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

The next major change came in 1982 when the R3 bunker was vacated and rebuilt as an R3A. During this period the CRC was relocated to an above ground facility while the work was carried out. The Boulmer Interim facility, or BIF, is still in place and until recently was the home of No 1 Aircraft (No 1 Air Control Centre) Control Centre (No 1 ACC).

The alterations were substantial and involved the excavation of the underground R3 structure. The original two-level operations room was converted into two single-level operations rooms. New plant rooms, air intakes and vents were also added almost doubling the size of the existing structure; this included standby generators which had previously been located in a separate building on the domestic site. At the entrance to the core of the bunker, a new suite of decontamination rooms was added capable of handling the full gamut of nuclear, biological and chemical threats. Folding bunks were also fixed to the corridor walls for emergency sleeping in the event of the bunker being sealed. Further details of this work will be found in the description of the R3A below. Similar refits were undertaken at Neatishead, Buchan and Ash.

Following the extensive refurbishment, installation and testing of the highly advanced Integrated Command and Control System (ICCS), the R3A was returned to operations as a limited CRC in 1992; however, by this time the cold war had all but ended and control and reporting was downgraded and concentrated at Buchan and Neatishead, each with their own geographical areas of responsibility, roughly split north and south of Newcastle. Within their own areas, the CRCs received and processed information provided round-the-clock by military and civilian radars to produce the Recognised Air Picture (RAP). In addition to this radar data, the CRCs also exchanged information using digital datalinks with neighbouring NATO partners, AEW aircraft and ships.

However, the production of the RAP was only one part of the CRC's duties, the second being the control of aircraft. While Fighter Controllers provided the tactical control required for our Air Defence aircraft to police the UK's airspace in peace and war, they were also involved in the peacetime training of the RAF's Air Defence assets. Moreover, Fighter Controllers also provide support to Ground Attack forces when undertaking training with their Air Defence counterparts, and close-control of Air-to-Air Refueling missions. During this period Boulmer was retained as a standby facility able to take over should either Buchan or Neatishead be taken off line.

By the end of the 1980's the Type 84 radar was redundant and was dismantled and sold for scrap in September 1989. The Type 85 remained in use until October 1990, though it too was dismantled in November 1991. The radars were replaced by the smaller Type 90 series which, although smaller, utilised modern technology giving them a greater range while using considerably less power. Being small and mobile they could easily be hidden from attack and quickly moved to provide early warning wherever it was needed.

In 1990 the School of Fighter Control moved from West Drayton to Boulmer and was located on the technical site.

Further alterations took place in 2002 as part of the UKADGE Capability Maintenance Programme (UCMP). This £60m refit included the removal of the original consoles in the two operations rooms which have been replaced with a new 'off the shelf' computer systems with flat screen monitors.

Primary Contractors for this refit were IBM for the data handling and display, and Frequentis for the communications systems. After the refurbishment, the CRC was back on line on 16th August 2004 and on 1st September 2004 Boulmer took over control and reporting for the whole country with the draw down of CRC Buchan. In order to develop the UK Command and Control System (UCCS), and demonstrate proof of concept, an additional, aboveground operations room (known as ABACUS) was installed at the same time as the underground system at Boulmer. It was originally intended to use this as the standby facility until Neatishead could be refitted. ABACUS is fully integrated into UCCS, and can operate independently or as part of an integrated system. Thus it would be that the UK ASACS would retain 2 CRCs, albeit both at Boulmer for a brief period.

However, in late July 2004, even before the new Boulmer CRC was fully operational, it was announced that Neatishead would not reopen as a CRC and that RAF Boulmer would close by 2012, with the majority of its functions transferring to a new CRC at RAF Scampton. Shortly after this announcement, No 1 ACC undertook an interim move to RAF Kirton in Lindsey, a former Fighter Command base in Lincolnshire. The move to Kirton was completed in early 2005, and the new Scampton CRC became fully operational early in 2006. Opportunities now exist for personnel employed at either unit to be cross-trained on the other's equipment.

At present both CRC's share responsibilities for Control and Reporting but due to perceived difficulties with funding for Scampton, a review was announced into the decision to close Boulmer. It may continue as is, but it is more likely that it too will eventually close in favour of a second above-ground facility that could allow the Fighter Controllers and Fighter aircraft to be co-located.

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