military and civil aerospace facility in South Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The RAAF Woomera Test Range is a weapons testing facility in South Australia. It is run by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).[1] It covers and area of 127,000 square kilometres (49,000 sq mi), and is the world's largest weapons test facility on land.[2][3] The range is a restricted area, called the Woomera Prohibited Area. The airspace above it is also restricted, and is called the Woomera Restricted Airspace.
The range was originally set up as a place for the British to test missiles during World War II.[4] The British asked to do weapons testing here (in the centre of Australia), because not many people lived there.[4] A Commonwealth weapons design and test project, called the Australian-Anglo Joint Project, was signed in 1946.[1] The range originally had an area of 270,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi).[2][3]
Between 1955 and 1963, the British ran a series of seven nuclear-weapon tests at Maralinga, then inside the range. The Joint Project ran until 1980, when the British withdrew from the program.[1] The range is still used as a testing site by the Australian Defence Force. Access is leased to foreign militaries and private companies for their own testing of weapons.[1][2][5]
It is named after the Dharuk word for a spear-thrower.[3]
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