RAF Saxa Vord
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RAF Saxa Vord was a radar station operated by the Royal Air Force. It was situated on the island of Unst, part of the Shetland Islands off Scotland. Its radar provided long-range coverage of the airspace to the North of Scotland.
Saxa Vord had been a radar station since 1957, and was a vital part of Britain's air defence during the Cold War. From around 2000 until 2 April 2004 the station operated as RRH Saxa Vord, an unmanned Remote Radar Head operated from a parent station (RAF Buchan). On 2 April 2004 RAF Saxa Vord was upgraded from a Remote Radar Head to a full manned station, taking over control of the radar defences in the area. RAF Buchan will be downgraded to a Remote Radar Head. RAF Saxa Vord closed in April 2006.
The station was named after Saxa Vord, the highest hill on Unst. The station holds the unofficial British record for wind speed, which in 1962 was recorded at 177 mph (285 km/h) —just before the measuring equipment blew away.
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