Vetting the threat

摘要

RAF Spadeadam is situated on the confluence of the Cumbria/Northumberland/Scottish border and is the only electronic warfare and threat training facility in the UK. One of only three such facilities in the world, the site covers 9,600 acres of mainly forested terrain with associated airspace up to 60,000ft. The station's original purpose was to serve as the test site for the UK Ballistic Missile Project 'Blue Streak' during the 1960s, and at its peak had over 1,000 service personnel and MoD scientists working on site, with a huge infrastructure consisting of hardened bunkers and rocket launch pads, which are still standing today. After the project was cancelled, the site passed through the hands of the army and USAF, before becoming RAF Spadeadam and undertaking the role it has today. Currently, the station employs around 200 personnel - a 50/50 split of civilian contractors and military specialists.