URGENT! Recent Satellite Photos Needed of RAF Machrihanish / Scotland's AREA 51

Dear ATS Members,

I am looking for recent detailed Satellite Photos of RAF Machrihanish. Located on the Mull of Kintyre penisula in South West Scotland. I understand the geographical information for Machrihanish is (I think!):

Longitude: -5.73309
Latitude: 55.4226

I have already spent a lot of time looking at globexplorer.com, terraserver.com, spaceimaging.com, etc. with no luck. Please no weather shots! I need detailed photos down to the truck level if possible. If I could get the quality of what is now available on Groom Lake that would be fab! Older photos are OK (say not before 1994) so I can compare building activity, but really looking for recent stuff (last six months).

My cousin has told me for the last six months a lot of military activity has been going on at the place with lots of additional security. The military has been moving in lots of goods via the port of Campbeltown and loads of US and British military transport planes have been coming in and out. The large hanger has also been shut. Something has been going on there since at least July.

Thanks if anybody can help.

AW

you could try downloading the 7 day trial of keyhole - www.keyhole.com...

it might cover that area

Thanks for the advice, but I already tried it. I use a MAC so I cannot use the site (PC Only). Thanks for your time.

Originally posted by justyc
you could try downloading the 7 day trial of keyhole - www.keyhole.com...

it might cover that area

It doesnt, only London is really covered to any great degree in Keyhole.

Thanks RichardPrice. Any other suggestions. So far nobody has been able to tell me where or provide me with any photos. I really hope somebody can help. Thanks AW

Can i warn you that the MOD might not be happy about this.
This is not really a good time to look for stuff like that.
But if you really are wanting to look around then go ahead.

devilwasp, I agree the MOD might not be happy about this, but I doubt they are ever happy about the public knowing what they are really up to. What are they hiding up there?? Why the thousands of troops suddenly on guard duty? What have they been moving into the large hanger? Why are US marked planes landing there every day (supplies?)? If they are on joint exercises why don't they go into Campbeltown when they are off duty? I understand the base has been totally cut off. Why?? Does any of this have anything to do with the strange aircraft sightings seen in October over the Mull? Lets get the photos and find out. AW

Well i have done a wee bit of researching, i believe it is a stop over point.
The US actually spent tens of millions of dollars in upgradeing the place.
Its runway is over 1 and a half miles long!!!!

Well here are some on the ground pics:

www.dreamlandresort.com...

can't find any sats; went through google for some time.

Thanks to both devilwasp and minimi for your time. Still need the Sat pictures. I guess I really need somebody with contacts to see if they can get some photos. Somebody must be able to get these. Keep looking ATS!

A couple of interesting facts:

The runway is actually over 3 miles long!!! This would make it the second longest in Western Europe.

Saw the following website by the British Parliament:

www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk...

See Coloumn 509 where it highlights the total investment in the base since 1990 by the MOD and NATO as �16.0 million and �39.9 million respectively. That does not include the investment by the US in the base mentioned by devilwasp!

Already saw the dreamlandresort pictures. The last picture on the page titled "Brown building, use unknown" is the US section of the base. It is positioned near the large hanger. Both have troops crawling all over the place as if it was the cold war again.

its probably just a stopping point when the Americans go on bombing runs across the world. Also, it might be one of the playgrounds where the UK government tests its new toys

I actually went Machrinhanish in November and had a good look around ,It was deserted, there were no guards no flights, and nothing else happening.It looked to me like is says" on care and maintainance"
According to an RAF guy I spoke to there is the occasional through flight although rare and its sometimes used for training i.e. troop movement so there may be the odd C130 in and out.
It was a hell of a long drive to see it and I can honestly say it was a bit of a let down .even a local regional airline (loganair) use it now .

but how easily could the place be "locked down" does it have fences and sensors around? as of now there is nothing known to the public that needs 3 miles of runway to land. which means it could have been built to be used as a re-fueling stop for something

The base still has fencing around it but nothing thats any different to any other UK base,Part of the site also has light industrial companies using it.I know from an RAF guy that it was used for refluelling F117s before they were known to the public so other types probably also used it at one time.It also had a SEAL unit based there but they have now gone.

Yeah SEAL team 2 i think, then they moved to germany.
Though the US did upgrade it quite considerably during the cold war.

Afternoon all, and a happy new year to everyone.
Im Kevin and I run the Black triangle research group - www.black-triangle.co.uk.

I am also the author of the Machrihanish article on the dreamlandresort website, which was mentioned in this thread.
Living near the base, i constantly monitor activity, and also get information from other sources about what is going on at RAF Machrihanish. Having just read some of the posts, im a bit concerned. Some of the posts are accurate, in the form that yes Seal Team 2 were based there for some time before moving to Germany. I have actually been contacted via my site from an Ex Seal who served at the base. It is also true that Stealth (f117 and B2) were at the base for a short time during there testing phase before they became public.

As for current situations, I can assure you that there has been no daily military movements of US and RAF Transport planes, and also that the place is not crawling with thousands of troops. As for the Hangar, the Gaydon Hangar, it is always closed.

What I can tell you, is that there were americans on the base in late August. I pilot friend of mine who flies the civilian Logan air flight into the base witnessed this, and they were hiding things under cammo nets. There were however no NOTAMs posted or exercises on at the time, which means that it could well have been a Covert Operation. The week previous, three USAF Hercules aircraft done a simulated airdrop on the base as part of a training exercise, maybe however, it wasnt simulated.

The past few months have been very quiet, with little or no military movemnets through the base.

More information can be found on my website at:
www.black-triangle.co.uk

Hope this is of help.
Regards

Kevin

maybe its all underground.

Maybe what is all underground?
There has been rumours of up to 14 miles of underground corriders located in the area, but these have never been confirmed. There are underground storage facilities there though which used to be used to store nuclear weapons years and years ago.

Regards
Kevin

www.black-triangle.co.uk
Eyes and ears on the west coast of Scotland

stealth_chaser,

Thanks for the posting and great website at www.black-triangle.co.uk.

I will check with my cousin about the specific dates of when he was there. He lives just south of Oban and goes down to Campbeltown often. He may have been there during the late July military activity you mention in the above posting and in your website (NB: you mention 'unknown military activity' happening in late July then above you say Americans in August. Same group of activity??). I agree with you that there is the possibility the military activity we know for sure happened at end of July 2004 could be connected to the UFO sightings on July 25 and 26th 2004 near Clachan (confirmed by the reports in the local paper, Cambeltown Courier). I stress a possibility because one Courier article seemed to indicate some sightings in Aug were from a "solar airship" but they were not certain. I have also information about some other sightings happening in September, November and December, but I will not use them in this fourm unless I have some proof (e.g. pictures or public testimony). Then I will gladly share this information with you. They could be rumours unless I can find a way to confirm them.

Regarding the base again, I do not agree with your statement that "no daily military movements of US and RAF Transport planes, and also that the place is not crawling with thousands of troops." Your own website and above posting says otherwise. However, given the remote location and security of the base, my guess is that any US or British military personnel could be quickly come in - secure the base - drop off or pick up anything they want - and leave within hours. Any covert operation could come in and occupy the base for several days, then leave, then come back several weeks later. If my cousin's observations happened at the right time, it could appear as a continous operation. Like I said, I will see if he can give me the dates of when he was there and when / where he saw the troops. He told me this in December. I also told him that next time he take some blasted photos so I can share with everyone. There were a lot of troops guarding something there on several of his observations. No matter what, something has gone on of a top secret nature at the base over the last six months.

Again, I am very much still in need of some recent Satallite photos of the base. I want to start comparing "before and after" activity at the base. Can you help me get these? Air photos are fine aswell. The photos I have been able to find are all from the farms next to the base and just show distant views of the base. I hope I can get some real good Sat phots of the base.

As for the underground aspects to the base, I will reply in a seperate "Quote" response to iksmodnad.

Thanks again for your input. More please and if you can help with Sat photos I would be very grateful.

Cheers, AW

Can you e-mail me off list at [email protected]
I want to contine this discussion but without using a public forum.

thanks
kevin

www.black-triangle.co.uk
eyes and ears on the west coast of Scotland