Sites & Ranges

Located in Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales MOD Aberporth provides a controlled environment for the release of land, air and sea-launched missile firings with the ability to manage supersonic trials. It also has space for training activities and provides both live and virtual environments, real-time data, and deployable systems.

MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire provides an operational airfield with the longest military runway in the UK. Key facilities include Environmental Test Facility, Hypobaric Facility, Radio Frequency Environment Generator and Night Vision Systems Test House. It is also home to world’s first test pilot school (ETPS).

MOD BUTEC (British Underwater Test & Evaluation Centre) provides a controlled environment for a variety of trials and training activities including airborne, surface and sub-surface assets, weapons and targets.

The facility at HM Naval Base Devonport provides electromagnetic ranging of ships and submarines. An electromagnetic 20m open sea range is located at Pier Cellars.

MOD Eskmeals is located in Cumbria, in the northwest of England. The range specialises in large calibre ammunition systems and conducts proof, range and accuracy trials, as well as hard target trials.

MOD Hebrides is located off the northwest coast of Scotland and consists of a deep range for complex weapons trials and in-service firings, and an inner range for ground-based air defence test and evaluation.

The MOD Loch Goil and MOD Loch Fyne sea ranges are situated in the Firth of Clyde area in the west of Scotland. The geographical features of Loch Goil make it an ideal environment for acoustic trials.

MOD Pendine is a land range on the south west coast of Wales. It has various enclosed tunnel ranges, a 9km shoreline suitable for aircraft landing training sorties and a large sea danger area. It is home to the UKs only 1,500 metre long test track facility which is suitable for dynamic testing enabling trials of systems up to Mach 3.

MOD Portland Bill is on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. The geology of the site means its magnetic cleanliness makes it ideal for magnetic measurement, allowing very small magnetic fields from equipment to be measured with absolute certainty.

MOD Rosneath and Barons Point are located in the southwest of Scotland on the Firth of Clyde. Magnetic signatures are recorded, analysed and the static magnetic signature of steel surfaces optimised using these ranges.

MOD Shoeburyness located near Southend-on-Sea in Essex on the southeast coast of England provides long-range over-water recovery of munitions, ground-to-ground firings and direct fire. It also provides Demilitarisation and environmental testing of ordnance, munitions and explosives.

MOD West Freugh is situated on the southwest coast of Scotland with air, sea and land areas that can support parachute drops, military training and bombing, as well as laser and UAV testing.