The story of Fylingdales and the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System as a whole began on 4 October 1957. The nation awoke that morning to hear on their early morning news bulletin the 'bleep' 'bleep' 'bleep' of Sputnik I – the first man-made earth satellite to be put into orbit launched by the Soviet Union. This event had a dramatic effect because it illustrated that the Soviets had the potential to make a missile attack on the West, launched from within their own land mass. Before that time of course, the Soviet threat had primarily been the manned bomber and our counter had been fighter aircraft. With the launch of Sputnik I the threat suddenly and dramatically changed and because there were no current means of stopping an incoming missile, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning system was conceived to allow retaliatory strikes to be launched. The ability to warn of an attack and to respond rapidly brought peace through deterrence.

The Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) was designed by the USA to give the radar coverage necessary to counter an inter-continental missile attack. In 1960 two stations were completed and became operational at Thule, Greenland and at Clear, Alaska, both of which were operated by the USAF. To complete the radar coverage for the United States and to give cover to the British Isles it was decided, by joint agreement, to build a third station in Great Britain.

Various sites were examined for suitability, from Scotland to East Anglia. The station had to be fairly remote from centres of population to avoid interference with the radar and to give a clear line of sight to the limits of its operation, about 3,000 miles into the low earth orbit in space. Finally, a site on Snod Hill on the Yorkshire Moors was selected and construction work began in 1960. The task of building the stations in Greenland and Alaska had been formidable because of their remoteness and the severe climate. Construction of RAF Fylingdales was in itself also no easy job because of the size and technical complexity of the work involved.

The site became fully operational in January 1964 and after years of continuous combined operation RAF Fylingdales still monitors for incoming missiles and conducts surveillance of all other objects in low earth orbit around the Earth.