PLANS for specialist MoD air traffic radio direction finding equipment works at Pembrokeshire’s Cawdor barracks, where a ‘DARC’ deep space radar facility is proposed, have been submitted to the council.

Cawdor barracks, Brawdy, is occupied by the 14th Signal Regiment who are due to vacate the Barracks in 2028.

A formal screening opinion call, under Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council by agent Montagu Evans on behalf of the ministry of Defence (MoD) has been submitted relating to renewal works to be undertaken to the air traffic equipment at Cawdor Barracks.

A supporting statement says: “The Ministry of Defence are progressing a full planning application with associated Environmental Statement for a Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Facility on part of the barracks site.

“ This project has yet to be submitted for approval and is being brought forward independently of the renewal works to the Radio Direction Finder.

“The Cawdor Barracks airfield includes a Directional Finder (DF) which forms part of the service operated under a requirement from the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

“It forms part of the nation-wide system automatic triangulation and distress, and diversion network regulate by the CAA on behalf of NATS. It is located towards the centre of the airfield.

“The network of DF installations is a civilian rather than military requirement, and allows bearing data to be provided to the Distress and Diversion Cell at NATS Swanwick. This is a national service which locates and supports aircraft in distress and manages the diversion of other aircraft.

“The current DF equipment comprises a 0.5m cabinet for electronics, a counterpose mounted the building which holds the ultra-high frequency antennas and a mast upon which the antenna array of 18 antennas is mounted.

“The existing DF equipment is reaching the end of its operational life and must be replaced at a manner which allows for continued operations. It is to be replaced with a High-Resolution Direction Finder (HRDF) which is being managed under the Ministry of Defence’s MARSHALL programme.

The new equipment will allow signals to be received from aircraft up to approximately 90 nautical miles (Nm) from the site, providing maximum coverage of the area through including the Bristol Channel and St Georges Channel.

“The existing DF will remain operational during installation of the new equipment. Once the HRDF is operational, the existing system will be decommissioned and removed from the site. Works are to commence in early 2026 and completed by early 2027.”

Grants of up to £10,000 available for local events across Wales and the UK

COMMUNITIES across Wales are being encouraged to organise their own Armed Forces Day celebrations after the Ministry of Defence announced a £500,000 funding package to support events nationwide this summer.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to help towns, schools, charities and community groups stage local events, with funding designed to match money raised from other sources.

The support forms part of preparations for Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and the wider Armed Forces Week programme aimed at strengthening ties between the military and the public.

Wales is home to nearly two thousand serving personnel, while the defence sector supports close to four thousand jobs. The MOD says it spent £1.1 billion with Welsh businesses during the 2024–25 financial year, underlining the industry’s importance to the nation’s economy.

Previous events have drawn huge crowds. In 2018, Llandudno hosted the national celebrations, attracting an estimated 100,000 visitors and a parade of around 1,000 service members.

‘Extraordinary sacrifices’

Defence Secretary John Healey said the funding would help communities properly recognise the contribution of service personnel and their families.

He said: “Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe. But they can’t do what they do without the support of their families, friends and communities across the country.

“In June we look forward to coming together as a proud nation to celebrate Armed Forces Day, and I want this funding to help make this year the best yet.

“If you back our Forces and want to thank them with a celebration in your local area, do apply for a grant and register your event with us so we can help you spread the word.”

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens added that the grants would allow communities across Wales to show their appreciation.

She said: “Armed Forces Day is a chance for people across Wales to come together to show their support for the service men and women who we all rely on to keep us safe.

“These grants mean that communities can put on special events to celebrate the contribution of our Armed Forces and their families and thank them for their sacrifice.”

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Armed Forces day celebrated in Haverfordwest in 2019 (File pic)

NATO fighter jets were scrambled today after Russian military aircraft approached allied airspace, in the latest sign of rising tension on Europe’s northern flank.

According to defence sources, the aircraft were detected flying close to NATO-controlled airspace over the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea, prompting a rapid response from alliance air policing forces. Fighter jets were launched to identify and monitor the Russian planes, which did not file flight plans or communicate with civilian air traffic control.

The incident follows a familiar pattern seen repeatedly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow increasing long-range bomber and reconnaissance flights close to NATO territory. While the Russian aircraft did not enter sovereign airspace, officials said the response was a routine but necessary defensive measure.

NATO confirmed that the scramble was carried out to “ensure the integrity of allied airspace” and that the situation was closely monitored throughout.

Pembrokeshire link to wider security concerns

The latest aerial incident comes against the backdrop of earlier Russian surveillance activity much closer to home, including off the Pembrokeshire coast.

During the summer, a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel was tracked operating off south-west Wales, raising concerns about undersea infrastructure and maritime security. The ship, identified by defence analysts as the Yantar, is officially classed as an oceanographic research vessel but is widely regarded by NATO as a spy ship used to map seabeds and monitor communications cables.

At the time, Royal Navy and RAF assets were deployed to shadow the vessel as it loitered in international waters near Pembrokeshire, an area through which critical transatlantic data cables pass. Defence officials said the ship’s movements were consistent with intelligence-gathering activity rather than civilian research.

Local marine observers and coastal monitoring groups also reported unusual naval and aerial activity in the area during the period, highlighting how global security tensions were playing out on Wales’ doorstep.

Further sightings off Scotland

In recent weeks, the same Russian vessel has again been detected further north, operating off the coast of Scotland, where it was monitored by Royal Navy ships and RAF maritime patrol aircraft.

The Ministry of Defence has since confirmed that UK forces have increased surveillance around the British Isles in response to sustained Russian naval and air activity. Officials have warned that undersea cables, pipelines and offshore energy infrastructure are increasingly viewed as potential targets in modern hybrid warfare.

Today’s NATO jet scramble is understood to be part of this broader defensive posture, with alliance forces on heightened alert as Russian military movements continue near European airspace and waters.

While no immediate threat to the UK has been identified, defence sources have made clear that both air and maritime activity are being treated as connected elements of a wider pattern.