Chelveston, which became its satellite. The mission was changed to support Douglas RB-66C Destroyer Reconnaissance aircraft of the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. The first B-66s arrived at the base on 26 August and by mid-18 September all were present. The squadron's activities consisted of specialized electronic reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures. The 42nd TRS remained at Chelveston for almost three years until the summer of 1962. At that time, it was decided to forward deploy the squadron to the then-unused Toul-Rosières Air Base, France. After the B-66s departed the base was returned to reserve status. The RAF used Chelveston for Civil Defence exercises. Mostly though, the station was maintained by a small RAF skeleton support staff. In August 1968, the station was put on alert during the Czechoslovakian Crisis, but no units were deployed there. U.S. servicemen were encouraged and assisted to pursue hobbies and use the station workshops. Chelveston and Alconbury servicemen often built and raced stock cars, and especially in the 1960s were famous around English race tracks for their building and racing skills and for their access to American-built V-8 engines. Draw-down and closure In the early 1970s, due to budget cutbacks, the MOD decided to close Chelveston. The concrete runways, taxiways and hardstands were broken up and removed in 1977, with large quantities of aggregate being supplied to various construction projects in the Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire markets. The ground station, with large numbers of nissen huts and other buildings erected during World War II and during the 1950s were also all demolished, including the removal of streets and other infrastructure. Although unused since the early 1960s, most of these structures were in relatively good condition at the time of their removal. Other parts of the base were sold to private agricultural interests, with the exception of some housing units retained by the USAF for families of personnel assigned to RAF Molesworth and a small school. These homes may have been sold by the MOD in recent years, due to the reduced number of American military personnel in the areas. The large J-Type hangar was retained by the 10th TRW at RAF Alconbury for storage of War Reserve Material (WRM) assets until the late 1980s. It was demolished after the closure of the Alconbury flightline. An RAF high frequency signals facility was established on the former airfield site in 1977, operated by RAF No. 81 Signals Unit and