The general was speaking on a visit to RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. It is home to Britain and America’s Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. It is a job they has been doing since 1963.
The three famous large radomes or “golf balls” from the Cold War era have been replaced by a 30-metre (98-ft) pyramid which houses thousands of antennas.
It looks like a spaceship has landed on the North Yorkshire moors, surrounded by sheep, an electrified perimeter fence and razor wire.
The unblinking eye provides 360 degree coverage from the Arctic to North Africa, and from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Its radar can track objects the size of a tin can, 3,000 miles (4,800km) into space.
Inside, the heavy blast doors and air locks tell you that his too could be a target for any adversary. In the operations room, UK military personnel watch round the clock, every day of the year.
The RAF’s 2 Space Warning Squadron take us through the drill of how they detect a missile launch. They are plugged into other US satellites and sensors that enable them to detect a launch anywhere in the world.
Gen Tedman calls space “a team sport” but, in reality, the UK is heavily reliant on America. The US has responsibility for the maintenance of the radar with the support of UK contractors.
The UK officer in charge of the watch says along with other sources “we’d know the UK was under threat probably within a minute”.
What is mentioned less is the UK’s ability to intercept ballistic missiles. Currently the UK has very little in the way of ballistic missile defence.
