New Shetland Radar Station Set To Open

A new £10m RAF radar facility which can track unidentified military or civilian aircraft will be powered up and ready to operate soon, defence chiefs have been told.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, inspected the radar’s progress at the brand new Remote Radar Head facility, at Saxa Vord, Unst in Shetland.

It is hoped the new remote radar will improve the understanding of airspace north of the UK, and further out into the Norwegian sea.

The island will assume its previous role of being an early warning radar on NATO’s northern flank.

The last time the island held such responsibilities was during the 1960s and 70s.

It is also thought the radar will increase the UK’s sovereign capability in a time of heightened Russian military activity.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"We will always protect our skies from Russian aggression. This radar is a vital part of the UK's defences as we react to intensifying global threats and reinforce our ability to tackle them. Russia's actions are not limited to Europe's eastern borders - the threat to British livelihoods is severe and real."

The Saxa Vord Radar will feed the nationwide Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) operations which operate from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby and imperative in policing international and UK airspace.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, said: "The radar system at Saxa Vord is an important part of ensuring that the RAF can fully protect both the UK's airspace and that of our NATO allies, in the face of increasing pressure from Russia."

During the last five years, the RAF has carried out 69 QRA launches.

The most recent being just last well when two Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth were scrambled to intercept, monitor and escort two Russian Blackjacks which did not respond to the air traffic control authorities.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier expressed his gratitude to the team who worked on the project. He said:

"Right at the tip of Shetland, Saxa Vord is a very remote site, so I'm extremely grateful to the team who have been working hard through the cold of winter, with snow and 120 mph gales, to ensure that the construction has remained on schedule."

Though the radar will be remotely operated by RAF personnel, the RAF have long had a presence on Unst dating back to 1940 when the Chain Home radar was established at Skaw.

By the end of 1940 the Royal Navy had also set up a radar site at Saxa Vord, which was eventually passed on to the RAF.

The site was later updated, and reopened in the summer of 1958 as part of NATO's radar coverage.

It continued to be modernised and up-dated until it was once again placed on a Care and Maintenance basis in March 2006.

The RAF’s contributions have been significant on the island of Unst, where they were the first to install mains electricity and water.

In the 1970s, the station provided the island’s ambulance and fire services, as well as the island’s only dentist.

At its height, some 300 service personnel and their families lived on the island.

Cover photo courtesy: Ministry of Defence.