Unit History: RAF Aberporth

From 1940 to 1984, this small R.A.F station was home to a hundred or so R.A.F and Royal Navy personnel on postings involved in  weapons trials from  war time heavy guns to modern sophisticated missiles.
 
Royal Air Force Aberporth, which, along with the nearby  Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE Aberporth),  was once the largest employer in West Wales.  Between them  in the 1950’s, 60’s and  70’s, the two sites employed up to 1,000 people .  Much of the work was highly skilled, in what is primarily a rural economy.   75% of that employment has now gone.With little manufacturing, tourism is now the main employer in the area.
 
         The RAF camp was built in 1940 during World War 2, when quite a number of Spitfires were based here.
 The camp was finally closed in 1984, and demolished in 2004 to make way for a UAV centre of excellence. In December 2007 the first  five million pound contract was signed for the testing of “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” at Aberporth. A new era has started