From secret wartime decoys to luxury car factories, the evolving story of MOD St Athan
In short: Once a vital hub for radar research and aircraft maintenance, MOD St Athan has reinvented itself repeatedly over eight decades. From building cardboard dummy airfields to deceive enemy bombers to hosting a modern Aston Martin production line, this Welsh site remains a chameleon of British military and industrial history.
Established on 1 September 1938, RAF St Athan began as a training ground for technical personnel. During the Second World War, it became a critical node for the Royal Air Force, housing over 14,000 staff. Its strategic importance was so high that authorities constructed a sophisticated dummy airfield nearby, complete with wooden and cardboard aircraft and buildings, to draw enemy fire away from the genuine facility. The site also briefly hosted vital radar interception research in late 1939 and early 1940 before operations shifted to Worth Matravers.
Post-war, the base evolved into a major maintenance center for a wide array of military aircraft, including the Vulcan, Harrier, and Tornado. By the early 21st century, the site underwent significant structural changes. The ambitious Project Red Dragon, intended to create a state-of-the-art maintenance facility, faced criticism from the National Audit Office in 2009 for poor coordination between the Ministry of Defence and Welsh authorities. Despite these challenges, the site transitioned toward commercial use, eventually hosting the Bro Tathan Business Park.
The site's versatility is perhaps best captured by its recent history. In 2016, Aston Martin announced it would build a new factory on the airfield to produce the DBX crossover model, incorporating the existing Project Red Dragon super-hangar. Today, while the military maintains a presence in the barracks area, the airfield itself operates under civilian control as Bro Tathan. The location has also found fame as a filming site for television series like Doctor Who and Torchwood, proving that even a former military base can find a second life in the creative arts.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: MOD St Athan
- Also: Wikidata — MOD St Athan · CC0
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