Inside UK's 'Area 51' home to one of 'world's largest surveillance operations'

16 August 2023 , 09:55

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The 37 "golf balls" at RAF Menwith Hill can be seen from miles around (Image: Yorkshire Live)

An RAF spy base dubbed Britain’s Area 51 is one of the world’s largest surveillance operations and is likely to be where surveillance is being carried out on Russia.

Famous for its 37 giant radomes, or “golf balls” due to their appearance, RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire can be seen for miles around. But the 6,500 acre site is shrouded in mystery.

Menwith Hill was built in the 1950s and is one of the United States’ largest surveillance operations abroad. It was leased to the Americans during the height of the Cold War, and while it is also used by Britain’s GCHQ, the US have continued to operate from it.

In recent years its focus has been on terror with leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden showing that Menwith Hill was a base for operations in the Middle East. But now with tensions having once again escalated with Russia, it is likely that it is being used in that area, as was its original purpose.

Menwith Hill is one of the largest surveillance operations in the world (Shutterstock / Mike Seaman)

Situated in beautiful countryside, the base is off the A59 road between Harrogate and Skipton. And with US news outlet The Intercept describing it as the National Security Agency’s largest overseas spying operation, its mysterious work has caused plenty of controversy.

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Initially it was used to listen and decipher communications sent between the Soviet Union and other communist Eastern European countries. And now in the digital world, with more sophisticated techniques it continues to intercept messages whether they be phone calls, emails or other forms of communication.

Menwith Hill has been used to aid US and UK military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq together with drone strikes and covert missions by special forces in the Middle East and North Africa, it is reported. A three metre high razor wire-topped perimeter fence with CCTV, and patrolled by armed military police, protects the base.

Behind the fence, aside from the 37 radomes, there is reported to be an operations building approximately the size of a football pitch with a 200-seater auditorium for operation briefings. The base also had, until 2015, an elementary school and a high school for the children of workers.

But there are also leisure facilities for the hundreds of Brits and Americans that live and work at Menwith Hill. The self-contained community is reported to have a small pool hall, a bar, a fast-food restaurant and a general store. It also has a bowling alley and a running track.

Schools are sometimes allowed to visit parts of Menwith Hill. People who have been inside report it as akin to a small US town complete with American cars. Because of its alleged role in lethal operations, the roads next to Menwith Hill have been the site of numerous anti-war protests.

The base is protected under SOCAP which makes trespass a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £5,000 and up to 51 weeks in prison. Despite demolition work taking place at the site in 2019, it was reported that RAF Menwith Hill would "remain an integral part of joint UK and US security" and "has an assured future". The continued use of the site is also backed up by recent reports that the US is investing $40m on expanding the spying and surveillance capabilities at Menwith Hill.

Tim Hanlon