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RAF (Unit) Swanwick
Royal Air Force (Unit) Swanwick or RAF(U) Swanwick is an air traffic control unit of the Royal Air Force based alongside civilian counterparts at NATS Swanwick, Hampshire in England.

The unit provides area air traffic management for military and civil aircraft across the UK flight information region, airspace management and air defence resilience entity.

The air traffic control service for RAF Northolt, located on north west London, is also provided by RAF(U) Swanwick.

History
run by National Air Traffic Services (NATS). Military and civilian Air Traffic Control staff work together to ensure the safe passage of civilian and military aircraft flying over England, Scotland and Wales (and their coastal waters).

The Swanwick site was opened by NATS in 2002. It is home to London Area Control Centre (LACC), which manages civilian en-route air traffic in the London Flight Information Region (covering airspace over England and Wales) and London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC), which manges aircraft flying in and out of London’s airports.

2002 saw civilian area radar units move to Swanwick whilst the military and terminal control centres remained at West Drayton. It wasn’t until 2007 / 2008 that all radar units were located at Swanwick along with the Distress and Diversion Cell.

Due to technological advances, there was no longer a requirement for two military area radar control centres in the United Kingdom.

RAF Prestwick's Distress & Diversion Cell moved to Swanwick in December 2012, centralising all D&D operations in the UK.

RAF Prestwick closed on 6 December 2013, with its operations and thirty personnel were transferred to Swanwick to form a single military area radar unit for the UK.

Distress and Diversion Cell
The Distress and Diversion (D&D) Cell provides assistance to both military and civil aircraft experiencing an emergency. The cell maintains a continuous listening watch on both guard frequencies, 121.5 MHz for civilian aircraft and 243.0 MHz for military aircraft. The cell can activate temporary danger areas to provide protection to search and rescue aircraft at the scene of an emergency.

RAF Northolt air traffic control
The air traffic control service for RAF Northolt, located in north west London, is also provided by RAF(U) Swanwick.

Heritage
The station's motto is Viatores caeli tutare.

Swanwick's gate guardian is former RAF Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 'XW917' which has been present since 2012. The aircraft was last operated by No. 3 Squadron at RAF Wildenrath in Germany, prior to withdrawal from service in the 1980s.