42-771: The Defence Intelligence Fusion Centre (DIFC) is based at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire . Largely created from the staff of the National Imagery Exploitation Centre (formerly known as the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC)) and then known for several years as the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Fusion Centre, it can trace its history back to clandestine reconnaissance operations at
84-668: A Handley Page Victor arrived for the Radar Reconnaissance Flight in 1959. In 1974, three Nimrod R1s belonging to No. 51 Squadron arrived for use in the Elint and Sigint role, and in 1975, the T17 and T17A Canberras of No. 360 Squadron arrived: this was a joint RAF and RN Squadron specialising in Electronic countermeasures training. The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1946 and 2011: In
126-582: A company who rent them out. Controversially, the Brampton Park Little Theatre on the base was approved for demolition in 2014. The building had been used as a cinema since the 1950s and had also been available for public use despite being on a military base. Support to keep the theatre had come from Joanna Lumley and Ian McKellen , but along with other non-listed buildings on the base, it was demolished. Brampton never had an airfield, although Wyton and Henlow used to. RAF Wyton
168-700: A more centralised government role within the Ministry of Defence . On 1 April 2000 the unit stopped functioning as an independent agency and merged with Military Survey into the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency (DGIA). On 10 October 2005 the JARIC name ceased to be an acronym to reflect the fact that its sources of imagery had shifted away from those provided by UK Air Reconnaissance platforms to be predominantly satellite imagery based. The descriptor ‘The National Imagery Exploitation Centre’
210-857: A series of War Ministry reorganisations, the PIU was renamed the Central Interpretation Unit (CIU) on 7 January 1941 and changed again to the Joint Air Photographic Intelligence centre (UK) JAPIC [UK] in August 1947. On 17 December 1953 the unit was given the name of Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre [UK] - JARIC [UK]. The JARIC Photographic Wing moved to Brampton near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire from locations at Medmenham , Nuneham Park , Wyton and Wembley in 1956 where they were joined by
252-503: Is a Royal Air Force station near St Ives , Cambridgeshire , England . The airfield is decommissioned and the station is now under the command of UK Strategic Command . RAF Wyton is home to the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI), which provides Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) support to HM Armed Forces . It also contains the Ministry of Defence Police Headquarters,
294-567: Is a joint service and civilian organisation under the command of an RAF Group Captain. Following a series of successful covert air reconnaissance operations run by the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) prior to World War II, the Photographic Development Unit (PDU) was established on 19 January 1940 (codenamed MI4) and later renamed Photographic Interpretation Unit (PIU) on 11 July 1940. Through
336-511: Is also involved in homeland security and played a vital part in the Salisbury poisoning investigation by tracing the Novichok trail. Other units moved (now disbanded) The following other units were posted to Wyton at some point: Currently operational units moved On 25 March 2013 it was decided to relocate the following flying units from Wyton due to the high maintenance costs of
378-489: Is processed by the centre's Geospatial Intelligence staff. This programme is part of the RAF's vision of a future constellation of imagery satellites. On 18 July 2019, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced another small satellite demonstrator would be launched within a year, working toward producing high-resolution video to support battle awareness. A joint UK and US defence and industry group named Team ARTEMIS will work on
420-624: Is the first satellite of the £127 million MINERVA programme, the precursor of an operational constellation under the ISTARI programme, planned to be running by 2031. Tyche has a planned five-year lifespan orbiting at an altitude of about 500 kilometres (310 mi) in a sun-synchronous orbit . Belgian company Rhea and American Lockheed Martin are developing ground-based software to control the ISR satellites. RAF Wyton Royal Air Force Wyton or more simply RAF Wyton ( IATA : QUY , ICAO : EGUY )
462-597: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation Regional Headquarters, 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic) , and several other UK and Allied capabilities, authorities, and departments. Located within the station, the Pathfinder Building is described as the "operations centre of Defence Intelligence " and the “largest Top Secret, Five-Eyes by design, military intelligence fusion and assessment facility in
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#1732765234029504-755: The Second World War , the site was used to house babies and children evacuated from London. In 1942, the United States Army Air Force First Bomb Wing Headquarters was established on the site and it was used to billet American airmen. In September 1945, the USAAF moved out to what was RAF Alconbury , to the north of the Brampton site. The Royal Air Force Technical Training Command billeted staff at RAF Brampton (then known as Brampton Park) whilst
546-768: The Command HQ was located at Brampton Grange , a large house that dates back to 1773. In 1955, Brampton Park became RAF Brampton and units began to be located there rather than just personnel. Units included the Central Reconnaissance Establishment, which was formed at Brampton in January 1957. In 1953, JARIC (UK) was established and it moved, in 1956, with other elements to the recently formed RAF Brampton. JARIC stayed at Brampton for 57 years with various name changes before departing RAF Brampton for RAF Wyton in 2013. In 1955, RAF Wyton
588-633: The DIFC brings together Geospatial intelligence for the Nation and Intelligence Fusion for Defence. Wyton is developing as a Geospatial and Intelligence hub, collocating elements of Defence Intelligence, Service intelligence organisations, Agencies and Allies. In 2013, DGIFC relocated from RAF Brampton to the Pathfinder Building at RAF Wyton creating a multi-intelligence, open plan environment aimed at improving collaboration and innovation changing its name to DIFC on 17 Sept 2014. DGIFC moved to RAF Wyton as part of
630-766: The Defence Geographic Centre (DGC) based at Feltham, Middlesex, the Joint Signals Support Organisation (JSSO), based at RAF Digby, the Joint Aeronautical and Geographic Organisation (JAGO) at Hermitage and RAF Northolt and JARIC-The National Imagery Exploitation Centre based at RAF Brampton. On 13 July 2012, after the formal retiring of the title JARIC, the unit was renamed the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Fusion Centre (DGIFC). The Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) achieved Full Operating Capability in 2014,
672-728: The Joint Forces Intelligence Group in July 2014 and No. 1 Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Squadron moved from RAF Marham to Wyton in April 2017. In 2016, JFIG disbanded, and the bulk of its former units and capabilities were re-rolled to establish the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence . The NCGI is a 1-star commanded organisation which in recent years has monitored military and terrorist activities taking place in real time, such as: It
714-748: The Joint School of Photographic Interpretation (JSPI) in December. In 1980 the (UK) was dropped from the name to reflect the closing of the Cyprus-based JARIC (ME), later JARIC (NE) in April 1975. On 19 April 1996 the unit ceased to fall under operational control of the Royal Air Force and became an agency under the operational control of the Director General Intelligence and Geographic Requirements, taking
756-749: The MOD invested £4.5 million in a programme to deliver high-quality imagery and 3D video footage from space, with the Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) Carbonite-2 satellite being the first technology demonstrator. Carbonite-2 uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and has a mass of about 100 kg, and was launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C40 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India on 12 January 2018. Data from Carbonite-2
798-917: The Programme to Rationalise and Integrate the Defence Intelligence Estate (PRIDE), which enabled Defence Intelligence, and the Joint Forces Intelligence Group in particular, to further improve and enhance support to operations and strategic threat assessments . The programme relocated the Joint Forces Intelligence Collection Group (JFIG -HQ) from Feltham, DGIFC - from RAF Brampton, as well as 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic) from Denison Barracks in Hermitage and Ayrshire Barracks in Germany, to RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. DIFC's role has evolved from
840-484: The airfield. Notable units based at RAF Wyton. Defence Intelligence Defence Digital No. 1 Group (Air Combat) RAF No. 22 Group (Training) RAF Royal Engineers RAF Brampton RAF Brampton was a non-flying Royal Air Force installation near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire , England. Formerly the home of RAF Support Command , it also became the home of several elements of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), which itself
882-718: The analysis of data obtained from sensing instruments for the purpose of identifying any distinctive features associated with the source, emitter or sender, to facilitate the latter's measurement and identification. DIFC is the UK's only provider of ‘imagery derived MASINT’ otherwise known as AGI or Advanced Geospatial Intelligence. GEOINT is an intelligence discipline comprising the exploitation and analysis of geographically determined information. GEOINT sources include imagery and mapping data, whether collected by commercial or military satellites, or by other capabilities such as UAV (Unmanned Airborne Vehicle) or reconnaissance aircraft . In 2017-18
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#1732765234029924-742: The beginning of the Second World War by Sidney Cotton on behalf of MI6 and then MI4 , and the formation of the Allied Central Interpretation Unit at RAF Medmenham (sister to Bletchley Park). Today, DIFC's role has grown beyond just imagery intelligence . Part of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) within Defence Intelligence , DIFC's primary role is to support Defence planning, current operations and
966-411: The buildings taking place in 2016 and into 2017. The site is being cleared to make way for housing but some of the buildings and trees on the site are protected. There are plans for between 400 and 500 homes on the site. Military housing was kept on the site for a further three years with a gradual rundown until all staff were transferred to RAF Wyton. The 95 homes left at Brampton were then bought up by
1008-558: The cessation of operational flying from Wyton, the two stations amalgamated to become Brampton Wyton. Henlow joined the group in 2001, and brought with it RAF Stanbridge , to produce the largest station in terms of both geography and number of personnel in the RAF. The station stretches from Brampton and Wyton, around 7 miles (11 km) apart, in the north, southwards around 30 miles (48 km) to Henlow, and then westwards some 20 miles (32 km) (towards Leighton Buzzard) to Stanbridge. However, in 2009, an MoD review decided that Brampton
1050-469: The control of Joint Forces Command and RAF Wyton . The camp was closed at the end of 2013 and all assets were transferred to a new JFIG Pathfinder building at RAF Wyton. The site was used during the First World War , when Lord Mandeville (who owned the site) agreed to its use to house German prisoners of war. After this, Lord Mandeville let the site for domestic use. During the early years of
1092-666: The culmination of the PRIDE (Wyton) Programme. The commander of JFIG said at the ceremony on 17 September 2014: The PRIDE (Wyton) Programme was a £308m project to relocate JFIG Command elements, Geospatial intelligence, Human intelligence and 42 Engineer Regiment from Brampton, Feltham and Hermitage to new purpose-built facilities at Wyton. Within the new Pathfinder Building at Wyton, the Joint Intelligence Operations Centre (JIOC) coordinates Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for Defence, while
1134-402: The early 1990s one of its pilots was rugby union player Flight Lieutenant Rory Underwood . During a four-month period in 1989, two squadrons of U.S. Air Force Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II jets were operated out of RAF Wyton while the runway at their base, nearby RAF Alconbury , was resurfaced. In May 1995 both RAF Wyton and RAF Alconbury airfields were decommissioned and Wyton
1176-784: The high maintenance costs of the airfield. Following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review the RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow formation was disbanded: RAF Henlow subsequently became a separate station again and RAF Brampton was demolished. The Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG), a unit which was responsible for the collection of signals , geospatial , imagery and measurement and signature intelligence , moved from Feltham in Middlesex to RAF Wyton in 2013. 42 Engineer Regiment relocated from Denison Barracks in Hermitage to RAF Wyton to co-locate with
1218-687: The home of the Pathfinder Force under the command of Group Captain Don Bennett . The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1935 and 1939: The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1939 and 1945: After the war Wyton became home to the English Electric Canberras of the Strategic Reconnaissance Force. Vickers Valiants arrived for No. 543 Squadron in 1955 and
1260-485: The intelligence assessment process. DIFC still provides specialist imagery intelligence, but also conducts multi-disciplinary intelligence fusion for the armed forces and other UK Government partners. The integrated multi-disciplinary Task Groups at DIFC use data and reporting from various sources (including satellite imagery ), together with other advanced technologies, to provide critical information and over-watch to tactical, operational and strategic decision makers. DIFC
1302-411: The more traditional photographic analysis to encompass more technical intelligence disciplines such as: IMINT is an intelligence gathering discipline which collects information via satellite and aerial photography . DGIFC is involved in all aspects of imagery analysis from basic activity reporting to advanced scientific-based MASINT analysis. MASINT is scientific and technical intelligence derived from
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1344-400: The project. On 16 August 2024, the UK's first Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) satellite was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 . Named Tyche , it is a SSTL Carbonite-class satellite with a mass of about 160 kilograms (350 lb), carrying a high-resolution optical payload delivering sub-1 metre imagery of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide ground areas, including video. It
1386-549: The world." Wyton has been a military airfield since 1916, when it was used for training by the Royal Flying Corps and then its successor the Royal Air Force (RAF). The following squadrons were posted to Wyton between 1916 and 1935: During the Second World War it was used primarily as a bomber base, flying Bristol Blenheim , de Havilland Mosquito and Avro Lancaster aircraft. In 1942 it became
1428-641: Was a result of a merger between the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) and the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA), and provided a base for the Defence Security & Assurance Services and Defence Estates. It was part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow but this was disbanded on 2 April 2012 and the station was renamed Brampton Camp , losing its status as a RAF station and coming under
1470-627: Was added to the JARIC title to better explain JARIC's role, not just within the Ministry of Defence but within the wider UK intelligence community. On 10 June 2006, DGI (as it became after agency status was removed) was renamed the Intelligence Collection Group (ICG) and, after moving under the Joint Forces Command (JFC) on 1 April 2012, was renamed to Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) which consisted of
1512-440: Was faced with a burnt out HQ which would eventually cost £10 million to fix. On 1 April 1994, Support Command was combined with Personnel and Logistics staff to form Personnel and Training Command (at RAF Innsworth ) and RAF Logistics Command at RAF Brampton. Originally, RAF Brampton, RAF Wyton and RAF Henlow were separate stations. However, in the mid-1990s, with the closure of RAF Logistics Command then at Brampton, and
1554-476: Was formally amalgamated with RAF Brampton , and later with RAF Henlow to make all three locations a single RAF Station under a single station commander for administrative purposes. The airfield continued to host light aircraft for the Cambridge and London University Air Squadrons until they both moved to RAF Wittering in 2015. On 25 March 2013 it was decided to relocate all flying units from Wyton due to
1596-513: Was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Huntingdon and 40 years later, this privilege was extended to the staff at RAF Brampton. Between 1976 and 1979 the station had two gate guardian aircraft - a Gnat (tail number XR571) and a Jet Provost (tail number XN602), representing the presence on the base of RAF Support Command. After they were removed, the base had no gate guardian until Phantom XT914
1638-514: Was installed in 1997. In June 1977, the Support and Training Commands were unified to form RAF Support Command at Brampton. Support command occupied a large building in the centre of the base that caught fire in October 1985. Staff were moved to empty families' quarters on the base and contingencies were implemented; when Air Marshal Sir John Sutton was appointed Commander in January 1986, he
1680-477: Was removed from RAF Brampton and transported to Wattisham airfield in Suffolk. The Phantom had previously flown in two of the squadrons based at what was RAF Wattisham ( No. 56 Squadron RAF and No. 74 Squadron RAF ) in the 1980s and 90s. It had been a gate guardian at RAF Leeming , North Yorkshire until 1997 when it was moved to Brampton. The station closed at the end of 2013 with large scale demolition of
1722-431: Was surplus to requirements because a new intelligence centre ( DIFC ) would be built at nearby RAF Wyton. The tri-station amalgamation was disbanded on 2 April 2012 and RAF Brampton was renamed Brampton Camp , losing its status as a RAF station and coming under the control of Joint Forces Command and RAF Wyton . In March 2012, the gate guardian – a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft with tail number XT914 –
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1764-722: Was used by No. 57 Squadron RAF , Cambridge and London University Air Squadrons and 5 AEF flying the Grob Tutor , before they were transferred to RAF Wittering in 2014 apart from No. 57 squadron which was transferred to RAF Cranwell. RAF Henlow is used by 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron flying the Grob Vigilant and leased out as a general aviation airfield. The station was for many years home to JARIC – The National Imagery Exploitation Centre , which produced intelligence from all forms of imagery, and trained Service personnel to provide intelligence in support of operations. This
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