RAF Coningsby was established in 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps training base, and the site on the eastern edge of the Lincolnshire Fens has been associated with military aviation for over a century. The station was reactivated and significantly expanded in the 1930s as Britain prepared for the likelihood of another major war.

During World War II, Coningsby became a key Bomber Command station. Initially equipped with Vickers Wellington medium bombers, the station's squadrons transitioned to the Handley Page Halifax — a heavy four-engined bomber that formed one half of Britain's nighttime strategic bombing force alongside the Avro Lancaster. From Coningsby, thousands of night sorties were flown over occupied Europe and Germany, with crews facing the formidable dangers of night fighter interceptors, flak, and the inherent hazards of long-range bombing operations. The scale of loss among Bomber Command crews was immense, and Coningsby's personnel were very much part of that sacrifice.

Following the Bomber Command offensive, Coningsby was transferred to Fighter Command and played a significant role in the Battle of Britain, hosting several fighter squadrons defending the skies over Britain against Luftwaffe attacks. The airfields of Lincolnshire — including Coningsby — were central to the RAF's defensive operations, with numerous scramble events and aerial engagements occurring in the skies above the county.

After the war, Coningsby transitioned to become a V-bomber base during the Cold War, receiving first the Canberra and then the Avro Vulcan delta-wing nuclear bomber, which formed a core part of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent through the 1960s and 1970s. The airfield was upgraded with longer runways and hardened aircraft shelters to accommodate these new heavy aircraft.