How Yorkshire (UK) contributes to the U.S. war with Iran

U.S. warfighting Fylingdales radar system in North Yorkshire

By Dr. Dave Webb

At time of writing, we do not yet know if there is a lasting agreement of any kind between the US and Iran to stop or even pause the war. However, we do know that Keir Starmer has allowed Donald Trump to use British bases to launch his illegal bombing attacks, on the grounds of self-defence but allowing US nuclear-capable bombers to fly from RAF Fairford [near Oxford] to back up an illegal first strike is difficult to justify. And there are other US bases in the UK that have had an important role in the Iran War that we don’t hear so much about, and both are in Yorkshire.

You may or may not have seen a report published in March by The Times that revealed how a UK radar is playing a critical role in helping the US detect Iranian missile launches. The radar involved is at RAF Fylingdales on the North Yorkshire Moors, a few miles from Whitby. Fylingdales has provided tracking data and ballistic missile warning for the US since 1963. In 2003 the US requested that Fylingdales be upgraded to be part of its National Missile Defense system and the upgrade was eventually completed in 2007. Fylingdales is now part of Trump’s Space Force and The Times reported that the radar has been actively involved in Operation Epic Fury from the start. 

The powerful radar beam at Fylingdales can be scanned to cover 360 degrees at an angle of elevation from 3 to 60 degrees - with a stated range of just over 5,500 kms - and so could detect and track mid-range ballistic missiles reaching altitudes of several hundred kms or more above Iran some 4,400 kms or so away. The missile tracking data can then be used to calculate the possible type of missile and their likely impact location. Any friendly troops in the area can then be notified and any possible interception methods maybe initiated.

Information from Fylingdales is transmitted to the Space Delta 2 (responsible for space domain awareness) and Space Delta 4 (missile awareness) wings of US Space Systems Command, an important part of Space Force’s Space Warfighting Architecture.

Fylingdales cannot detect actual missile launches and is notified of these by information supplied by US satellites. The US Space Based Infra-Red System (SBIRS) of satellites detect the heat flashes of rockets during their launch phase and passes on information quickly to other parts of the missile defence network (such as Fylingdales). 

If US Space Command cannot receive information from SBIRS satellites directly, because the satellites are positioned on the other side of the Earth, then communication links with ground-based stations are used to relay the information onward. In 1996 it was announced that Menwith Hill, the US spy base just outside Harrogate in North Yorkshire, had been designated as the European Ground Based Relay Station for SBIRS.

U.S. NSA spy base Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire - note the sheep. So English.

Menwith Hill also plays another role of course - its major function is to intercept electronic communications by mobile phones, emails, etc. for the National Security Agency of the US and to search for possible information that may lead to the targeting of installations, groups or individuals considered to be a threat. A very recent Guardian article published on 30 June reports that the US plans to spend $4 billion on its bases in the UK, $163 million of it will go to Menwith Hill. It did not elaborate on what this sum of money would be funding but the article made a point that Menwith Hill “can capture communications as far away as the Middle East”.

So, US military satellites detect the heat generated by missile launches, transmit the information (via Menwith Hill) to US Space Command and the Fylingdales radar accurately determines their trajectories, helping to determine likely impact zones and providing data for possible interception.

The Times also reported that, before the initial US strikes, space and cyber commands had already attacked and hampered Iran’s ability to communicate and respond. This has become standard in modern warfighting methodology. The report also refers to the growing importance of space-based warfare capabilities. Major General Paul Terence Tedman, until recently commander of UK Space Command, described space as the “central nervous system” of modern military operations, playing crucial roles in communications, targeting, and weapons guidance at rapid speeds. The US military refers to this integrated system as a “kill chain,” a concept being expanded through new initiatives such as a UK “digital targeting web.”

It is worth remembering that Iran’s first response to the US attack was to destroy key US missile defence radar installations at bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. The attacks were mainly by one-way drone systems. Fylingdales and Menwith Hill were too far away to be attacked in this way this time. 

~ Dave Webb is a retired professor who has been active on space issues for many years. He lives in Leeds, England and Chairs the Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He also is the Chair of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.