<s>
Remote	B-Application
Radar	I-Application
Head	I-Application
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
or	O
RRH	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
(	O
aka	O
RAF	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
Royal	O
Air	O
Force	O
radar	B-Application
station	I-Application
located	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
of	O
Unst	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
northern	O
of	O
the	O
Shetland	O
Islands	O
in	O
Scotland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
2019	O
it	O
is	O
once	O
more	O
a	O
fully	O
operational	O
radar	B-Application
station	I-Application
,	O
after	O
closure	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RAF	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
is	O
further	O
north	O
than	O
Saint	O
Petersburg	O
in	O
Russia	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
latitude	O
as	O
Anchorage	O
,	O
Alaska	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
was	O
named	O
after	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
is	O
the	O
highest	O
hill	O
on	O
Unst	O
at	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1945	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
two	O
radar	B-Application
sites	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
–	O
one	O
on	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
hill	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
at	O
Skaw	O
on	O
the	O
east	O
coast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
latter	O
is	O
the	O
older	O
,	O
being	O
built	O
in	O
1941	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Chain	O
Home	O
radar	B-Application
network	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
defences	O
of	O
the	O
RAF	O
Sullom	O
Voe	O
flying	O
boat	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
post-war	O
ROTOR	B-Application
radar	B-Application
network	O
,	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
was	O
selected	O
as	O
the	O
site	O
to	O
host	O
a	O
new	O
long-range	O
radar	B-Application
as	O
the	O
northernmost	O
point	O
in	O
a	O
network	O
of	O
radars	B-Application
covering	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
the	O
British	O
Isles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
upgrades	O
carried	O
out	O
for	O
ROTOR	B-Application
,	O
Saxa	O
received	O
new	O
radars	B-Application
,	O
the	O
AMES	O
Type	O
14	O
medium-range	O
search	O
radar	B-Application
,	O
and	O
associated	O
AMES	O
Type	O
13	O
height	O
finders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
coverage	O
was	O
so	O
vast	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
much	O
less	O
need	O
to	O
tie	O
together	O
multiple	O
stations	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
wide-area	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ROTOR	B-Application
system	O
began	O
to	O
be	O
progressively	O
downgraded	O
to	O
individual	O
Master	O
Radar	B-Application
Stations	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
91	O
Signals	O
Unit	O
officially	O
formed	O
up	O
at	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
on	O
27	O
September	O
1957	O
,	O
was	O
declared	O
operational	O
on	O
5	O
October	O
1957	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
1960	O
was	O
visited	O
by	O
Queen	O
Elizabeth	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
consisted	O
of	O
three	O
sites	O
:	O
the	O
domestic	O
site	O
,	O
the	O
technical	O
site	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
radars	B-Application
)	O
and	O
the	O
married	O
quarters	O
called	O
Setters	O
Hill	O
Estate	O
(	O
SHE	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
being	O
built	O
,	O
serious	O
concerns	O
emerged	O
over	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
carcinotron	B-Algorithm
,	O
a	O
new	O
type	O
of	O
radar	B-Application
jammer	O
that	O
rendered	O
the	O
Type	O
80	O
almost	O
useless	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
network	O
using	O
anti-jamming	O
radars	B-Application
was	O
introduced	O
,	O
the	O
Linesman/Mediator	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
a	O
AMES	O
Type	O
96	O
(	O
Marconi	O
S649	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
two	O
radar	B-Application
aerials	O
mounted	O
back-to-back	O
,	O
one	O
operating	O
at	O
D	O
band	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
at	O
F	O
and	O
E	O
bands	O
(	O
three	O
transmitters/receivers	O
in	O
total	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
91	O
Signals	O
Unit	O
to	O
Royal	O
Air	O
Force	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
was	O
implemented	O
at	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
NATO-wide	O
upgrades	O
and	O
the	O
funding	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
radar	B-Application
was	O
provided	O
from	O
the	O
NATO	O
funding	O
pool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
around	O
2000	O
until	O
2	O
April	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
station	O
operated	O
as	O
Remote	B-Application
Radar	I-Application
Head	I-Application
(	O
RRH	O
)	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
,	O
operated	O
from	O
parent	O
station	O
RAF	B-Algorithm
Buchan	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
2	O
April	O
2004	O
,	O
RAF	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
was	O
upgraded	O
from	O
a	O
Remote	B-Application
Radar	I-Application
Head	I-Application
to	O
a	O
full	O
manned	O
station	O
,	O
taking	O
over	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
radar	B-Application
defences	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
RAF	O
announced	O
that	O
RRH	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
would	O
close	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Type	O
93	O
radar	B-Application
was	O
approaching	O
obsolescence	O
and	O
was	O
increasingly	O
difficult	O
to	O
maintain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RRH	B-Algorithm
Saxa	I-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
closed	O
in	O
April	O
2006	O
with	O
the	O
site	O
being	O
placed	O
on	O
programme	O
of	O
care	O
and	O
maintenance	O
and	O
the	O
radar	B-Application
being	O
dismantled	O
and	O
used	O
for	O
spares	O
in	O
other	O
Type	O
93	O
radars	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2007	O
,	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
's	O
Domestic	O
Site	O
and	O
the	O
road	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
Mid	O
Site	O
were	O
bought	O
by	O
Military	O
Asset	O
Management	O
(	O
MAM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Defence	O
confirmed	O
that	O
£10	O
million	O
would	O
be	O
invested	O
in	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
to	O
reactivate	O
the	O
site	O
as	O
a	O
Remote	B-Application
Radar	I-Application
Head	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Work	O
began	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
to	O
move	O
a	O
Lockheed	B-Application
Martin	I-Application
AN/TPS	I-Application
-77	I-Application
L-band	B-Algorithm
radar	B-Application
from	O
RRH	O
Staxton	O
Wold	O
in	O
North	O
Yorkshire	O
to	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Chief	O
of	O
the	O
Air	O
Staff	O
,	O
Air	O
Chief	O
Marshal	O
Sir	O
Stephen	O
Hillier	O
visited	O
the	O
site	O
to	O
inspect	O
progress	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
radar	B-Application
reached	O
initial	O
operational	O
capability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
major	O
upgrade	O
of	O
RRH	O
sites	O
around	O
the	O
U.K.	O
the	O
MOD	O
began	O
a	O
programme	O
titled	O
HYDRA	O
in	O
2020	O
to	O
install	O
new	O
state	O
of	O
the	O
art	O
communications	O
buildings	O
,	O
radar	B-Application
towers	O
and	O
bespoke	O
perimeter	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nobody	O
will	O
be	O
permanently	O
based	O
at	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
,	O
but	O
regular	O
visits	O
will	O
take	O
place	O
for	O
maintenance	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
former	O
base	O
facilities	O
are	O
now	O
in	O
use	O
as	O
the	O
Saxa	B-Algorithm
Vord	I-Algorithm
distillery	O
and	O
the	O
proposed	O
SaxaVord	O
Spaceport	O
.	O
</s>
