Tain Air Weapons Range
NearTain,Highlands in Scotland
Tain Air Weapons Range including the range control tower
Site information
Type	Air weapons range
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Open to the public	Yes (unless red flags flying)
Condition	Operational
Location
Tain AWR Location in the Highlands Show map of Highland Tain AWR Tain AWR (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	57°48′40″N003°58′24″W / 57.81111°N 3.97333°W /57.81111; -3.97333
Area	1,196 hectares (2,960 acres)
Site history
Built	1930 (1930)
In use	1930 – present
Designations	National Scenic Are Ramsar Site Site of Special Scientific Interest Special Area of Conservation Special Protection Area

Tain Air Weapons Range is aMinistry of Defence air weapons range on theDornoch Firth nearTain inScotland.Royal Air Force aircrews fromRAF Lossiemouth are trained in air weaponry on the range, along withNATO aircrew.^[1]

It was previously known asRoyal Air Force Tain andRoyal Naval Air Station Tain.

The airfield opened in September 1941 under the command ofRAF Fighter Command during theSecond World War. It was particularly active in summer 1944 during anti-u-boat operations. It closed in spring 1946.^[2] The original airfield is no longer in operation, but still exists within the boundaries of the range.^[1] It became a weapons range in 1954 and is now the largest live weapons range in the Defence Training Estates.^[1]

On 1 April 2006, as part of a rationalisation of military training facilities in the UK, control of RAF Tain transferred from the RAF toDefence Training Estates and the range became known as Tain Air Weapons Range.^[3]

The following units were posted to the airfield at some point during theSecond World War:

• No. 17 Squadron RAF with theHawker Hurricane IIB between 17 September and 31 October 1941.^[4]
• A detachment ofNo. 76 Squadron RAF between 1941 and 1943 with theHandley Page Halifax I & II.^[5]
• No. 86 Squadron RAF initially as a detachment between 24 March 1944 and 1 July 1944 when the rest of the squadron joined until 9 August 1945 when the squadron moved toRAF Oakington. The squadron usedConsolidated Liberator IIIa, V & VIII.^[6]
• A detachment ofNo. 123 Squadron RAF from 22 September 1941 and 11 April 1942 with theSupermarine Spitfire IIA & VB.^[7]
• A detachment ofNo. 132 Squadron RAF between September 1941 and February 1942 with the Spitfire I & IIB.^[8]
• No. 144 Squadron RAF initially between 8 April 1943 and 9 July 1943 with theBristol Beaufighter VIC & X. The squadron returned on 5 August 1943 still with the Beaufighter X staying until 20 October 1943.^[9]
• No. 186 Squadron RAF between 7 January 1944 and 1 March 1944 with the Hurricane IV,Hawker Typhoon IB and the Spitfire VB.^[10]
• A detachment ofNo. 235 Squadron RAF between 21 January 1943 and 29 August 1943 with the Beaufighter VIC.^[11]
• A detachment ofNo. 279 Squadron RAF between 31 October 1944 and 3 September 1945 withVickers Warwick I, Hurricane IIC and theSupermarine Sea Otter.^[12]
• A detachment ofNo. 280 Squadron RAF between 23 November 1945 and 21 June 1946 with the Warwick I.^[12]
• A detachment ofNo. 281 Squadron RAF between 13 August 1945 and 24 October 1945 with the Warwick I & VI, Sea Otter andVickers Wellington XIII.^[12]
• No. 311 Squadron RAF between 7 August 1944 and 6 August 1945 using the Liberator V & VI.^[13]
• No. 404 Squadron RCAF between 2 and 20 April 1943 with the Beaufighter XI.^[14]
• A detachment ofNo. 415 Squadron RCAF initially between 5 August 1942 and 1 September 1942 with theHandley Page Hampden before the squadron completely moved to Tain for five days.^[15]
• No. 417 Squadron RAF between 24 February and 13 April 1942 with the Spitfire VB.^[16]
• A detachment ofNo. 455 Squadron RAF between 28 April 1942 and 14 April 1944 with the Hampden and Beaufighter X.^[17]
• No. 547 Squadron RAF initially between 22 January and 2 April 1943 with the Wellington VIII. A detachment returned on 2 April 1943 with the Wellington XI until 31 May 1943.^[18]

• A detachment ofNo. 518 Squadron RAF between 25 September 1943 and 1 October 1946 with the Halifax V, III & VI, Hurricane IIC and Spitfire VII.^[19]
• No. 519 Squadron RAF between 17 August 1945 and 8 November 1945 with theBoeing Fortress I, Spitfire VII and Halifax III.^[19]

• 801 Naval Air Squadron between 15 February and 29 April 1942 withHawker Sea Hurricane Ib.^[20]
• 815 Naval Air Squadron between 7 December 1943 and 24 February 1944 with theFairey Barracuda II.^[21]
• 817 Naval Air Squadron between 8 and 26 February 1944 with the Barracuda II.^[22]
• 822 Naval Air Squadron between 10 November 1943 and 16 January 1944 with the Barracuda II.^[23]
• 829 Naval Air Squadron between 25 November 1943 and 8 February 1944 with the Barracuda II.^[24]

• No. 1 Torpedo Training Unit RAF (November 1945 – December 1946)^[25]
• Target Towing and Support Aircraft ofNo. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (December 1944 – August 1946)^[26]
• Relief Landing Ground forNo. 8 Air Gunners School RAF (January - April 1944)^[27]
• Relief Landing Ground forNo. 19 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF (July 1943 - )^[28]
• No. 1491 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (December 1941 – May 1942) became No. 1491 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF (May - November 1942)^[29]
• No. 2831 Squadron RAF Regiment.^[2]
• Coastal Command Development Unit RAF.^[2] An element of the CCDU was split to become No. 1 Torpedo Refresher School RAF, formed here on 3 February 1943. The School was disbanded on 28 January 1944.^[30]
• Coastal Command Flying Instructors School RAF^[2] became the Coastal Command Instructors School RAF and was disbanded here on 1 April 1946.^[31]

• • Armed forces in Scotland
  • Military history of Scotland

• Jefford, C. G. (1988).RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912.Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife.ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Lake, A. (1999).Flying units of the RAF.Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife.ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
• Sturtivant, R.; Ballance, T. (1994).The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm.Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997).Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRAF Tain.

• Defence Infrastructure Organisation – Scotland range firing times

• Installations of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
• Bombing ranges
• Military airbases established in 1941

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2023
• Use British English from May 2013
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata