The now disused airfield is situated near to the sand dunes of Cardigan Bay, the site is clearly visible from the nearby tourist caravan park at Shell Island. The National Air Cadet Adventure Training Centre is situated 100 meters from the old guard room and you can still see the old control tower.

There is no access to the site at the moment. However news is that the Welsh Assembly Government announced that a team, who already run Kemble Airport near Cirencester in the Cotswolds was its preferred bidder for Llanbedr following an international marketing campaign for an operator to run the airfield as a commercial aerodrome and a competitive tendering process. This means that the Kemble team will definitely get the contract once the legal paperwork has been sorted out. It's proposals for Llanbedr include reopening the airfield to civilian and possibly military aircraft, letting premises on the site for both aerospace and non- aerospace uses, and promoting the site for a number of other specialist activities ranging from product launches to film and television location shoots, vehicle testing and tourism-related events. Good news for Llanbedr.

In the past Llanbedr used a single runway to operate a varst aray of 'target' and 'target towing' aircraft.

These included the strange looking :

Jindivik - this three-quarter size unmanned drone, which could be equipped with a variety of flare and radar enhancements and was fitted with Missile Terminal Trajectory Reconstruction Instrumentation.

Towed targets such as Rushton, Banner and Sleeve were utilised for aerial gunnery as well as the Low Level Height Keeper Target, that used to simulate an Exocet sea-skimming missile.

The Stiletto - a supersonic air launched target shot from a specially adapted Canberra aircraft.

As well as manned aircraft including Hawk, Meteor and Canberra.

Allied to the Llanbedr site is the Aberporth Range complex, which conducts missile and air flight weapon testing for the UK MoD. DERA supply an extensive range of manned, unmanned and towed air targets for use at Aberporth range, which also provides for sophisticated trials, control and display, communications, radar, electro-optical telemetry and telecommand facilities.

The airfield itself was constructed in 1939, however by 1950 Llanbedr had been used by the Army for Korean War training, but was refurbished in order to return it to aviation use by No.5 Civil Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit with its Mosquito target tugs and Meteor TT8 aircraft. Controlled by RAF Maintenance Command, contractors Short Brothers operated the unit with serving RAF personnel supervising the growing band of ex-service civilian employees until eventually the RAF element was phased out. Low-flying Spitfires and Vampires provided the practice for artillery sighting and manoeuvring, whilst targets for air-to-air gunnery were towed by Beaufighters. However it was intended that an unmanned target aircraft should be used from Llanbedr, and plans were laid to procure a RPV called 'Jindivik' from Australia. However development delays led to a decision, taken in September 1951 to develop a number of surplus Royal Navy Fairey Firefly aircraft as a target drones, to bridge the inevitable gap.

The piston engined Firefly was a useful asset, but it was not long before the drone programme was authorised to use jet powered ex-RAF Meteor F4's and F8's, as they became available. These aircraft were converted by Flight Refuelling Ltd at Tarrant Rushton, and initial flight tests with the Meteor as a drone were carried out at Farnborough on 2 September 1954, using a Meteor T.7 piloted by Flt Lt E F Pennie. In its drone guise the Meteor became known as the U.15. The first take-off under automatic control took place on 17 January 1955 again with Flt Lt Pennie as safety pilot. Llanbedr received the first Meteor U.l5 in January 1957 and the first Meteor drone sortie took place on l7 July 1958.

Telemetry as such was not available then, so a shepherd aircraft, usually another Meteor would escort the drone to the entrance to the Range, hold well clear and rejoin after the sortie had concluded. As the Meteor F.8 became more available, surplus airframes were also converted into the more sophisticated Meteor U.l6, which made its first drone flight in the September of 1960, with over 200 of the type eventually being 'droned'. One Meteor U15 was equipped with the soon to be procured Jindivik UAV systems to prove and familiarise the crews that would 'fly' the Jindivik in readiness for 'aircraft' itself. In true military style it was thus dubbed the "Meteorvik". During 1959 the Royal Navy were also allocated drone Meteor U.I5s for use at Hal Far in Malta. On 29 March 1960 their first drone Meteor target was destroyed by a Sea Slug missile from HMS Girdle Ness.

A pair of ex-Royal Navy De Havilland Sea Vixens were also employed by Llanbedr. The only survivor of the duo XP924, was built at Chester and entered service with No.899 Naval Air Squadron, as a Sea Vixen FAW.2 in March, 1964. All its front-line service was with No.899 Sqn aboard HMS Eagle and shore based at RNAS Yeovilton. It was handed over to RAE Llanbedr in June 1973, where it flew as a conventionally piloted high-speed radar target. Between 1977 and 1985 the aircraft was converted to a D.3 drone by Flight Refuelling Ltd and flew as a manned drone from Llanbedr from 1986 until its retirement in 1991. It was also used to train ground-based drone controllers and was always flown with a safety pilot aboard. XP924, otherwise known as Foxy Lady, is the only 'airworthy' Sea Vixen in the world, and is taking her place in a queue of aircraft being restored to flying condition by de Havilland.

Enter the Jindivik

The Jindivik, an Aboriginal term meaning 'The Hunted One' UAV (Unmanned Air Vehicle), made its first UK flight April 1960 and its 7000th in early 1999. The Jindivik was used to carry towed Infra-Red and Semi-Active Radar Targets, and since it was introduced, it continued to be the standard weapons target in both Australia and the UK and has been the cornerstone of many missile development programmes.

The attrition rate was roughly 236 airframes since operations began. It continues to be the primary aerial target for the exercise of the RAF fighter squadrons. Development of the drone had also continued throughout its lifespan, both in expanding the original flight envelope and in protecting this increasingly valuable target by using decoys for missile engagements. Originally conceived as a high-altitude aircraft, the introduction of a Radio Altimeter flying control system enabled it to be flown at very low levels over the sea.

Development of a decoy system has also enhanced the overall realism of the target. The Jindivik is flown via a radio command link by a five-person team on the ground. Launch is from a steerable trolley on a conventional runway directed by a Take-Off controller who is located behind the take-off point. Recovery is directed by separate Pitch and Azimuth Controllers, and landing is accomplished using a skid extended below the drone. Throughout the mission, control is exercised from a two-person blind control cell, where the full range of flight and mission data is presented on instrument displays driven by telemetry data transmitted from the aircraft. The Master Controller exercises all-round supervision of the operation. Miss-distance cameras provide film records of the missile engagement for evaluation.

Hawk aircraft would act as 'shepherds' taking the drones out to the ranges and bringing them back. The Hawk pilots then report to the Drone controllers any problems or damage that might have been sustained during a sortie. Unlike the Meteor or the Sea Vixen, the Hawks are unmodified, and simply acted as guides to make sure that they were on the right track and that the particular target is being trailed properly. Some of the latest Jindivik variants,from the Mk 4A first flew at Llanbedr in 1987 and introduced further performance enhancements including greater manoeuvrability. The most notable spin-off from the Jindivik programme was probably the Viper jet engine. Originally designed to be a cheap, short life engine, its success led to widespread use in such aircraft as the Jet Provost and the HS.125. The USA, Sweden and Australia have also purchased Jindivik's and it is a testament to the flexibility and integrity of the original design that there is no real competitor on the horizon.

Unfortunatly Llanbedr was closed down in October 2004.