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LFA13 RAF Spadeadam

        RAF Spadeadam that is also referred to as LFA13 or Danger Area D510, on NOTAM’s is the RAF's largest station anywhere covering around 9000 acres. The Electronic Warfare range at Spadeadam located at the northern end of Low Flying Area 17. The Range is identified as Low Flying Area 13 within the RAF’s low fly system. It extends from Hawick in Scotland, south to Alston in England and from Langholm in the West to Hexham in the East. Within its perimeter are numerous targets and electronic threats can be simulated primarily for the RAF, but other NATO Air Forces use the range as well. The aim is to achieve realistic Electronic Warfare training

         Signals on the range stimulate the aircraft's Radar Warning Receiver and jamming systems, causing the aircrew to react to the threats by employing various tactics to 'survive', depending on what type of threat they think is 'attacking' them. All these different systems mean that the Range can reproduce realistic scenarios for almost any theatre of operation in the world. The aircrews then try to evade the threats, whilst carrying out their assigned mission. There are a mixture of real SAM and AAA systems, emulators and simulators currently in use on the Range. Additionally, they have an array of visual targets including a dummy airfield, complete with aircraft, missile sites and vehicle convoys. The aircrews try to evade the threats, whilst carrying out their assigned mission. The emulators are built in the West but fully replicate the real systems' characteristics.

 

 

A number of the targets are former eastern block vehicles

 

         Aircraft then react by jamming, chaff and       manoeuvres or a combination of all three. Simulators transmit radar signals and track aircraft using Secondary Surveillance Radar or cameras. The signals they produce are authentic, but the simulators cannot 'see' and, therefore, cannot react to an aircraft's counter-measures like the other systems. They are good for lighting up the RWR and to activate the jamming pods, but they can't provide the full tactical training required by most customers. All these different systems mean that the Range can reproduce realistic scenarios for almost any theatre of operation in the world.
Because of its size all what goes on at Spadeadam can't always be seen, but there is a location where a public road crosses the Southern end of the range. From were a number of targets can be seen which are used during some Forward Air Control courses are carried out. The site is known as Wiley Sike open moor land

These vehicles are made more authentic by adding the old soviet red star An armored vehicle target is set on fire after a Tornado bomb run

A few of the attacking aircraft on the Wiley Sike range

 

Spadeadam Activity

Wycombe Warrior

Forward Air Control 14th & 15 Sept 2005