Bolafjall Radar Station

Bolafjall Radar Station (NATO ID: H-4) is an Icelandic General Surveillance Radar station and part of the Iceland Air Defence System. It is located atop on Bolafjall near the town of Bolungarvik. It is operated by the Icelandic Coast Guard under the joint direction of NATO as part of the Icelandic Air Policing.[1]

Bolafjall Radar Station
Bolafjall Radar Station
Bolafjall is located in Iceland
Bolafjall
Bolafjall
Location of Bolafjall Radar Station
Coordinates66°10′41″N 023°19′41″W
TypeRadar Station
Site information
OwnerNATO
OperatorIceland Air Defence System
ConditionOperational
Site history
Built1985–1992
In use1992–present

History

The station was established as a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) radar station in January 1992, with its construction cost paid by the NATO Infrastructure Fund.[2] While the United States Air Force paid for its operational expenses,[3] it was operated by the Radar Agency (Icelandic: Ratsjárstofnun) with civilian staff.[4] The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC).

In 2006, the United States withdrew its military units from Iceland, leaving the radar station fully in Icelandic hands.[5] In 2008, the Radar Agency was closed and its mission moved to the newly founded Icelandic Defence Agency (Varnarmálastofnun Íslands).[6][7] Following the closure of the Icelandic Defence Agency, the operations where moved to the Icelandic Coast Guard.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Íslenska loftvarnakerfið". Landhelgisgæsla Íslands (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2022-01-11 – via Tímarit.is. open access
  2. "Radar Stations". iads.is. The Radar Agency. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  3. "Saga varnarmála". lhg.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Coast Guard. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. "Rekstur ratsjárstöðvarinnar hafinn". Bæjarins besta (in Icelandic). 12 February 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. "Bandaríski herinn kveður í dag". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 30 September 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  6. Einar Örn Gíslason (10 December 2010). "Ekki vitað hvað tekur við eftir áramótin". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  7. "Loftrými". vmsi.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Defence Agency. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009.

Notes
  • Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
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