Up to a few years ago visitors to the picturesque and remote Fylingdales Moor in North Yorkshire were often surprised at the three giant "golfballs", 43 metres in diameter, that once marked the whereabouts of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) radar at "RAF" Fylingdales. One thing that may not have been so obvious was that this system was probably the most significant strategic installation in Yorkshire and was (and still is) of direct relevance to plans for the United States’ Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) and Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI - "Star Wars") systems.

The three golf balls housed three mechanically steerable radar dishes. Two of the radars would track from side to side, one looking at an elevation of 2.50 and the other at 50 above the horizon. If a target was found at 2.50 and then at 50, it could be a rocket in its boost phase, and so its trajectory would be tracked by the third radar so that a point of impact could be determined.

The base was built as a result of an agreement between the United States government and the British Government (signed by the then Secretary for Air) in 1960. The system was built in 1964 using US equipment on British Ministry of defence land in the North York Moors National Park. It cost £46 million, £35 million of which was US dollars. The US now intends to upgrade this early warning radar so that it can be used as part of the National Missile Defence (NMD) system to shield the US mainland from missile attack by a combination of radar and anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defences.

For further details contact Yorkshire CND on 01274-730795 or email