Type Missile Range Controlled by Royal Air Force Elevation 2 m Owner QinetiQ Group plc | Operator Qinetiq Garrison Congreve House Year built 1957 | |
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Built by RAF 5004 Airfield Construction Squadron | ||
History
The range was operated by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), for evaluating new missiles. St Kilda became Scotland's first World Heritage Site in 1987.
The site was built in 1957 by the Ministry of Defence to test nuclear missiles. Opposition to the construction of the range resulted in the novel Rockets Galore!, by Sir Compton Mackenzie, which was made into a film, filmed on the island of Barra.
Resistance to the building of the range also led to the construction of the religious monument Our Lady of the Isles.
Structure
It is situated in the Outer Hebrides on South Uist. The missiles are tracked from St Kilda, Scotland, a once uninhabited island, which is now leased by the Ministry of Defence. The site is run by QinetiQ, a privatised former division of the MoD.
Around 230 people work across all sites of the range.