RAF Troodos explained

Troodos Station
Ensign Size:90px
Partof:British Forces Cyprus
Location:Troodos Mountains
Country:Cyprus
Pushpin Map:Cyprus
Pushpin Label:Troodos Station
Pushpin Map Caption:Shown within Cyprus
Type:Signals intelligence gathering and radar station
Site Area:50 hectares
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Operator:Joint Forces Command
Controlledby:British Forces Cyprus
Used:1878–present
Occupants:Golf Section, Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus)

Troödos Station, formerly Royal Air Force Troödos, is a retained British Joint Forces Command site in the Republic of Cyprus.

Troödos Station is a remote Signals Station operated by personnel from Golf Section, Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus). The station parents the Mount Olympus radar site, operated by a small contingent of RAF personnel.[1]

The station is based deep within the Troödos Mountains, approximately 14miles north of Episkopi.

History

Troödos Station is the oldest remaining British military base in Cyprus, dating from 1878. Initially it was used as a cool summer field hospital for troops from the Egyptian Campaign. British Army and Government officials also used it as a summer retreat.[2]

Current use

Declassified documents show that RAF Troödos intercepted satellite communications for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and documents released by Edward Snowden suggest this has continued in recent years funded by the U.S. National Security Agency.[3] Information from Snowden also indicates the site acts as a listening post for radio signals from the near Middle East.[4] [5]

The British National Space Centre Starbrook wide-field telescope has been here since 2006. It can detect orbiting objects from in size.[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Newton . Simon . 2019-01-18 . Snow In Cyprus: Why Personnel Are Based On The Island's Highest Mountain . 2024-04-09 . Forces Network . en.
  2. Web site: British forces overseas posting: Troodos, Cyprus . Ministry of Defence . 2 September 2013.
  3. News: GCHQ worked hard to maintain presence on Cyprus after independence . Gloucestershire Echo . 1 December 2013 . https://archive.today/20150414104605/http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/GCHQ-worked-haqrd-maintain-presence-Cyprus/story-20246314-detail/story.html . 14 April 2015.
  4. News: Israeli drones and jet signals slurped by UK and US SIGINT teams . Iain Thomson . The Register . 29 January 2016 . 1 February 2016.
  5. https://theintercept.com/2016/01/28/israeli-drone-feeds-hacked-by-british-and-american-intelligence/ Spies in the sky
  6. Web site: Europe's Eyes on the Skies . Heiner Klinkrad. European Space Agency . ESA Bulletin 133 . February 2008 . 2 September 2013. etal.