 In 1955 the British government decided to incorporate St Kilda into a missile tracking range based in Benbecula , where test firings and flights are carried out . Thus in 1957 St Kilda became permanently inhabited once again . A variety of military buildings and masts have since been erected , including a canteen ( which is not open to the public ) , the ' Puff Inn ' . The Ministry of Defence ( MOD ) leases St Kilda from the National Trust for Scotland for a nominal fee . The main island of Hirta is still occupied year @-@ round by a small number of civilians employed by defence contractor QinetiQ working in the military base on a monthly rotation . In 2009 the MoD announced that it was considering closing down its missile testing ranges in the Western Isles , potentially leaving the Hirta base unmanned . 
