RAF Fylingdales

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BMEWS solid-state phased-array radar at RAF Fylingdales

RAF Fylingdales is a British Royal Air Force station on Fylingdales Moor in the North York Moors, England. It is a radar base and part of the United States-controlled Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS). Under the special relationship between the United States and United Kingdom, data collected at RAF Fylingdales is shared between the two countries. Its primary purpose is to give the British and US governments warning of an impending ballistic missile attack (part the so-called four minute warning during the Cold War, though in practice three minutes was more likely). A secondary role is the detection and tracking of orbiting objects.

1 Operation
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Operation

[edit] BMEWS

While the base remains a British asset operated and commanded by the Royal Air Force, it also forms one of three stations in the United States BMEWS network (the United States also funds the cost of the radar units). The other two stations in the network are Thule Air Base, Greenland and Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. The data grab obtained by Fylingdales is shared fully and freely with the United States, where it feeds into the US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command at Cheyenne Mountain. To this end a United States Air Force liaison officer is stationed at the base.

[edit] Systems

The primary radars of RAF Fylingdales are Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) (phased array) radars, mounted on each face of a truncated tetrahedron, typically referred to as the "pyramid." This gives Fylingdales a uniqueness amongst its peers in that it covers a full 360 degrees. Each of the three arrays contains around 2,560 transmit/receive modules, total peak power output equates to some 2.5MW with a tracking range of 3,000+ miles.

[edit] Controversy

The functions of RAF Fylingdales have been subject to criticism from opposition groups, such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), leading to protests being held on occasion. These stem from concerns regarding the base's association with nuclear warfare and the militarisation of space. They argue against the UK assisting the US National Missile Defense (NMD) program with RAF Fylingdales' ability to detect attacks, claiming it to be unnecessary.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) defends the use and role of the facility however, regarding RAF Fylingdales as part of the UK's contribution to counter a military threat. The MoD states that although ballistic missile attack is a minor threat currently, this could change in the long-term future if as-yet unknown enemies develop missiles as a means to overcome large distances to strike at the UK.

Another RAF base, RAF Menwith Hill, is also located in Yorkshire and has a close arrangement with the United States. Likewise, it has been the focus of similar protests.

[edit] History

[edit] Cold War

The station was built by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in 1962, and was maintained by RCA (Great Britain), now Serco Group plc. RAF Fylingdales comprised of three large 40 metre diameter 'golfballs' or geodesic domes (radomes) containing mechanically steered radar. It became a local tourist attraction as a result. Coach tours to the nearby coastal town of Whitby drove past the site, at which point drivers would typically switch the radio on and allow passengers to listen to the interference caused by the radomes.

Between 1989 and 1992, the US defence contractor, Raytheon, completed a contract which saw the domes replaced by the current tetrahedron ('pyramid') structure, housing the Active Electronically Scanned Arrays or AESA (phased array) radar.

[edit] Health fears

In June 2003, concern arose that RAF Fylingdales was emitting harmful emissions into the surrounding area after a cancer cluster was discovered around a similar radar facility at Cape Cod in the United States. The issue was investigated by the local National Health Service organisation, the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust and a report was released in December. It concluded there was no relationship between RAF Fylingdales and local cancer rates nor any abnormal risk, as cancer rates in the immediate area proved to be normal. A 2003 MoD report on the impact of the NMD upgrade at RAF Fylingdales reiterated that the base was within health guidelines and would remain so.

[edit] National Missile Defence

In the late 1990's, with the United States deciding to fully pursue a National Missile Defense plan, RAF Fylingdales attracted further publicity. To improve tracking capabilities (for launches from Africa and the Middle East) the United States wanted the use of Fylingdales as part of its NMD network. After receiving a formal request from the US, the British Government agreed to its use as an NMD tracking facility in 2003. This decision has led to renewed demonstrations by CND and other anti-nuclear and anti-war protestors. It has also complicated Britain's fragile relationship with certain European Union states such as France. The decision was criticised due to the fact that the proposed NMD system would be solely for US benefit.

A £449m upgrade for RAF Fylingdales to become an NMD tracking facility is now underway by Boeing. It will replace many internal systems; computers, displays, etc. to improve resolution and tracking accuracy. No external changes are being made in direct relation to these upgrades and no power increases will occur.

According to an article published in late 2004, the British Government secretly agreed to a US request to station NMD missile interceptors at Fylingdales Moor. This has subsequently been denied by the Ministry of Defence.