Private use of Leuchars Station in Fife has generated more than £200,000 for the Ministry of Defence since October 2023, according to figures released in Parliament.
Responding to a question from Chris Law MP, Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that “private aircraft use of Leuchars Aerodrome has generated revenue of circa £204,420, since 30 October 2023.”
A separate written answer from Pollard revealed that “100 private aircraft have landed at Leuchars Station since 30 October 2023.”
Leuchars, a former RAF base now operating as a British Army station under the control of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, retains an active runway used for both military and limited civilian purposes under specific authorisation.
The figures show that private and chartered flights are still using the facility under the Ministry of Defence’s cost recovery system. The MOD hasn’t shared details about specific operators, but these flights usually take place under agreements that make sure military readiness and security aren’t affected.
Leuchars Station continues to support a range of military functions, including training and operational support.
Image by James Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
OT, but air related.
I see the DS is grandstanding again warning Putin on the BBC news online about hunting his submarines, as Russian activity has increased considerably.
The DS was filmed aboard on of the RAFs P8s.
Of course, no mention at all of a corresponding INCREASE in these valuable assets, nor that 9 is far too few, and itself the usual “benchmark” low reached when new equipment is ordered
The previous Nimrod MRA4 was to be 22, then 18, 16, 12, thrn reduced to 9, before being cancelled altogether.
You need more teeth behind your Grandstanding, Mr Healey.
How about another batch of 3 P8s? Are you going on record demanding HMT take action?
If not, why not?
Recent comments from a retired Russian General would suggest London is target no.1 in any escalation/expansion of the current conflict. We have also regularly seen multiple Russian commentators calling for the destruction of the UK. Why are HMG not acting accordingly to any of it? A bold, strong statement is required in the form of orders for actual capability, and for it to be delivered as quickly as possible.
What happens when the Russians are sufficiently emboldened by the UK’s ineptitude on defence to try something a little more kinetic?
Will we really fall back on our nuclear option? Probably a hard no.
Will NATO countries come to our aid? I don’t like thinking about that, but I doubt all would.
We have to be strong for ourselves, and it should have started 3 years ago.
It should have started 17 years ago..the geopolitical ramp down to where we are now started in 2008…shifted the dial again in 2012-13, and went into free fall in 2014-15.
Nail on the head.
Europe was too reliant on the USA, now it seeing how unreliable the States is they’re boosting domestic production etc, problem is it will take years to get up to scratch. Its taken Europe 2 years of a full blown invasion of Ukraine and a Trump election to wake up.
£200,000 WOW! How exciting is that. A pity then that according to a news report in the D.T. (I know), the government are suggesting cuts of £2 billion because of MOD “overspend”, presumably on projects as nothing has been ordered.
Most of the defence budget goes on the DNE and the “Equipment support” side of DE&S budget,which could include a whole range of contracts all keeping the MICs noses in the trough and is nothing to do with procurement.
A breakdown of just what is is in the core 2.5 budget would be interesting.
Lots of things with little actual conventional defence application whatsoever.
We can name several already.
And still the grandstanding goes on.
Absolutely right. My finger in the air estimate is that 2.2% of GDP currently goes through MOD, of which about 1.8% is going on what we’d really call Defence, and 1.1% is spent on conventional, but that’s based on guesstimates and figures that are two years and a general election out of date.
It’s possible that the amount spent on conventional capability has already dropped below 1% of GDP. The DIP should give us the up to date figures.
It would be ascinating to see a breakdown but it’s probably top secret on the basis that it would be too embarassing to the goverment.
….or even fascinating, although starting with ass might be appropriate for our political friends!
Another Conservative own goal on defence to bin off RAF Leuchars. Cameron and Fox were the worst PM/ Def Sec combination in the last 20 years?
Genuinely interested. What capability did it support that we have now lost?
Leuchars was QRA and home to Phantom then F3 – dedicated to defensive counter air. Lossie was previously home to maritime strike and strike. We’ve lost maritime FJ strike and dedicated strike? We also have all eggs in 1 basket. A single strike on Lossie officers mess and UK armed forces DCA is wiped out by 50%.
But surely in the event of potential hostilities we would just disperse jets and personnel back to Leuchars anyway? Its still MOD owned with an operational airfield. Im no fan of cuts but seems a sensible cost saving move to me (for once!).
Detailing what rmj correctly stated.
And taking Scotland and the RAF as the basis.
RAF Kinloss. Nimrod fleet. 120, 201, 206 Sqns.
RAF Lossimouth. 3 Sqns of Tornado GR4, more further back ( forget Sqn IDs now? ) These went post 2010 in Tory cuts.
RAF Leuchars. 2x Tornado F3 Sqns, Nos 43, 111.
Concentrated into 1 big target at Lossimouth.
There was also a dispersal option at RAF Stornoway which I think is an empty shell now regards military related infrastructure.
The CRC at Buchan was cut in 2004, though I believe the RRH remains.
Saxa Vord RRH was also cut, then re established, by nicking another sites radar initially I believe.
Benbecula RRH remains as is.
There was also RAF Milltown, unsure what’s there now if anything.
As I understand it there were two primary CRCs back then, at Buchan and Neatishead (now a museum), and there are still two at Swanwick and Boulmer. So maybe it wasn’t really a cut so much as a move?
There were 3 CRC through the later Cold War, plus a 4th as a reserve CRC at Ash. Now a Data Centre, interestingly.
Buchan, Neatishead, and Boulmer as you say.
Whether Boulmer was lower status I do not know, only that it existed in it’s R3 Rotar bunker.
The NADOC at High Wycombe also had a standby alternate at Bentley Priory.
Bentley P was closed and built on, and Nestishead and Buchan closed, the control of QRA (N) going to Boulmer and QRA (S) to a CRC which stood up in a surface building at RAF Scampton.
That CRC at Scampton was then cut and it’s now in a single location at Boulmer.
From 3 CRC in underground R3 bunkers, plus the reserve in 2004, to just the one now.
Closing Buchan and Neatishead as RAF Stations saved HMG ( then Labour ) money.
Interestingly, though the R3 at Neatishead is a museum as you mentioned, the MoD kept a piece of land there for ASCS comms infrastructure, and the radar that was at Trimingham has also returned there.
I’d never describe Swanwick as a CRC!! Swanwick has the RAF element, now with its own Squadron numberplate no less, that was previously LATCC ( Military ) at West Drayton. That wasn’t a CRC to co ordinate intercept of aircraft in the UKADR, it was a civil air traffic control centre with a military element to deconflict.
Just a note that the R3 bunker at Neatishead is actually sold off (was not long after it closed), and then subsequently recently sold again to the “Acedemy of Robotics” (autonomous vehicle developer), with no plans to use the actual R3 bunker which I was fortunate to be able to go into before they purchased.
Unfortunately the bunker is now compromised because it had it’s roof cut off to remove large plant equipment when it was closed, and the insides are mostly stripped out and in need of a lot of work.
Trimmingham radar was getting too much interference from the wind farms off the coast, and was also threatened by coastal erosion, hence the move back to Neatishead for the RRH. All the cables from Trimmingham ran through Neatishead, hence the need to maintain some presence there after closing the CRC.
The Museum at Neatishead only covers a small portion of the site, including the earlier cold war period above ground but hardened R30 radar operations room.
Quite possibly, yes.
At least the station is still there and a small RAF element remains if it needs reactivating.
Politics doesn’t really come into it, party wise. We’ve had Major cuts; Blair and Brown cuts; Cameron and Co. cuts and now it’s Starmer cuts. Nothing has changed in thirty years.
The 2010 review was in my opinion the worst of the lot and by a party that called itself the ‘party of defence’.
Binning Harrier, type 22 batch 3, gapping MARPAT….
Since then the ‘Conservatives have cut capability after capabilty and asset after asset.
Yes Blair was bad, but Cameron/ May’s cuts whilst acknowledging and witnessing a resurgent Russia have been far worse.