RAF Fylingdales celebrates 30 years of giant pyramid at North York Moors site

The RAF Fylingdales pyramid. Photo courtesy of the Royal Air Force.

RAF Fylingdales recently celebrated 30 years of continuous operations of the imposing pyramid at the site.

The giant 33-metre tall radar became operational on October 1, 1992, continuing the mission from the iconic Golf Balls – its primary purpose serves as an early warning ballistic missile sensor.

Personnel from RAF Fylingdales were delighted to invite their family members onto Station for an afternoon of celebrations to mark the anniversary.

With entertainment for young children, music and street food, the station was a hive of activity culminating in a fantastic video projection onto the radar face.

Stn Cdr Wing Commander Thom Colledge. Photo courtesy of the Royal Air Force.

However, as the wind and rain eased the fog rolled in and the projection had to be curtailed.

Stn Cdr Wing Commander Thom Colledge said: “It was great to see so many of our families on site and a fitting way to thank them for their support to their military partners.”

Alongside tracking ballistic missiles, the crews at RAF Fylingdales are also responsible for tracking objects in orbit, looking 3,000 miles into space monitoring and tracking debris, satellites and even the International Space Station.

Although the radar celebrated its 30 year anniversary, RAF Fylingdales has been operational since 1963.

The industrial looking pyramid on the Moors replaced the iconic Golf Balls in 1992 as technology developed and traditional mechanical means of monitoring space gave way to computerised systems.