A large area off the coast of Wales will be restricted from shipping next week due to military weapons testing. Testing will take place at the MoD’s Aberport test site, located in Cardigan Bay, north of the Milford Haven Waterway, behind Strumble Head. The test site covers about 550 acres and is a base for testing aerial weapons and unmanned aerial systems.
The range has a “marine danger zone” covering 6,500 square kilometers of Cardigan Bay from sea level to unlimited elevation. The extent of the maritime danger zone is shown on the map below.
(Image: MOD)
The first military training camp was established at Cardigan Bay during World War II. The range is controlled from a location near Aberporth and is known as MOD Aberporth. Over the years, range has played an important role in the development and testing of various military weapons.
Over the next week, several offshore areas of the ocean will be used for testing. It will only be a small area on the Cardigan coast on Monday. However, from Tuesday to Thursday, an additional large area farther from shore will be used. The assortment will close on Friday.
(Image: MOD)
The Cardigan Bay Danger Zone is a military testing and training area covering much of Cardigan Bay. Activities take place every day, including low-flying aircraft, missile evaluation, laser shooting and bombing. For safety reasons, parts of the danger zone are temporarily cleared from ships during firing. Announcements are made by VHF radio at the beginning and end of the activity and can also be boarded by one of the Ministry of Defense security boats.
The rest of the area (not covered by the red dots) is open to the public and nothing happens most weekends. The weekly schedule can be found here.
Source: Wales Online
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
