UK Weapons Ranges status

[typerated]

It’s a long while since I have been involved with weapons ranges
I was wondering what was the current status generally considering the RAF don’t drop dumb bombs anymore.
so imagine there is very little trade.

Also I am interested to know is Otterburn still a target for aircraft - is the ‘Airfield’ still there?
Is Wiley Sike still the weapons part of Spadeadam - I can’t imagine what uses the range anymore.
I’m kind of surprised Spadeadam is still going I’d assumed most of the EW training is done on the sim? I’m guessing there are still a fair few people working there and most days they don’t see any trade?

Is Luce Bay still active and the trials range? If not where are Boscombe/ Warton weapons trials done these days – the US?

I see Pembrey is still a range - but as there are only a handful of Hawk T2s and they don't carry weapons and the SHARS are long gone I’m at a loss to imagine what uses the place apart from maybe helicopters?

In fact it looks like Tain, Holbeach, Donna and Pembrey are still active – I’d have thought 2 ranges would have had more than enough slots for all possible users – say Holbeach and Tain to give good geographical coverage. But I’m probably missing something?

I’d be fascinated to hear any insights on the current state of play.

[Old_Slartibartfast]

Wset Freugh was mothballed some time in the late 1990's, the airfield closed and Luce Bay range was put on care and maintenance, with a handful of staff. I believe QQ can still open it on a campaign basis, but much of the kit was already very old and in poor shape by the late 90's when the airfield closed, so how capable it is now I don't know. I recall that just keeping the hard and soft targets maintained and sterile was a major undertaking, as was maintaining the platforms in the bay that had been used for Starstreak development.

[ShyTorque]

I had a chat with one of the range safety chaps at Donna Nook earlier this year. Although it was late afternoon he said that I was the first person he’d spoken to all day. He told me that the range was used more regularly by American aircraft than it was by UK ones.

[Bueno Hombre]

We must not trust so self called 'Type Rated' until we make complete positive vetting on him. Beware.

[chevvron]

Visited Holbeach once a few years back and that too is used more by USAF units than RAF.
Had the pleasure of watching a pair of A10s over from Germany usng the range; apparently they don't book in advance they just call up on the offchance there's a slot available.
Gone are the days of streams of RAF Harriers and Jaguars on the range; I suppose it's just Typhoons and F35s nowadays.

[Bueno Hombre]

Lucky 'They' don't keep us Old Uns completely in the picture.

[Bueno Hombre]

There is a war on in Europe so anyone of us should not publish any truth in here .

[Old_Slartibartfast]

There is a war on in Europe so anyone of us should not publish any truth in here .


Hard to understand how on earth activity on UK bombing ranges could possibly be connected with OPSEC regarding Ukraine. The UK is not doing anything to support Ukraine in terms of any bombing capability, as apart from anything else we just don't have any aircraft that Ukraine could operate. There are certainly OPSEC concerns around place in the UK where we are providing training for Ukrainian forces, but that training seems to be solely related to ground forces and, perhaps, air defence systems they are being given. Neither are anything to do with the weapons ranges mentioned here, with the possible exception of Luce Bay, but even that stopped being used for HVM/Starstreak development a long time ago.

[Mogwi]

I gave Pembray a call one Friday afternoon a decade or so ago, on my way to Haverfordwest in a Yak 50. They kindly allowed me a pass on the straffe panels, which I found much easier at 250 kts than 450 in the SHAR! 😈

Mog

[dctyke]

Now that the current crop of RAF operational jets don’t use practice weapons I’m surprised any of the east coast ranges are still open. With the demise of RAF EOD the Army are now clearing Cowden Range near me which will take years if they do it properly.

[Flipster130]

If you really need to know, you will be able to find out from your Sqn QWI.
If you don’t have a QWI, then you don’t really need to know.

[Davef68]

I think Otterburn was last used for live weapons drops from jets sometime in the late 90s/early 2000s - last time I recall seeing jets in quantities was in the run up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but don't think they were live dropping.

Still used by the AAC.

[Bob Viking]

I know that 6 Sqn (Jags) dropped heavy weapons and strafed at Otterburn in 06/07.

BV

[LS8C1]

Cape Wrath still very much used for live weapon drops from RAF FJs.

[SATCOS WHIPPING BOY]

Hard to understand how on earth activity on UK bombing ranges could possibly be connected with OPSEC regarding Ukraine. The UK is not doing anything to support Ukraine in terms of any bombing capability, as apart from anything else we just don't have any aircraft that Ukraine could operate. There are certainly OPSEC concerns around place in the UK where we are providing training for Ukrainian forces, but that training seems to be solely related to ground forces and, perhaps, air defence systems they are being given. Neither are anything to do with the weapons ranges mentioned here, with the possible exception of Luce Bay, but even that stopped being used for HVM/Starstreak development a long time ago.


^^^^ PPRUNE's equivalent of " Don't tell him, Pike".

[WillNorris81]

A quick search on any search engine will answer the OP. Just type in gov uk weapons ranges uk status and the gov uk website military-low-flying air weapons ranges activity link will come up. I haven’t posted 8 times as yet so can’t post a link.

[chevvron]

Now that the current crop of RAF operational jets don’t use practice weapons I’m surprised any of the east coast ranges are still open. With the demise of RAF EOD the Army are now clearing Cowden Range near me which will take years if they do it properly.
Wainfleet was closed a few years ago.

[Pontius Navigator]

Helos use the ranges.

[ExAscoteer2]

Certainly the Wattershambles AH-64s use Holbeach on a regular basis.

[chevvron]

Certainly the Wattershambles AH-64s use Holbeach on a regular basis.
Yeah but the speed they fly at it must take them about an hour to get there and another hour to get back!

[PapaDolmio]

Certainly a far cry from the late 80's when I spent a (mostly) happy 18 months at DN. We could go days without seeing an aircraft if the weather was punk but on good days we'd be fully booked from opening to closing, plus bootleggers too.

A four ship of A10's were probably the most popular- 12 bdu33's and 1500(?) Rnds of 30mm each in a 30 minute slot was good fun. It wasn't uncommon for bootlegging F111s to hold for 20 minutes just to get a couple of passes in.
Least popular were the TWCU GR1s- a single GR1 for a half hour slot was dull in the extreme but I guess the guys had to learn.

Different air force then, and we were very much left to our own devices- I don't think going to the pub at lunchtime in uniform and using service transport following an early stack would be tolerated now.
Having the AOC turn up for his annual inspection with his wife in their own car towing a caravan was also a bit odd after coming from a 'proper' station and the usual shenanigans that went on for AOCs back in the day.

[LateArmLive]

I know that 6 Sqn (Jags) dropped heavy weapons and strafed at Otterburn in 06/07.

BV
I wasn't aware the Jags could carry heavy weapons ;)

[PapaDolmio]

I wasn't aware the Jags could carry heavy weapons ;)
They could........just.

And no guarantee they would end up in the right place either (Garvie?)

[Wader2]

They could........just.

And no guarantee they would end up in the right place either (Garvie?)

Easy to confuse a bird sanctuary on the west coast for an island on the north coast.