被第 510 战术战斗机中队的维护人员用作办公场所，并保存该中队 A-10“坦克杀手”喷气式飞机的维护记录，这些飞机当时停放在机场的那个区域。

1986年的时候它还不存在，因为我们有一张当年该基地的航拍照片，所以我估计它大约建于1987/1988年。它是为第527假想敌中队建造的。第527假想敌中队是少数几个专门为其他中队提供苏联空战技术训练的特种部队之一。第527中队装备F-16C“战隼”战斗机，满足了欧洲所有北约的需求，此外，美国和亚洲还有其他假想敌中队。

在与北约其他飞机进行训练任务后（这些飞机经常在本特沃特斯基地驻扎一周），星战大楼被用作空中作战机动仪表 (ACMI) 汇报设施，飞行员会在那里回顾他们刚刚执行的战斗训练任务。

第 527 中队在本特沃特斯的驻扎时间很短……他们从 1988 年 7 月 1 日被分配到该基地，直到 1990 年 9 月 30 日。之后，该建筑被第 510 战术战斗机中队的维护人员用作办公场所，并保存该中队 A-10“坦克杀手”喷气式飞机的维护记录，这些飞机当时停放在机场的那个区域。

一架隶属于英国皇家空军伍德布里奇基地第527假想敌中队的Block 30型F-16C战斗机。如今，在坚固的飞机掩体上，依然可以看到褪色的队徽。（美国空军）

这看起来是一个非常独特的设计。您能详细介绍一下它最终是如何设计成这样的吗？

围绕这栋单层建筑的围墙是为了在战争爆发时保护它免受附近炸弹爆炸的袭击。前墙采用多面体设计，以偏转爆炸冲击波，而侧墙和后墙则是平的！

今天参观了星战主题大楼。这座建筑规模庞大，内部房间、实验室区域和走廊错综复杂。（Bentwatersparks.com）

据你所知，英国或欧洲其他基地是否有类似的建筑？

据我们所知，这是一个独一无二的设计。

您能简要介绍一下该基地的核武器任务吗？当时采取了何种警报机制？如果接到命令，将由哪些飞机运送核武器？为此，基地进行了哪些特殊改造？

美国空军第81战斗机联队于1951年9月抵达英国皇家空军本特沃特斯基地（以及附近的伍德布里奇皇家空军基地，这两个基地被称为“双基地”）。第81联队最初全部装备F-86佩刀式战斗机，用于拦截敌机。从1954年10月起，该联队开始换装F-84F雷霆战斗机，该机具备战术核打击能力。雷霆战斗机为单座单引擎喷气式飞机，可携带一枚小型核弹，攻击目标为机场和其他军事目标。1958年，F-84F雷霆战斗机被F-101A/F-101C巫毒战斗机取代。巫毒战斗机为双引擎，机身更大，但仍然是单座飞机。 1966年，F-101“巫毒”战斗机被F-4C“鬼怪”战斗机取代（后来F-4C又被F-4D取代），F-4C的尺寸与“巫毒”大致相同，但配备两名机组人员。这些飞机仍然都是执行战术核打击任务的。我们采访了一些飞行员，他们表示知道这将是一次单程任务。一位F-101“巫毒”战斗机的飞行员告诉我们，他的目标是波兰的一个军用机场，投弹后他要飞到挪威海岸附近弹射，等待美国潜艇的接应。

美国空军第81战斗机联队于1951年9月抵达英国皇家空军本特沃特斯基地（以及附近的伍德布里奇皇家空军基地，这两个基地被称为“双基地”）。第81联队最初全部装备F-86佩刀式战斗机，之后从1954年10月起，该联队开始换装F-84F雷霆式战斗机，该机具备战术核打击能力。作为一种单座单引擎喷气式飞机，F-84F可携带一枚小型核弹，攻击目标为机场和其他军事目标。

1958年，F-84F“雷霆”战斗机被F-101A/F-101C“巫毒”战斗机取代。“巫毒”战斗机是双引擎飞机，尺寸更大，但仍然是单座飞机。1966年，“巫毒”战斗机又被F-4C“鬼怪”战斗机取代（后来F-4C被F-4D取代）。F-4C的尺寸与“巫毒”大致相同，但配备了两名机组人员。这些飞机仍然都是执行战术核打击任务的。我们采访了一些飞行员，他们表示知道这将是一次单程任务。一位F-101“巫毒”战斗机的飞行员告诉我们，他的目标是波兰的一个军用机场，投弹后，他要飞到挪威海岸附近的一个地点弹射跳伞，等待美国潜艇的接应。

1978年，英国皇家空军本特沃特基地的幻影战斗机，不久之后该基地便失去了核武器任务。（英国国家档案馆）

1979年，A-10“坦克杀手”攻击机取代F-4“鬼怪”战斗机后，核打击任务就此结束。本特沃特空军基地有八个警戒“机库”（伍德布里奇空军基地有四个），位于跑道西端附近的“胜利警戒区”，以便战机可以向东起飞。在执行任务期间，该区域戒备森严，设有三重围栏和一座安全塔。处于警戒状态的战机将携带一枚核弹停放在每个“机库”内，根据警戒状态，机组人员会待在靠近飞机的独立建筑物内。

核武器储存在基地内一个名为武器储存区（WSA）的特殊炸弹库中。该区域由一排掩体组成，戒备森严，设有三重围栏、入口控制区、警犬巡逻队、安全塔以及一座保安警察碉堡，碉堡内还停放着一辆装甲车。

这里有三段精彩的视频。第一段是2001年拍摄的基地画面，包括废弃的“星球大战”大楼，它在视频播放到7分25秒时出现。第二段是近期无人机拍摄的基地画面，其中有“星球大战”大楼和核武器储存区的精彩镜头。第三段是视频的后半部分：

我见过的关于这个令人毛骨悚然的地方的最佳照片集来自“Behind Closed Doors Urban Exploration”，你绝对应该点击这里查看。其中包括星战大楼内部的最佳照片，以及一些核燃料储存区和检查站的精彩图片。

瞧，这就是位于英国皇家空军本特沃特斯基地的奇特而独一无二的“星球大战”大楼，它是早已逝去时代的遗迹，如今却以另一种形式存在，将幻想变为现实。由于其目前的用途，好消息是，你很可能会在一部大片或科幻剧中看到它的身影。本特沃特斯公园公司目前负责该设施的商业运营，并出租各个区域用于电视和电影制作以及创意活动。我的意思是，光是那道高度安全的闸门和旋转门区域，就足以成为军事惊悚片或反乌托邦电影的绝佳布景，对吧？

所以，如果您对星球大战大楼或该设施的任何其他部分有任何用途，请致电 Bentwaters Parks，让您的科幻或冷战愿景成为现实。

非常感谢本特沃特斯冷战博物馆。真是个迷人的地方。如果你在附近，一定要去看看！

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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