Site Records

Site Name: RAF Boulmer ('EZS') GCI R3 ROTOR Radar Station & Control and Reporting Centre in the UK Air Surveillance and Control System

B1339 Lesbury
Northumberland
OS Grid Ref: NU240125

Sub Brit site visit 14th March 2005

In the 1956 Signals Plan, Boulmer was designated as one of 9 Master Radar Stations, RAF Anstruther was a satellite of Boulmer. In April 1957 it became a comprehensive GCI station. In November 1957 RAF Boulmer became 13 Group Control Centre, responsible for the GCI stations at RAF Buchan in the north of Scotland, RAF Killard Point in Northern Ireland and limited commitments from RAF Patrington (Eastern Sector MRS). It also assumed the role of Sector Operations Centre from RAF Shipton which closed.

Under the 1958 Signals Plan, Boulmer was retained as the 13 Group Control Centre and Headquarters, a Comprehensive Station and Master Radar Station responsible for Buchan, Hackett (Benbecula) and Killard Point and the CEW stations at Saxa Vord and Aird Uig. This plan was later abandoned in favour of the Linesman/Mediator system with 3 SOC's at Buchan, Boulmer and Neatishead.

As part of the 1958 Plan, Boulmer was selected to be upgraded with the installation of new high powered Type 84 Surveillance radar mounted above an R17 modulator building. This increased the range of detection and was able to penetrate the latest Soviet jamming technology. The Type 84 was unable to establish height so two HF200 height finders were also added.

In 1966 the following radars were operational under Linesman/Mediator: Type 80, Type 54, 2 X HF 200 Height finders, Type 84 and 2 X AN/FRS6.

Type 85 radar on an R12 technical block

In addition work also started on the installation of a Type 85 radar. This too was able to cut through the Russian jamming with a range in excess of 200 miles; it was also equipped with banks of transmitters and receivers which could rapidly change transmitting frequencies to deter hostile blocking attempts. In order to achieve this performance it required a set of five powerful diesel generators which would have been capable of supplying sufficient power for a large town.

This radar was housed in a massive 3-storey R12 concrete technical block with a second block alongside housing the generators. Flight trials started in August 1967, but the radar did not come fully on line until 1968. The R12 was one of three around the county, the others being at Neatishead and Staxton Wold.

In a further attempt to deter Soviet jamming, a passive defence system known as 'Winkle' was introduced on 1965. This consisted of a high speed aerial mounted above an R15 data handling building. This system, known as RX12874, worked with the Type 85 to establish the position of a jamming source. In 1971 a nuclear reporting cell was operational at Boulmer.

R15 technical building - click here to see building in 2005

The same year Border Radar was established at Boulmer, this was a joint military/civil facility providing air traffic control services to coordinate civil and military traffic. Although still operational until the late 1980s, this closed when West Drayton took over control

Boulmer was now part of SLEW/UKADGE a centralized air defence system for the UK. By 1974 the station had been upgraded to the Northern Sector Operations Centre (SOC) and a Control and Reporting Centre (CRC). By this time command was maintained centrally at two sites, West Drayton and Strike Command HQ, High Wycombe and control was allocated to three CRCs at Neatishead, Buchan and Boulmer. The sites were linked together so that one could take over from any other in an emergency.

In 1978 RAF Boulmer took on a new additional role as a search and rescue station following the closure of RAF Acklington, a role that it still fulfills today. Initially the station was equipped with Westland Whirlwind helicopters but in December 1978 these were replaced by the Wessex and then the more versatile Sea King. Search and rescue is located on the domestic site 1 mile east of the technical site.

Click here for more information and photographs of RAF Boulmer

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