Royal Air Force Station Lyneham or more simply RAF Lyneham is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Chippenham, Wiltshire and south west of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No. 38 Expeditionary Air Wing.RAF Lyneham was the Royal Air Force's principal Transport hub, operating the modern Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, and the aging, but very adaptable, Lockheed C-130K Hercules. The airfield was designated as a Master Diversion Airfield. It is one of the primary airfields to which aircraft divert in the eventuality of their home bases being closed due to weather, or other unforeseen events (such as aircraft crashes), having occurred.The airfield became renowned for being the "gateway" between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan; the station was also where repatriation of British personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan took place. The bodies were transported through the nearby town of Royal Wootton Bassett, with crowds lining the streets to pay tribute to the fallen.