RAF Tain

RAF Tain RNAS Tain
Near Tain, Ross and Cromarty in Scotland
RAF Tain Shown within Ross and Cromarty
Coordinates	57°48′40″N 003°58′24″W / 57.81111°N 3.97333°W / 57.81111; -3.97333Coordinates: 57°48′40″N 003°58′24″W / 57.81111°N 3.97333°W / 57.81111; -3.97333
Type	Royal Air Force Air weapons range
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1930 (1930)
In use	1930-1950 (1950) Unknown-present
Airfield information
Elevation	5 metres (16 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00   00/00   00/00

RAF Tain is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range on the Moray Firth near Tain in Scotland. Royal Air Force aircrews from RAF Lossiemouth are trained in air weaponry on the range, along with NATO aircrew.

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

The original airfield is no longer in operation, but still exists within the boundaries of the range. The current station is the largest live weapons range in the Defence Training Estates. It was one of only three ranges in Europe where live 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs may be dropped (the others are Cape Wrath (RN) and Otterburn (Army)), and thus crucial to the final certification of bomber pilots. Several Second World War airfield buildings in various states of decay can be seen from the road to Inverness and Portmahomack.

RAF Tain is now under the control of DTE (Defence Training Estates). The range has no live bombing as it is all done at the Cape Wrath range in the far northwest of Scotland at Durness. The weapons at Tain are 6.6 pounds (3 kg) and 31 pounds (14 kg) practice bombs and inert 1,000 pounds (450 kg) concrete bombs. The Americans have in the past dropped BDU-39 and -50s and some inert 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. Trainee pilots of No. 15 Squadron OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) from RAF Lossiemouth make use of the range, and it is available to aircrews from across the United Kingdom. The OCU use Tain to practice various types of attack from loft, dive and level from 250 feet (76 m) up to 15,000 feet (4,600 m). It is also an important range for UK Forward Air Controllers and their NATO counterparts to maintain their air weapons qualifications.

There are various bombing targets spread throughout the range, including strafe targets. The range is staffed by RAF controllers and assistants from QinetiQ, both of whom also man the Cape Wrath range.