The Red Arrows display team flew over RAF Fylingdales on the North York Moors to help mark the 50th anniversary of the early warning station.
Fifty years after it was built as the first line of defence against impending nuclear devastation, commanders say their primary mission has not changed.
The Cold War might be consigned to the history syllabus but the huge radar base continues its 24 hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year vigil, looking for deadly ballistic missiles heading our way.
The base, which dominates the skyline between Whitby and Pickering, has other roles, including keeping a close eye on everything floating around the Earth - from old pieces of rocket to the International Space Station. But it is first and foremost a state-of-the-art lookout for ballistic missile attacks.
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