Operator Royal Air Force Year built 1878 | In use 1878-Present Owner Ministry of Defence | |
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Type Royal Air Force station | ||
Aco raf troodos camp
Royal Air Force Troödos, commonly known as RAF Troödos, is a Royal Air Force station in the Republic of Cyprus.
Contents
RAF Troödos is a remote Signals Station run by 27 personnel from Golf Section, Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus), and also contains Mount Olympus Radar Station. The station is based deep within the Troödos Mountains, approximately 14 miles north of Episkopi.
280 su raf troodos cyprus 1989
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.
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. Information from Snowden also indicates the site acts as a listening post for radio signals from the near Middle East.
The British National Space Centre Starbrook wide-field telescope has been located here since 2006. It can detect orbiting objects from 1.5 m in size.
RAF Troodos is also a popular choice for camp locations for the British RAF Air Training Corps and other cadet forces, with the station approximately 1 hour away from RAF Akrotiri.