Originally Posted by
ORAC
NATO agreed to pay for the HAS build/hardening of the UK airfields as long as the UK provided SAW cover. So the old RAFG/Cyprus Bloodhound were put in place at Bawdsey, West Raynham etc and Rapier units to cover those outside their cover such as LM, KS, BZ etc. No computer links, such at Gata, were ever put in place with the UKADGE units, and in fact for most of their existence the HMEZ/LMEZ were not even updated on the the radar maps.
IIRC Within 6 months of NATO signing the cheques for the hardening programme the Boodhound force was disbanded.
Thats not counting the ex-Argentine Oerlikon/Skyguard equipped sqns at Waddington - at least until the ammunition time expired.
The Bloodhound Mk 2 data link system wasn't in the RAF LCP's when the system was procured in the early 1960's (The Swedish and Swiss had it fitted from the git go). The decision to fit the RAF systems with the Digital control mode was made in 1966, and a modification program to allow the LCP's to employ the Digital Control method of operational and install the required Digital Data Link Mk 5 equipment was carried out on the 23 LCP's in RAF service in 1967. Enough DDL Mk 5 equipment sets for the whole operational force of 21 Sections were ordered in 1966, however when the East of Suez decision was made in mid 1967, the order for the 10 DDL Mk 5 sets for the FEAF Squadrons (33 and 65) were cancelled. 41 and 25 Squadron's did use it in exercises with the GL161 systems of 1ACC and one DLL Mk 5 set was swapped around the FEAF sections to prove the modifications and allow a bit of training in Theatre before the FEAF Bloodhound Squadrons started to draw down in 1968. The Basic reason the DC mode was not employed in the UK was most likely SLEWC wasn't software engineered to support Bloodhound operations (not in the specifications as the main UK SAM defences were withdrawn in 1968/69 with the drawdown of the MBF in the QRA role (There were no more than 3 Bloodhound Mk 2 sections in that role anyway (112 Sqn at Woodhall Spa until April 1967 when they went non operational for the move to Cyprus and 41 Sqn at West Raynham until June 1969))), plus the fact that there wasn't enough DDL Mk 5 sets available to equip half of the Bloodhound Mk 2 force as finally rolled out in 1983/4 (three set were given to Singapore for the 3 sections sold to them). When the Computers and displays were replaced on Bloodhound 2 in 1986-89, they did include data links that allowed the whole system to be digitally integrated with itself along with command and control functions being carried out at Flight, Squadron and Force level. I do believe it was also going to be integrated into IUKADGE, but of course that didn't become operational until long after Bloodhound was canned.