The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough Airfield was a UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) research establishment. It was created in 1908 and has undergone a number of name changes over the years:

• 1908 - founded as HM Balloon Factory
• 1911 - renamed the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF)
• 1918 - renamed the Royal Aircraft Establishment to avoid confusion with the Royal Air Force, which was formed on April 1 1918.
• 1991 - April 1 - merged into the Defence Research Agency (DRA), the MOD's new research organisation.
• 1995 - April 1 - the DRA and other MOD organisations merged to form the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).
• 2001 - the Agency was part-privatised by the MOD, resulting in two separate organisations, the state-owned Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), and the privatised QinetiQ Public-Private Partnership.

Functions

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The site is currently home to QinetiQ, DSTL, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the British National Space Centre.

Many aircraft have been developed or tested at the RAE including the BE.2, F.E.2, R.E.8, S.E.5, Hawker-Siddeley Harrier and Concorde. The wind tunnel is now a listed building.

See also

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• RAE Bedford - Farnborough's sister site at Thurleigh, Bedford

1908 establishments | Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom | History of Hampshire

Royal Aircraft Establishment