A multimillion-pound military upgrade for the Western Isles and neighbouring outpost of St Kilda has secured funding.
Community leaders last night celebrated news of the £16.8million contract which should assure job security in the area for at least another decade.
Two new BAE Systems weapons-tracking radars will be installed on St Kilda as part of a wider £95million Ministry of Defence (MoD) investment to strengthen the UK’s missile testing operations.
Existing radar equipment on the South Uist rocket range, which operates in tandem with the remote Atlantic archipelago, will also be upgraded.
MoD partners QinetiQ had previously stated that each site has a secure future until at least 2028 as the modernisation helps reduce overall running costs and ensure competitiveness.
Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan, who was heavily involved in efforts to protect the facility from a downgrading in 2009, last night welcomed the investment.
Speaking in Benbecula, he said: “The impact of these jobs is clear for all to see.
“The community in Uist has built up a reputation over many years for its commitment to the Hebrides range and has spoken up clearly in the past when those jobs have been under threat.”
Donald Crichton, sustainable development chairman on Western Isles Council, said: “This investment demonstrates a commitment to the base and the employment that it provides and to a secure future.
“I’d hope this will make Hebrides Range even more competitive and pave the way for future development in this important sector for the islands.”
The Hebrides base has the largest area for the live firing of rockets and missiles of any UK range, providing a secure environment for test and evaluation as well as training for air, sea and ground-launched weapons.
The new radar systems are scheduled to be fully operational by Spring 2020.
Two years ago, the Hebrides range hosted a major international event to test modern warfare. It included US testing of ballistic missile defence systems.
The American navy blasted the Terrier Orion missile into space from South Uist in the first test of its kind overseas.
