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Otterburn Training Area

Military training area in Northumberland, England

Field	Value
name	Otterburn Training Area
location	Otterburn
coordinates
image	No way in - geograph.org.uk - 162730.jpg
caption	The southern entrance to Otterburn MoD camp
type	Training Area
map_type	Northumberland
pushpin_map_caption	Location within Northumberland
operator
built	1911
used	1911 – present
built_for	War Office
ownership	Ministry of Defence

The Otterburn Army Training Estate is a military training area near Otterburn, Northumberland, in northern England. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and operated by Landmarc on contract from the MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

History

The site was established in 1911 and covers about 242 km2 of the southern Cheviot Hills, 23% of the Northumberland National Park. The National Park was established in 1956, 45 years after establishment of the Artillery Range.

Otterburn is the UK's largest firing range, and is in frequent use. The ranges are used by AS-90 artillery and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems; Otterburn is the only place in the UK where the MLRS can be fired, requiring an 11 mile long by 2 mile wide firing range. Because of the danger posed by live fire exercises, recreational use of the area is restricted, although it is possible for the public to use some parts of the estate subject to the relevant bylaws. The MoD publishes a booklet, Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands, which offers advice on this.

Fatal Incidents

In 2016, a soldier of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Conor McPherson, was shot in the back of the head and killed by a fellow British soldier on the Otterburn Heely Dod firing range.

Captain Philip Gilbert Muldowney was killed after an incident during a live fire training exercise on 25 January 2026. He served as a fire support team commander in the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.

Gallery

Image:Otterburn Ranges - geograph.org.uk - 63760.jpg|Otterburn Ranges. The road leading into the Ministry of Defence Ranges, and the red flag showing that the army are practising live firing there. Image:Turn left here for Otterburn - geograph.org.uk - 158911.jpg|Signpost for Otterburn Crossroads on the MoD ranges Image:Who goes there^ - geograph.org.uk - 158908.jpg|Entrance to the Otterburn Ranges near Holystone - note the cattle grid

References

Frances Perraudin. (24 August 2016). "Tributes paid to soldier killed in Otterburn live firing exercise". [[The Guardian]].
(2016-03-04). "DTE Otterburn Public Information Leaflet". Ministry of Defence.
"Otterburn Ranges".
"About us". Northumberland National Park.
Nicholas Schoon. (26 April 1997). "Travel: Tanks for the wildlife". [[The Independent]].
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070710212011/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DefenceEstateandEnvironmentPublications/AccessAndRecreation/WalksOnTheDefenceEstate.htm Walking guides on the Defence Estate, including Otterburn]. [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Ministry of Defence]]
(2024-05-08). "HSE issues MoD (Army) with Crown Censure following death of soldier". Health and Safety Executive.
(2026-01-27). "British Army officer dies after incident during live fire training". [[BBC]].

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

bombing-ranges cheviot-hills geography-of-northumberland otterburn,-northumberland sites-of-special-scientific-interest-in-northumberland training-establishments-of-the-british-army military-training-areas-in-the-united-kingdom military-installations-established-in-1911

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