RAF 'golf ball' on the hill restored to Northumberland skyline

A new streamlined ‘golf ball’ has returned to the Northumberland skyline.
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The iconic structure is at Remote Radar Head (RRH) Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick, part of the network of radar sites under the command of RAF Boulmer.

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The modernisation work, part of a large-scale programme to upgrade all our Remote Radar sites, meant that RRH Brizlee Wood was taken back to ground level and a new secure facility built to house the TPS-77 Radar and the RAF engineers who support it.

The new 'golf ball' at Remote Radar Head Brizlee Wood. Picture: Warrant Officer Paul KiddellThe new 'golf ball' at Remote Radar Head Brizlee Wood. Picture: Warrant Officer Paul Kiddell
The new 'golf ball' at Remote Radar Head Brizlee Wood. Picture: Warrant Officer Paul Kiddell

The work was a real team effort, with the RAF leading a team of civilian architects, builders and engineers to deliver the project on time, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19.

The new structures at RRH Brizlee Wood allow the site to resume its role of enabling the RAF to defend UK airspace for many years to come.

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Wing Commander Andy Main, Officer Commanding Battlespace Management Engineering and Logistics Wing, said: “This upgrade has ensured that Brizlee Wood can continue as an integral component of the UK’s Air Defence system.

"While it was unusual to see the Alnwick skyline without the ‘golf ball’ for a few months, it was vital that we modernised to ensure the site remained fit for purpose for the Next Generation Air Force.

“My Engineering and Logistics Wing and the contractors involved in this project have done a fantastic job, in very difficult circumstances, to deliver the upgraded facility and I look forward to continuing our critical operational output from RRH Brizlee Wood for years to come.”

The upgrade is vitally important to the production of the Recognised Air Picture, which RAF Boulmer uses to provide real-time information on potential air threats to UK Airspace.

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Round the clock 365 days a year, Brizlee Wood scans the air approaches over the North Sea, giving the UK Air Surveillance And Control System (ASACS) ample warning time to identify and if necessary intercept potential intruders into UK airspace.

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