While developing the series in 1966, Gerry Anderson remembered that during the Battle of Britain the RAF had found it difficult to counter the Luftwaffe due to the delays caused by having to launch fighters from the ground.

"[7] In a separate interview, he noted that Captain Scarlet was made during the Cold War, "when world leaders held conferences on aircraft carriers, and bomber pilots were constantly in the air waiting for attack orders.

So I was thinking along the lines of a wartime setting, and had the idea for Cloudbase, a giant flying aircraft carrier, and the Angels, fighter pilots ready for take-off at any time.

The base's wide-angle establishing shot, repeatedly re-used as stock footage, was filmed against a sky backdrop consisting of a background painting, cotton wool clouds and dry ice effects.

[13] Resembling an aircraft carrier, complete with flight deck and powered by jet engines, Cloudbase hovers at a fixed altitude of 40,000 feet (7.6 mi; 12 km).

[16] Areas aboard Cloudbase include: Commentator Ian Fryer praises the interior sets designed by Keith Wilson, noting their use of coloured Perspex and describing them as "both stylish and highly detailed".

[8][20][21][22][23] Both Robin Turner of Wales Online and Chris Jenkins of Total DVD magazine compare White to God seated in his "heavenly Cloudbase" (defended by a fighter squadron that happens to be codenamed "the Angels").

The base is protected by a fleet of Falcon Interceptors (the updated Angel aircraft) and, in addition to the facilities previously featured, is equipped with squash courts.

[33] The CGI model was created using LightWave 3D software under the supervision of Ron Thornton, co-founder of animation studio Foundation Imaging (whose commissions included the Star Trek series and films).