Country of origin | United States |
---|---|
Manufacturer | General Electric |
Introduced | 1945 |
Type | Medium-range search/height finder |
Frequency | S-band (2.7–3.01 GHz) |
Pulsewidth | 0.5 μs |
Range | 165 mi (266 km) |
Altitude | 45,000 ft (14,000 m) |
Power | 40 kw |
Other Names | Minnie |
Related | AN/CPS-6, 6A, 6B, AN/FPS-10 |
The AN/CPS-6 was an S-band medium-range search/height finder radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. The radar was developed during the later stages of World War II by the MIT Radiation Laboratory with the first units produced by General Electric in mid-1945. In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System, the designation represents the 6th design of an Army-Navy air transportable radar (pulsed) electronic device for searching. [1] [2]
Subsequent development of the AN/CPS-6A and AN/CPS-6B models saw them produced at a plant in Syracuse, New York. The radar set consisted of two antennae, with one slanted at a 45-degree angle providing the height-finder capability. Designed to detect fighter aircraft at a range of 100 miles (160 km) and a height of up to 16,000 feet (4,900 m), the radar utilized five transmitters operating at S-band frequencies ranging between 2.700–3.019 GHz (111.0–99.3 mm). It required twenty-five people to operate the radar.
In 1949, an AN/CPS-6 radar was installed as part of the Lashup Radar Network at Twin Lights, New Jersey, proving capable of detecting targets at ranges of 84 miles (135 km). The first units of the follow-on AN/CPS-6B, ready for installation by mid-1950, saw fourteen of these assigned within the first permanent Lashup network.
A component designed to improve the radar's range was added in 1954. Tests showed the 6B-model had a range of 165 miles (266 km) with an altitude limit of 45,000 feet (14,000 m). A single radar unit with its ancillary electronic equipment required eighty-five freight cars for transport. The Air Force phased out the 6B-model between mid-1957 and mid-1959.
Another radar, developed from the CPS-6, was the AN/FPS-10. It was essentially a stripped-down version of the AN/CPS-6B. [3] Thirteen of these units served within the first permanent Lashup network.
The AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE is a PESA phased array radar installation operated by Raytheon for the United States Space Force at Eareckson Air Station on the island of Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The system was built in 1976 and brought online in 1977 for the primary mission of gathering intelligence about Russia's ICBM program in support of verification of the SALT II arms limitation treaty. Its single face 29 m (95 ft) diameter phased array radar antenna 52.7373°N 174.0914°E faces the Kamchatka Peninsula and Russia's Kura Test Range. COBRA DANE operates in the 1215–1400 MHz band and can track items as small as a basketball sized drone at distances of several hundred miles.
Empire Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) long range radar site located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south-southeast of Empire, Michigan, in Empire Township. It was closed in 1978 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Claysburg Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Claysburg, Pennsylvania. It was closed in 1961 due to budget constraints. The unit was eventually moved to Gibbsboro Air Force Station (RP-63), New Jersey.
The AN/CPS-4 Radar was a medium-range height-finding radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United States for several decades thereafter. It was also used by the Royal Air Force alongside their AMES Type 80s. Built by General Electric, the S-band radar operated on a frequency of 2700 to 2900 MHz. Between 1953 and 1960, about 450 units of the AN/FPS-6 and the mobile AN/MPS-14 version were produced. The AN/FPS-90 and AN/FPS-116 radars were identical to the AN/FPS-6 except for receiver modifications.
The AN/FPS-7 Radar was a Long Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
The AN/FPS-20 was a widely used L band early warning and ground-controlled interception radar system employed by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command, the NORAD Pinetree Line in Canada, the USAF CONAD in the continental United States, and a variety of other users. The design started life as the Bendix AN/FPS-3 in 1950, was upgraded to the FPS-20, then spawned over a dozen different variants as additional upgrades were applied. The FPS-20 formed the backbone of the US air defense network through the early Cold War with over 200 units deployed. Most FPS-20 sites were replaced by modern equipment in the late 1960s, although a number were turned over to the FAA, modified for air traffic control use, and became ARSR-60s.
The Avco AN/FPS-26 Radar was an Air Defense Command height finder radar developed in the Frequency Diversity Program with a tunable 3-cavity power klystron for electronic counter-countermeasures (e.g. to counter jamming). Accepted by the Rome Air Development Center on 20 January 1960 for use at SAGE radar stations, the AN/FPS-26 processed height-finder requests (e.g., from Air Defense Direction Centers) by positioning to the azimuth of a target aircraft using a high-pressure hydraulic drive, then "nodding" in either a default automatic mode or by operator command. The inflatable radome required a minimum pressure to prevent contact with the antenna which would result in damage to both (technicians accessed the antenna deck via an air lock.) To maintain high dielectric strength, the waveguide was pressurized with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which technicians were warned would produce deadly fluorine if waveguide arcing occurred.
The AN/FPS-27 Radar was a long-range early warning radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
The AN/FPS-4 Radar was a Height-Finder Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
The AN/FPS-14 was a medium-range search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
The AN/FPS-18 was a medium-range search radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
Palermo Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force (USAF) General Surveillance Radar station. It was located in Palermo, New Jersey, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) north of Sea Isle City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It was closed in 1970.
Brunswick Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east-southeast of Brunswick, Maine. It was closed in 1965.
The AN/TPS-1 Radar was an early warning and tactical control radar developed by Bell Labs and the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War II. Initially used by the US Army, it was later used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command, and a number of European armed forces. A number of variations were produced by several vendors, including Western Electric, Westinghouse Electric, Bendix Corporation and several European manufacturers in the post-war era. In Royal Air Force service it was known as AMES Type 61.
Lake City Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) west-southwest of Lake City, Tennessee. It was closed in 1960.
West Mesa Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was closed by the Air Force in 1968 and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The site is now data-tied into the Joint Surveillance System (JSS).
Cambria Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southeast of Cambria, California. It was closed in 1980.
Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 5.8 miles (9.3 km) southwest of the Santa Rosa Island dock, California. It was closed in 1963.
The AN/FPS-19 was a long-range search radar developed for the NORAD Distant Early Warning Line by Raytheon. It was an L-band system working between 1220 and 1350 MHz produced by a 500 kW magnetron. Two such systems were placed back-to-back, one with an antenna that produced a narrow beam to improve range for long-range detection, and the second with a wider fan-shaped beam to cover higher angles at shorter ranges. The former could detect bomber-sized targets to about 160 miles (260 km) and the latter covered up to 65,000 ft (20,000 m) altitude.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency