Construction under way on new 'golf ball’ radome at south Shropshire hilltop radar station
The ‘golf balls’ have become a south Shropshire landmark
Work is under way to build another iconic ‘golf ball’ radome on one of Shropshire’s highest hills.
A 10-metre-high platform that will one day hold a new radome has taken shape atop Titterstone Clee Hill near Ludlow.
Plans to install the new radar antenna and enclosure - which famously look like large golf balls - were revealed more than a year ago.
There have been two radomes atop Shropshire’s third-highest hill since the 1970s, and together they have become something of a south Shropshire landmark, making the hill instantly recognisable for miles around.
Today, they are part of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) radar network monitoring civil and military aircraft and the Met Office weather radar network.
NATS plans to eventually dismantle the larger of the two radomes, which has a diameter of 16 metres, or around 52.5 feet.
Its 20-metre-high platform will remain in place, along with the radar tower and existing equipment building.
The replacement structure, which is currently being built around 170 metres away, will have a 12.5-metre (41ft) diameter on top of a 10.2m structure - making the new one around six metres shorter than the existing one.
The existing station is expected to continue operating until spring 2028.
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