| MOD West Freugh | |
| Nearest Town: | Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Type: | Research establishment and weapons range |
| Coordinates: | 54.8472°N -4.9483°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Scotland Dumfries and Galloway#UK |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Shown within Dumfries and Galloway |
| Ownership: | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator: | Royal Air Force (1937–2001) QinetiQ (2001–present) |
| Used: | 1937 – present |
| Website: | LPTA West Freugh |
| Icao: | EGOY |
| Wmo: | 03132 |
| R1-Number: | 06/24 |
| R1-Length: | 1841m (6,040feet) – Inactive |
| R2-Number: | 12/30 |
| R2-Length: | 914m (2,999feet) – Inactive |
MOD West Freugh is located in Wigtownshire, 5miles south east of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and is operated by defence contractor QinetiQ, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.[1]
It has always been an armaments training school, either for handling or deployment of ordnance.
The site was previously a Royal Air Force station as RAF West Freugh, as well as a Royal Aircraft Establishment as RAE West Freugh.
During the First World War the site was a base for naval airships, known as RNAS Luce Bay. The base was provided with one huge airship hangar.
RAF West Freugh opened in 1937 as an armament training camp. During the Second World War, it expanded to include training facilities for observers, navigators, and bomb aimers; and served as a base for the Bombing Trials Unit.[2] The known history of units known at West Freugh is:[3]
In addition to the units listed above (and with manpower possibly drawn from some of them) a Mountain Rescue Team was based at West Freugh from 1945 to 1956. After 1956 the MRT at RAF Leuchars assumed responsibility for the area covered by West Freugh. The team was part of the RAF's Mountain Rescue Service.
The following units were also here at some point:[5]
A satellite earth station is located at West Freugh and was established to receive and distribute data from the European Space Agency's ERS radar satellites. In September 2005 it was announced that the earth station at West Freugh was the first outside Canada to be certified to provide imagery from the Canadian RADARSAT commercial satellite.[6]
In 1987, Exercise Purple Warrior forces utilised West Freugh.
West Freugh, operated by QinetiQ since 2001, is used as a test range for bombs and Air-to-Ground missiles. Its ranges extend over Luce Bay, and an area of land at Torrs Warren.[7]
In 1988 and 1990 its ranges were used to test Phalanx CIWS weapons system with depleted uranium rounds. A subsequent radiological survey of beach, sand and seawater by staff from the Atomic Weapons Establishment concluded that there was no detectable contamination.[8]
The airfield is no longer licensed or active, however it is available for military exercises. West Freugh has also been used on several occasions for exercises by 16 Air Assault Brigade under the Exercise Joint Warrior banner.[9]