What’s going on at Prestwick Airport?

“RAF Prestwick is home to the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military) and is one of 2 Military Air Traffic Control Radar Units (ATCRUs) within the United Kingdom.

It is responsible for the provision of air traffic and other associated services to military and civil aircraft within UK airspace.” (1)

A year ago, it was in lockdown when an Italian military plane lost communication.  Typhoon jets escorted it in.  Some newspapers report it was a civilian plane.  It was a major incident, and eye-witnesses (names withheld) reported that the airport was “crawling with military personnel”. One eye-witness also stated that he had seen the plane in Glasgow earlier that day.  More than 17 police vehicles, sniffer dogs, and 4 fire engines and their crews were on standby (2), but strangely, some reports referred to it as being a civilian aircraft.  Which was it?

There have been a few other weird losses of communication, and planes (military or otherwise) escorted by Typhoon jets, as discussed on this weeks ADX-Files with myself and Ben-Emlyn Jones. Click here to listen.

This week, my sources have been reporting more military activity in and around the Ayr and Prestwick area.  One resident heard planes “roaring” over her house at 02:00 hours, although she wasn’t able to see them when she looked.  She could only hear them.

Another resident reported similar last night, around 23:30, hearing really loud planes passing overhead. She also reported that there have been helicopters, low flying aircraft and “unusual military trucks” in the area recently.

A third resident saw a Hercules, and described it as being very noisy.

Another witness reports seeing a few green military planes coming in to land recently, and a camouflaged Range Rover drove through Ayr within the last few days, complete with gun.  Was that also just a military exercise?  If so, why are so many needed and why at night when clearly that would disturb people the most?

Even in North Norfolk I’ve had a report of “strange goings on” with an increase in night flying.  This witness said it went on until 23:30 on 17th May.  A further witness has just reported that even North Devon has just undergone a similar series of incidents. He stated there were black helicopters over his roof at night; and Chinook and Hercules planes over the local base. The witness says it went on for days, and is still occuring now. The rumour in North Devonshire is that it appears to indicate a response to a major terrorist incident in a rural area. Another source has been “watching the RAF tankers circling over the North sea off either Newcastle or Hull since the incident with the plane escorted to Newcastle on flight radar 24.”   This is clearly not just going on in Ayr and Prestwick.

If you live in the Ayrshire area, please get in touch if you see any strange military activity or hear any strange noises that you would like to report to me.  Your name and details will be kept strictly confidential.  You will remain anonymous unless you specifically give permission to be named.