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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 2364.PDF
634 FLIGHT, 21 October I960 Radar and Research ... potential, a fast capacitor bank of 300,000 joules and a small shocktunnel for training. In addition, a 36in pebble-heated hypersonic blowdown tunnel has been designed for eventual installationalongside the existing Wind Tunnel Laboratory. The development and evaluation of materials, processes anddesign applications to solve structural problems in high-speed aircraft, missiles and space vehicles is the task of Republic'sMaterials Development Laboratory. Also included is a Nuclear Radiation Laboratory, designed primarily to investigate radiationeffects on space-vehicle and aircraft components and systems. The function of the Electronics Laboratory is to study problemsassociated with VTOL blind landing systems, interspace com- munication systems and advanced instrumentation techniques. The two remaining laboratories are respectively concerned withguidance and control, and fluid systems. * rt * - : ••'•••• .•.-'•••• :_- • •••-'> The prime system contractor to the US Air Force for theBallistic Missile Early Warning System is Radio Corporation of America, and it was at this company's Missile and Surface RadarDivision at Moorestown, New Jersey, that company engineers out- lined for us the overall planning of the BMEWS system, and inparticular the progress being made towards the installation of the third BMEWS site, to be located at Fylingdales Moor, Yorkshire.Overall direction of the BMEWS project is by the Electronics Systems Center of Air Materiel Command, and Western Electric Prototype of the RCA tracking radar to be installed at the British BMEWS site, this unit is 84ft in diameter and is being tested at Moorestown, New Jersey Co has an associate prime contract for the communications net-work linking the three BMEWS sites with North American Air Defense Command at Colorado Springs. It was originally thought that one site, at Thule, Greenlandwould suffice, but it soon became obvious that additional flanking sites would be needed. Clear (Alaska) and Fylingdales Moor werechosen. The complete system was to include a communications link between NORAD headquarters at Colorado Springs andStrategic Air Command headquarters at Omaha; and a link from the British station to the Royal Air Force central display andwarning facility. Two main types of radar equipment are used in the BMEWSsystem. One is the General Electric AM/FPS-50 detection radar, employing a fixed antenna 400ft wide and 165ft high and generat-ing two fans (wide in azimuth and narrow in elevation angle) of RF energy. The position and velocity of a missile would bedetermined as it passed through the lower and then the higher fan; its trajectory would be calculated from the two sets ofco-ordinates; and the impact area and time would be predicted and the point of launch determined. This data would be processed atthe site and transmitted to NORAD headquarters. The second type of radar is the RCA tracking radar, designatedAM/FPS-49. This equipment uses a steerable parabolic reflector protected by a 140ft-diameter radome, and can be used both fordetection (giving either fan coverage or a circular scan) and for tracking. On detection of a target the tracking radar would lockon to it and track it to ascertain whether or not this was in fact a ballistic missile and, if so, to determine its trajectory. By lockingon to the target, this type of equipment can give an extremely precise measurement of trajectory. At Site 1 at Thule, four detection radars have been installed andthese came into operation on October 1. The site also has provision for three of the RCA tracking-type radars, but budget authoriza-tion for these has not yet been received. Site 2 at Clear will have three detection radars, plus provision for two tracking units, andshould come into operation next summer. The third site at An indication of warning times possible using the BMEWS site at Thule, Greenland. Thule is approximately midway between Moscow -- . and New York ••--..•.:-•,••_••.-•.• . ; - .'•:•• Fylingdales will be the only one initially to use the AM/FPS-49equipment. Three of these tracking-type radars will be employed, two of which will operate as detection radars and one as a tracker(and as a detection back-up). At each site data will be processed by a pair of solid-statecomputers mounted "back-to-back." This duplication enables either computer to take over from the other during a scheduledor unscheduled shutdown, and is designed to ensure continuous operation. The computers have a four-fold function: —(1) Compute target trajectories from digitized target information. (2) Compare the trajectories with (a) observed satellites, (b)characteristics of aurorae and (c) the characteristics of meteor trails, to prevent a false alarm. (3) Make crucial decision in selecting tracking radars to coverspecified targets in the case of a mass raid. (4) Formulate messages giving target data and appropriate levelof confidence for transmission to the ZI (Zone of the Interior) display at Colorado Springs.An important contribution to the reliability of the system is its automatic checkout and monitoring system. Important sections of The radar dish shown at the top of this page is housed in this 140ft diameter radome at Moorestown. Radome, antenna and pedestal are built for RCA by Goodyear Aircraft Corp
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