RAF Machrihanish RAF Machrihanish is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Campbeltown at the tip of Kintyre . It is now known as MoD Machrihanish and also incorporates Campbeltown Airport which has commercial flights to Glasgow , operated by Loganair . The United States maintained a Navy SEAL commando unit , a 20 person team known as Naval Special Warfare Detachment 1 ( The other overseas Naval Special Warfare Detachments , 2 and 3 were based at Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico , and Subic Bay , Philippines ) at the base and the Royal Marines occasionally use the facility for training exercises . The civilian airport is located at the opposite end of the base from the hangars , bunkers and the SEAL building . In July or August 1918 , RAF Machrihanish opened for the first time operating as a sub - station of the RNAS airship station based at Luce Bay . The airfield was part of No . 25 Group RAF , North West Area , with No . 272 Squadron RAF stationed there . The station closed in December 1918 , when the last squadron to be based there was disbanded . ( Secret Scotland Wiki ) 772 Naval Air Squadron arrived at Machrihanish in July 1940 . Portland , its previous base , had become a prime target for the Luftwaffe since the fall of France . Thus the squadron and the anti - submarine school both moved north . 766 Naval Air Squadron ( Operational Training Unit ) arrived in August 1942 . 768 Naval Air Squadron ( Deck Landing Training ) also arrived in the middle of 1943 . In addition to its resident squadrons , records indicate a further ten front line squadrons were stationed there in spring 1942 . A large number of other squadrons used the base for training for short periods . ( Secret Scotland Wiki ) During the Cold War , Machrihanish was a strategically important North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) airfield , with its location giving immediate access to patrol & support naval operation over the North Atlantic . It was also valuable as a stopping point for transatlantic military flights . At , the original runway 11 / 29 at Campbeltown Airport is the longest of any public airport in Scotland . It was built between 1960 and 1962 as part of a major reconstruction for the airport ' s role in NATO . It was certified to accept NASA ' s Space Shuttle should it have needed to make an emergency landing in Europe . An answer to the House of Commons in 2004 reveals that the base was handed over by the United States Navy back to Ministry of Defence control on 30 June 1995 . The base is now on what is termed " care and maintenance " — this allows the airfield to be used by civilian airlines , which may conduct scheduled and charter flights from the aerodrome . The MoD are responsible for the upkeep of the aerodrome , which may sometimes be used by military detachments whilst on exercise . During times of conflict or national emergency , the aerodrome could revert to its intended military use . In 2005 the MoD was still reported to be considering reactivating the base . On 14 May 2009 , it was announced that the base would be made available for sale , and in 2012 was sold for £1 to a local consortium who hope to develop the site for the benefit of the local community .