RAF Lyneham
The town is close to RAF Lyneham, with the base situated 4 miles (7 km) to the south. The station was first established with a hard runway in May 1940. Having always operated long range transport flights from its long runways, from 1971 the base became the Royal Air Force's principal tactical transport hub, with the introduction of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The base was slated for closure in 2012 with the retirement of the final C130K Hercules, with all other planes and operations then being transferred to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Read more about this topic: Royal Wootton Bassett