In May 1947 the Photographic Trials and Development Unit was based at HMS Hornbill, and in 1951 1840 Naval Air Squadron operated from the airfield for a short time.

Ab initio flight training of cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, flying primary gliders, was also undertaken here in the early 1950s.

The unit was allocated various aircraft:[2] In February 1947 the squadron was downgraded to become No.1 Ferry Flight, but remained at HMS Hornbill.

[3] On 1 May 1947, 739 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Culham (HMS Hornbill) to become the Royal Navy’s Photographic Trials and Development Unit, (it had originally been intended to share the RAF's Photographic Reconnaissance resources at RAF Benson, but this had become overcrowded).

[4][5] Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) Pilots and Observers needed to have completed between seventy-five and 125 flying hours per year.

The pooled aircraft, comprising Supermarine Seafire and Hawker Sea Fury, of the Southern Air Division was divided between the three squadrons.

It shared the Hawker Sea Fury FB.II fighter aircraft of 1832 Naval Air Squadron.

[10][9] The Station Flight at RNAS Culham flew a number of different aircraft types, including:[11] During the course of the operation of the airbase, the following Fleet Air Arm units were at sometime based at RNAS Culham:[12] HMS Hornbill was ‘paid off’ on Saturday 30 May 1953 and the airbase was put into Reserve Airfield Status.

[14] The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority identified Culham as a site for the construction of a purpose built laboratory for plasma physics and fusion research, in the late 1950's.

Construction of the Culham Laboratory (as previously known) was started in the early 1960’s and the facility was officially opened in 1965.

The Joint European Torus (JET) nuclear fusion project is based at the site.