RRH Benbecula
Encyclopedia
| RRH Benbecula | |
|---|---|
| Type 92 Overview | |
| Primary function | Air Defence Solid State Radar |
| Time of service entry | 1998 |
| Maximum range | 600km (375 Miles) |
| Maximum detection altitude | 90,000 ft |
| Capabilities | The type 92 can detect stealth and standard aircraft and other flying objects such as missiles out to a maximum range of 600km accurately, it is also possible to detect ICBMs |
RRH Benbecula is a Remote Radar Head operated by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the Western Isles of Scotland.
Overview
RRH Benbecula operates a Type 92 long range surveillance radar, at Cleitreabhal a'Deas on North UistNorth Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
. The radar, designed and built by Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
is almost identical to the AN/FPS-117
AN/FPS-117
The AN/FPS-117 is a phased array, 3-dimensional air search radar. It is produced by the Lockheed Martin corporation from the United States.The system is a low power, long range , L-band pencil beam, solid-state transmitter and beacon interrogator search radar...
radar used by the USA. Whilst versions of the AN/FPS-117
AN/FPS-117
The AN/FPS-117 is a phased array, 3-dimensional air search radar. It is produced by the Lockheed Martin corporation from the United States.The system is a low power, long range , L-band pencil beam, solid-state transmitter and beacon interrogator search radar...
are capable of detecting ballistic missiles the Type 92 does have this capability but is only used for detecting aircraft. A separate receiver site is situated at Benbecula Airport, on the Isle of Benbecula
Benbecula
Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...
. They input into the UK Air Surveillance And Control System (ASACS). The radar site also accommodates several types of VHF and UHF ground-to-air transmitters.
A Remote Radar Head is a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
station which is monitored and controlled from a remote location. Formerly under the command and control of RAF Buchan
RAF Buchan
RAF Buchan is a Royal Air Force station near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. It has been there since 1952, although the domestic site in Boddam is now closed. Until 2005 it was also home of one of the two Control and Reporting Centres for the United Kingdom in the form of an impressive two story...
, RRH Benbecula came under the command and control of RAF Boulmer
RAF Boulmer
RAF Boulmer is a Royal Air Force station near Alnwick in Northumberland and is currently home to Aerospace Surveillance and Control System Force Command, Control and Reporting Centre Boulmer, the School of Aerospace Battle Management, No...
in September 2004. RRH Benbecula's equipment is still maintained by RAF technicians.
History
Military personnel have had a presence on the islands, once called RAF Benbecula, since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At its peak, several thousand troops were stationed at the base and several other sites around the islands.
After World War II, the aircraft were withdrawn. The RAF continued operating from Benbecula, operating several radar types until the Type 92 came into service in the 1980s. The radar site was a manned radar station and a Control and Reporting Post for UK Air Surveillance, until it was converted to remote operation in the late nineties and the RAF pulled out of the main site at Benbecula.
The British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
also had a huge presence at Benbecula, operating an artillery range on South Uist
South Uist
South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
. This role was passed to DERA
DERA
DERA may refer as an abbreviation or acronym to:*Defence Evaluation and Research Agency*Downtown Eastside Residents Association – in Vancouver, British Columbia*Direct Epitope Recognition Assay*Disaster preparedness and Emergency Response Association...
(eventually to become QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
), who remain at the Benbecula and South Uist sites.