MoD Boscombe Down is a military airfield located near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, operated by the UK Ministry of Defence. It serves primarily as the home of the Aircraft Test and Evaluation Centre (ATEC), making it one of the most important military flight test establishments in the United Kingdom. The airfield has a long history dating back to the First World War era and has been central to the development and testing of British military aircraft throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. It is not open to the general public and handles no scheduled commercial air services. Boscombe Down is operated under strict security protocols given its role in testing sensitive defence equipment. The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS), which trains military test pilots from the UK and allied nations, is also based at the airfield.