RAF Portreath

Military conversion and strategic shift in purpose. While the site never fully 'closed', its function as an active airfield ceased as it was selected for redevelopment as a key radar station in the post-war UK air defence network.

The site is an active and critical military installation known as Remote Radar Head (RRH) Portreath. It is a key component of the United Kingdom's Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS), providing long-range air defence radar coverage for the UK and NATO. The site is easily identifiable by its large, white 'golf ball' radome which protects the radar antenna. The original runways and airfield infrastructure are now largely gone, having been removed or built over to accommodate the radar equipment and support facilities. The site is operated by the Royal Air Force and is a vital asset for national security.

RAF Portreath was a significant airfield during and immediately after World War II. Opened in March 1941, it was part of RAF Fighter Command's No. 10 Group. Its primary role was the air defence of Cornwall and the protection of vital shipping convoys in the Western Approaches. The station hosted numerous squadrons flying aircraft such as Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Beaufighters, which conducted defensive patrols, escort duties, and offensive anti-shipping strikes against enemy targets. After the war, its role shifted dramatically, becoming a major staging post for RAF Transport Command. It was used extensively for ferrying aircraft across the Atlantic to and from North America. The station was briefly handed over to the United States Air Force in 1949 before flying operations ceased around 1950 to allow for its conversion into a radar station.

Effectively zero. The site is an active, high-security military installation with a critical ongoing mission for UK and NATO air defence. Its current function as a radar station is incompatible with any form of aviation activity. The original airfield infrastructure has been removed, and there are no plans or prospects for it to ever revert to being an airport.