BBC News, September 1, 2009, FrontPage - Wolferl - The Open Source Quadrocopter. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. We are very concerned by the possibility that the base on Hirta would no longer be manned. This serves as the headquarters for the missile ranges off the west coast of South Uist. Proposals to cut defence jobs linked to testing submarine torpedoes in the Sound of Raasay have been dropped by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). When the range is in operation, red flags are raised, and red lights are shown on the access roads. Is the Minister aware that fairly definite statements have appeared in the Press that this rocket range is to be abandoned, and can he say whether this information is correct or whether it is intelligent anticipation? National Trust for Scotland, which owns St Kilda, previously expressed concerns that the withdrawal of test range staff from Hirta would seriously harm its ability to manage the remote island archipelago. Subsonic cruise missile flies at a speed lesser than . St Kilda has a long association with the military. The right hon. Mr. Sandys: Mr. Taylor: In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War . Under the planned cuts by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and contractor QinetiQ, the radar station on Hirta would be operated remotely with staff only visiting for maintenance and servicing. Gentleman will study my Answer, he will see that certain work is going on at the moment. He said: "The local task force and community are to be congratulated on their fantastic campaign and Jim Murphy and his Westminster colleagues deserve the utmost credit for doing a great job for the islands.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Repeatedly claimed to be under threat of closure (but never closed), the announcement of a 1 billion contract between the MoD and operator QinetiQ means was reported to ensure the range would be in operation until at least 2028, and a 180 million investment package, to be split between the Hebrides Range and two other sites in England and Wales (MoD Aberporth and MoD Boscombe Down), was also announced, to be used to upgrade facilities on South Uist and nearby islands. The MoD has asked contractor QinetiQ to withdraw the Raasay plans. I would certainly not have been able to take an informed decision without it.". The task force had agreed an action plan to fight for the retention of jobs. The cuts affect four ranges and facilities on Benbecula, South Uist and St Kilda. Under the proposals being considered by the MoD and QinetiQ, the radar station on Hirta in St Kilda would be operated remotely with staff only visiting for maintenance and servicing. Since then, annual counts have shown that the population increase continued throughout the 2000s, and in 2007 the population in its Scottish strongholds hit a high of more than 1,270 calling males. The Western Isles range, which employs about 200 staff in total, is operated on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by the contractor QinetiQ. An advert for a project manager to "downgrade " the Benbecula missile test range is posted, but the MoD says no decision has been made. ", He added: "We must continue to make the case for the range as a prime asset for the UK and one that could, and should, be developed. Under the planned cuts by the MoD and contractor QinetiQ, the radar station on Hirta would be operated remotely with staff only visiting for maintenance and servicing. A visit by German military officials to the range was described by the islands' MP Malcolm MacMillan as "a cynical insult to men who saw military service" during World War II. Backed by a rising defence budget and our 178 billion equipment plan, all three sites will continue to have a major role in supporting our defence capability. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, First Prison Sentence for Falsifying Research, Hansard, March 13, 1957. White Sands Missile Range is nestled on the east side of the Organ Mountains, about 27 miles from Las Cruces on US 70. "Its going to affect Uist in a big way. June 17, 2009, Rockets move 'threatens' St Kilda. A socio-economic study has been commissioned by Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Friend made it clear in the debate the other day that, after an extensive search in all possible areas, we decided that this was the only place to which to go. Mr Duke stressed that the Hebrides Range remained an important facility to the MoD and said he expected its frequency of use by visiting units and personnel to continue. "This is the right decision for the right reasons and a victory for common sense," the minister said. DAVID ROSS, Highland Correspondent June 25 2009. Explore Lochmaddy Ferry Terminal in Lochmaddy, United Kingdom as it appears on Google Maps as well as pictures, stories and other notable nearby locations on VirtualGlobetrotting.com. "This means that the trust's activities on the island will remain unaffected. The events inspired the book Rockets Galore (1957) by author and nationalist Compton Mackenzie (Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, January 17, 1883 November 30,1972), as a sequel to his earlier success, Whisky Galore (1947), also inspired by a true event (the grounding of the SS Politician, and the subsequent raid on its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky), both of which became successful films. HC Deb 04 December 1957 vol 579 c54W 54W. I do not accept that there has been a great deal of waste here[HON. At the weekend, an advert was posted for a project manager to "dismantle" the site, but the MoD said no decision had been made. - Hansard, December 9, 1957. [^South Uist Rocket Range (Hansard, 9 December 1957)^]. Mr Davis said the marketing campaign would attempt to attract both domestic and foreign investors to help develop new ideas for diversifying the economy of the islands. Running time: 10.50 mins. We need not argue about that. "Without the support of the MoD and the infrastructure that they have in place there, there is no doubt that we would find it very difficult to give St Kilda the level of care and attention that it requires.". An advert for a project manager to "downgrade " the Benbecula missile . WSMR Navy Detachment - Duty Officer. The United States is the world's dominant military power. "These are tough decisions to make but the financial reasons for making the changes are compelling, and we do hope this will secure a long term future for operations on the Hebrides and other ranges in Scotland. Barpa Langass (Google Maps). This commitment means that facilities and equipment on the range which have become old or difficult to maintain can be addressed, and obsolete item replaced and upgraded as required to keep the range operational. The taskforce includes public bodies including local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Scotland's island communities may be separate from the UK mainland but they are not separate from the UK, and today's decision confirms again that Scottish families benefit from being part of the UK through MoD jobs.". Once fully up and running, www.hebridesrangetaskforce.co.uk will have a message board to allow the public to post views on the plans. Mr. MacMillan: The species became restricted to the Hebridean islands on the west coast of Scotland. The MoD plans to scale back its operations at a key missile test range on the Western Isles of Scotland, leaving the Armed Forces with just one missile testing range in the entire UK. Elior UK said: "We can confirm that nine Elior employees have been made redundant following consultations to determine the level of catering required for the scaled-back facilities at the West Camp.". That's the level of impact you are talking about. The bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II took place on December 7 th, 1941. Aberporth - the Welsh site take over the control of the Hebrides range Meanwhile, a spokesman for QinetiQ said that the MoD had previously "agreed in principle for the command and control centre on South Uist to close by 2013-2014, and for missile trials on the Hebrides to be controlled from Aberporth instead using new technology". Friend the Under-Secretary of State in the debate on the Vote on Account on 7th March. Local MSP Alasdair Allan said he will be raising the matter at Holyrood. Mr. Bellenger: "The employees at Qinetiq and the wider community deserve that at least.". In 1955 the British government decided to incorporate St Kilda into a missile tracking range based in Benbecula, where test firings and flights are carried out. He said: "If it is confirmed this week that there are to be major job losses in the defence sector in Uist, then the UK Government are dealing a very heavy blow to the islands. Read about our approach to external linking. Mr. MacMillan: Angus MacNeil MP: "The range in Uist is clearly the best of their type in the UK if not in Europe, and the MoD have to explain whether they are satisfied for their contractors to withdraw so much of their activity from it. The Hebrides Range Taskforce said range should now be expanded and made available for the testing of unmanned aerial vehicles - aircraft used to spy and attack targets. "Surely it can't make much difference to the MoD so I would appeal to them to give us the courtesy of an adequate and meaningful consultation period. This disastrous proposal from the MoD and QinetiQ will be fought strenuously by this community.". Mr. Sandys: Forthcoming Range Activity. That was why defence experts had been commissioned by the task-force to look at the range's assets. Maximum range of operational missiles in the U.S. 2021. There will also be substantial savings in running costs and in demands upon manpower. RRH Benbecula operates a Type 92 long range surveillance radar, at Cleitreabhal a'Deas on North Uist.The radar, designed and built by Lockheed Martin is almost identical to the AN/FPS-117 radar used by the USA. In 1996, the June 17 edition of the Daily Record carried an article relating to the completion of work to update the range and its facilities, suggesting that "Britain wants friendly foreign military men to test their missiles in South Uist to help pay for a recent 14 million facelift to the rocket range in the Outer Hebridean islands". He said there was no other facility in Europe with the tracking capability of the St Kilda/Uist operation, which allows two exercises at the same time. I was privileged to be part of those efforts in 2009, and since then the Uist Economic Task Force has been active in pressing the case for the development of Uist, one of Scotlands most economically fragile rural communities. If the payload were reduced to 500 kg, the Khorramshahr may be capable of achieving a range of at least 3,000 km. The airport was upgraded during 2001 and early 2002 in preparation for the Eurofighter Typhoon test programme. The plans to shed 20 posts were announced at the same time as proposed cuts at defence sites on the Western Isles, which were later abandoned. Concerns are mounting about the future of 250 jobs linked to the testing of missiles on the Western Isles. Gentleman going to do anything to restore the damage which has already been done there? I can certainly assure the hon. Defence Minister Quentin Davies, who previously met campaigners, was unable to make the announcement himself because of a long standing commitment to visit the US. Mr. Sandys: St Kilda is still a challenging site to manage due to its remote location, but this is very good news for us indeed.". I think that the hon. An MoD spokeswoman said that "categorically" no decision has been taken and that the job advert "is entirely a matter for QinetiQ". Another part of the plan is to withdraw the military's permanent presence from St Kilda, the base for the tracking station for missiles fired, Angus Campbell, leader of Western Isles Council, was elected as chair of the Hebrides Range Task Force (HRTF) yesterday. Angus MacMillan, who chairs the community-led Storas Uibhist that owns the 90,000 South Uist estate, said the government should think about opportunities for the aerospace industry using the range. "It is a positive message we are trying to get over, and we are encouraged that Mr Davies has honoured his promise to come here," he said.
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