§ Mr. NealeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further development is planned at RAF St. Mawgan.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonRAF St. Mawgan in Cornwall is a main operating base for Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. There are no current plans for changes to that role.
The Ministry of Defence is additionally planning to develop at St. Mawgan a joint maritime communications centre (JMCC) in co-operation with the United States navy. This unit will provide an important link between United Kingdom and United States maritime forces and headquarters.
The JMCC will comprise a buried, hardened communications building approximately 70 metres square within the existing perimeter of RAF St. Mawgan. It will be integrated with the existing RAF fixed communications system, and will include two additional satellite ground terminals each approximately 3 metres in diameter, also sited within the station boundary. It has been agreed with the United States that the United Kingdom will finance and construct the JMCC building and the United States provides the operational equipment. Once fully operational, some 400 personnel will be associated with the JMCC, including both operational and support staff. Approximately half the operational staff will be provided by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force and the remainder will be from the United States navy. Subject to consultation with the local planning authority, it is planned that major construction work on the JMCC will start in the middle of 1991, with the JMCC becoming operational in 1995.