RAF Tain - Facilities

Facilities

The original airfield is no longer in operation, but still exists within the boundaries of the range. The current station is the largest live weapons range in the Defence Training Estates. It is one of only three ranges in Europe where live 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bombs may be dropped (the others are Cape Wrath (RN) and Otterburn (Army)), and is thus crucial to the final certification of bomber pilots. Several Second World War airfield buildings in various states of decay can be seen from the road to Inverness and Portmahomack.

RAF Tain is now under the control of DTE (Defence Training Estates). The range has no live bombing as it is all done at the Cape Wrath range in the far northwest of Scotland at Durness. The weapons at Tain are 3 kilograms (6.6 lb) and 14 kilograms (31 lb) practice bombs and inert 1000lb concrete bombs. The Americans have in the past dropped BDU 39 and 50s and some inert 500 pounds (230 kg) bombs. Trainee pilots of No. 15 Squadron OCU (Operational Conversion Unit from RAF Lossiemouth make use of the range, and it is available to aircrews from across the United Kingdom. The OCU use Tain to practice various types of attack from loft, dive and level from 250 feet (76 m) up to 15,000 feet (4,600 m). It is also an important range for UK Forward Air Controllers and there NATO counterparts to maintain their air weapons qualifications.

There are various bombing targets spread throughout the range, including strafe targets. The range is staffed by RAF controllers and assistants from VT Aerospace, both of whom also man the Cape Wrath range.

As a Royal Naval Air Station, it was also known as RNAS Tain.