Located 3 miles (5 km) west of Campbeltown on the western side of the Kintyre Peninsula, Machrihanish is a former RAF air station, notable for its weather forecasts.

Machrihanish was established as a naval air station in 1916, operating maritime patrol aircraft and airships until 1918.

[1] A new airfield opened on 15 June 1941 as Strabane Naval Air Station, and named HMS Landrail, becoming RNAS Machrihanish later in the month and operated until 1946.

Thereafter the base developed in relation to NATO requirements during the Cold War, and was the focus of anti-submarine operations with US-controlled nuclear depth charges.

[1] £10 million was spent to upgrade the station in the early 1990s, keeping it on a care-and-maintenance basis to provide a runway for emergencies or in the event of conflict.