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RAF Fylingdales

North York Moors, North Yorkshire

A missile early-warning station on the moors, once famous for its giant 'golf balls'.

RAF Fylingdales was built in the 1960s to give Britain and America warning of a Soviet missile attack, the famous 'four-minute warning'. For years it was known for three huge white domes, nicknamed the golf balls, that stood out on the moors.

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When
Since 1963
Where
54.3600, -0.6700
Group
Secret bunkers & war sites

Visiting

The base is closed to the public. It can be seen from the A169 between Pickering and Whitby.

Cover of UFO Cases of Britain by Cale Mills
From the book

UFO Cases of Britain

In 1981, that same radar picked up something its operators could not identify, and for a short, tense period, a station built to detect missiles found itself instead investigating a UFO.

Fifty-four real and closely examined British UFO cases, weighed with honesty rather than hype. From Rendlesham Forest, the best-documented UFO case the United Kingdom has ever produced, to the Berwyn Mountains, the Broad Haven schoolchildren, the Calvine photograph and the Bonnybridge hotspot, each case sets out what was seen, who saw it and what the explanations are.

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