{"id":4694,"date":"2012-08-31T11:02:14","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T11:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/?page_id=4694"},"modified":"2025-12-21T19:46:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T19:46:58","slug":"raf-wartling-gci-radar-site","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/sites\/military\/rotor-radar-stations\/raf-wartling-gci-radar-site","title":{"rendered":"RAF Wartling ‘ZUN’ R3 GCI\/CEW ROTOR RADAR Station, East Sussex"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"wartling\"<\/a>
RAF Wartling Station Crest Motto: ‘Let that which has been found be destroyed’ The portcullis represents defence and the wildcat represents constant alert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There has been radar at RAF Wartling since 1941 when a GCI radar station was constructed on the opposite side of the road to RAF Pevensey (RAF Pevensey was a Chain Home early warning radar constructed in 1938). Following WW2 when radar was overhauled in the UK, RAF Pevensey was closed in 1945, and RAF wartling continued operating as a GCI station and in 1950 was earmarked for upgrade under the ROTOR program by providing a new protected operations centre and radar. Construction on the post war site for RAF Wartling and its R3 GCI\/CEW underground control centre began in 1951\/52 and was completed by 1955, 2 years behind schedule. It was constructed in a completely new location as investigations of the WW2 era Happidrome site revealed that the water table was too high which rendered building an underground structure impossible, so the underground structure was built up on the hills above the Pevensey levels. However the type 7 radar head remained at the original WW2 site. The station takes the form of a 2 level bunker made of 10 inch thick, reinforced concrete designt o have blast resistance. It was not, however, proof against a direct hit from a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n

RAF Wartling was, at various times, fitted with the following radar<\/p>\n