RAF Fylingdales

RAF Fylingdales
Near Whitby, North Yorkshire, in England
Solid State Phased Array Radar at RAF Fylingdales.
AN/FPS-132 Solid State Phased Array Radar System at RAF Fylingdales
Vigilamus
(Latin for 'We are Watching')
RAF Fylingdales is located in North Yorkshire
RAF Fylingdales
RAF Fylingdales
Shown within North Yorkshire
Coordinates54°21′32″N 000°40′11″W / 54.35889°N 0.66972°W / 54.35889; -0.66972
TypeBallistic Missile Early Warning station
Height820 feet (250 m)
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byUK Space Command
Open to
the public		No
Radar typeRaytheon AN/FPS-132 Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS)
WebsiteOfficial website
Site history
Built1962 (1962)/63
In use1963–Present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Wg Cdr Thomas Colledge
PAVE PAWS and BMEWS coverage

Royal Air Force Fylingdales (RAF Fylingdales) is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is Vigilamus ("We are watching").[1] It is a radar base and is also part of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS). As part of intelligence-sharing arrangements between the United States and United Kingdom (see, for example, the UKUSA Agreement), data collected at RAF Fylingdales are shared between the two countries. Its primary purpose is to give the British and US governments warning of an impending ballistic missile attack (part of the so-called four minute warning during the Cold War). A secondary role is the detection and tracking of orbiting objects; Fylingdales is part of the United States Space Surveillance Network.[2][3][4] As well as its early-warning and space-tracking roles, Fylingdales has a third function – the Satellite Warning Service for the UK. It keeps track of spy satellites used by other countries, so that secret activities in the UK can be carried out when they are not overhead. The armed services, defence manufacturers and research organisations, including universities, take advantage of this facility.[4][5]

  1. ^ "The changing faces of RAF Fylingdales". The Whitby Gazette. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Fylingdales – Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament". yorkshirecnd.org.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  3. ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons – Defence – Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Pike, John. "RAF Fylingdales". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Subbrit: RSG: Sites: Fylingdales". www.subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.