RAF Troodos

34°54′46″N 032°53′02″E / 34.91278°N 32.88389°E / 34.91278; 32.88389TypeSignals intelligence gathering and radar stationArea50 hectaresSite informationOwnerMinistry of DefenceOperatorJoint Forces CommandControlled byBritish Forces CyprusSite historyBuilt1878 (1878)In use1878–presentGarrison informationOccupantsGolf Section, Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus)

Troödos Station, formerly Royal Air Force Troödos, is a retained British Joint Forces Command site in the Republic of Cyprus.

Troödos Station is a remote Signals Station operated by personnel from Golf Section, Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus). The station parents the Mount Olympus radar site, operated by a small contingent of RAF personnel.^[1]

The station is based deep within the Troödos Mountains, approximately 14 miles (23 km) north of Episkopi.

History

Troödos Station is the oldest remaining British military base in Cyprus, dating from 1878. Initially it was used as a cool summer field hospital for troops from the Egyptian Campaign. British Army and Government officials also used it as a summer retreat.^[2]

Current use

Declassified documents show that RAF Troödos intercepted satellite communications for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and documents released by Edward Snowden suggest this has continued in recent years funded by the U.S. National Security Agency.^[3] Information from Snowden also indicates the site acts as a listening post for radio signals from the near Middle East.^[4][5]

The British National Space Centre Starbrook wide-field telescope has been here since 2006. It can detect orbiting objects from 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in size.^[6]

See also

1. ^ Newton, Simon (18 January 2019). "Snow In Cyprus: Why Personnel Are Based On The Island's Highest Mountain". Forces Network. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
2. ^ "British forces overseas posting: Troodos, Cyprus". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
3. ^ "GCHQ worked hard to maintain presence on Cyprus after independence". Gloucestershire Echo. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015.
4. ^ Iain Thomson (29 January 2016). "Israeli drones and jet signals slurped by UK and US SIGINT teams". The Register. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
5. ^ Spies in the sky, by Cora Currier and Henrik Moltke, The Intercept_, 29 January 2016
6. ^ Heiner Klinkrad; et al. (February 2008). "Europe's Eyes on the Skies". ESA Bulletin 133. European Space Agency. Retrieved 2 September 2013.

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