UK intelligence on Russia is likely to be coming from a secretive RAF base in the North Yorkshire countryside which is one of the largest surveillance operations in the world
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.