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{{Short description|American radar network}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
[[File:PAVE PAWS&BMEWS.svg|thumb|300px|Coverage of the original [[PAVE PAWS]] and [[BMEWS]] systems, later upgraded to SSPARS and eventually to UEWR]]
[[File:Radar RAF Fylingdales.jpg|thumb|BMEWS solid-state phased-array radar at [[RAF Fylingdales]]]]
The '''Solid State Phased Array Radar System'''{{r|Chapman}} ('''SSPARS'''), [[colloquialism|colloquially]]
* '''Raytheon [[AN/FPS-123]] PAVE PAWS Radar'''<ref>{{Cite report |title=Communications-Electronics (C-E) Managers Handbook |url=http://nato.radioscanner.ru/files/article63/communications_elect.pdf |access-date=2014-03-13 |quote=AN/FPS-49 has a traditional azimuth bearing assembly (race and steel balls) while the AN/FPS-92 has a hydrostatic bearing (antenna floats on a high pressure film of hydraulic fluid). AN/FPQ-16 Radar Set, Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System - PARCS: PARCS is a single faced phased array radar system consisting of AN/FPQ-16 radar and an AN/FSQ-100 computer system located at Cavalier AFS, ND. The primary mission of the PARCS is to provide the [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex|CMC]] with TW/AA data on all SLBMs penetrating the coverage area. ... FORCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FMS) PROVIDES THE CONUS NORAD REGION COMMANDER WITH TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION}}</ref> at Beale (FPS-115 [[Initial operating capability|IOC]] April 4, 1980) and Cape Cod (FPS-115 [[Initial operating capability|IOC]] August 15, 1980)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/pavepaws.htm|title=AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS Radar|first=John|last=Pike}}</ref> ▼
* '''Raytheon [[AN/FPS-120]] Solid State Phased Array Radar''' at Thule ("2QFY87")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/spp/military/program/nssrm/initiatives/clearu.htm|title=Clear Upgrade (U)}}</ref> with greater radar capabilities than the FPS-115 PAVE PAWS radars▼
* '''Raytheon [[AN/FPS-126]] Solid State Phased Array Radar''' at Fylingdales with three faces for 360 degree coverage (constructed August 1989-October 1992)<ref name=UK>{{Cite book |last=Stocker |first=Jeremy |editor=Gray, Colin S. |editor2=Murray, Williamson |year=2004 |isbn=0-203-30963-4 |publisher=Frank Cass |title=Britain and Ballistic Missile Defence 1942-2002 |url=http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/britain-and-ballistic-missile-1942-2002.pdf |issn=1473-6403 |access-date=2014-03-09 |quote=in March 1963 an Air Ministry review of ABM systems said of MIDAS that 'performance to date has been disappointing'.<sup>78</sup> … A teletype circuit was established between NORAD and the ADOC in Britain to pass information derived from Site 1 at Thule.<sup>95</sup> This was supplemented by a voice circuit with agreed formatted messages, and both were operational by October 1960. … AN/FPS-49 Range resolution 240 nm Maximum range 2,650 nm Minimum target at 1,650 m 2.8 m<sup>2</sup> Impact accuracy North America 135 nm}}</ref>▼
*'''Raytheon AN/FPS-120<ref name=GlobalSecurityClear>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/clear.htm|title=Clear AFS|first=John|last=Pike}}</ref> Solid State Phased Array Radar''' using an older antenna from the 1987<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/parsehtml.php?html=EldoradoAFSPAVEPAWSTXdedication87.html&type=doc_html|title=Eldorado AFS Dedication - 1987}}</ref> [[Eldorado Air Force Station|PAVE PAWS EWR in Texas]] (groundbreaking April 16, 1998,{{r|GlobalSecurityClear}} for the "Clear Radar Upgrade")<ref>{{Cite web |title=AN/FPS-120 Solid State Phased-Array System [SSPARS]: Clear Radar Upgrade |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/sspars.htm |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=2014-03-08}}</ref>▼
After the Fylingdales BMEWS radars had been replaced by Raytheon/[[Cossor AeroSpace]] and [[Control Data Corporation]] (embedded CDC-Cyber computer) at a cost of US $100M,{{Citation needed|reason=This claim was in the BMEWS article.date=March 2014|date=March 2014}} in February 1995 the "missile warning center at [[Cheyenne Mountain Air Station|Cheyenne Mountain AS]] [was] undergoing a $450 million upgrade program".<ref name=Orban1995>{{cite news|last=Orban|first=SSgt. Brian|date=February 1995|title=The trip wire|newspaper=Guardian|publisher=Air Force Space Command|page=6|quote=North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command command center. ... For more than 30 years, the crews operating the missile warning center inside Cheyenne Mountain have maintained an early warning trip line [for] incoming ballistic missiles}}</ref> The entire SSPARS became operational on January 31, 2001 when the "SSPARS Site"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/clear-air-force-station-alaska/|title=Clear Air Force Station, Alaska}}</ref> at Clear AFS (separate from the BMEWS site) had [[Initial Operational Capability]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clear AFS, AK |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/clear.htm |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=2014-03-05}}</ref> The Clear AN/FPS-120 was subsequently "upgraded to the AN/FPS-123 model" SSPA Radar,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/equip/fps-115.html|title=AN/FPS-115, AN/FPS-120, AN/FPS-123, AN/FPS-126}}</ref> and the SSPARS was modified in the '''Early Warning Radar Service Life Extension Program'''<ref name=Chapman>{{Cite book |last=Chapman |first=Bert |title=Space Warfare and Defense: A Historical Encyclopedia and Research Guide |year=2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-59884-006-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ae9f-7bV5w4C&q=%22Early+Warning+Radar%22+SSPARS&pg=PA153 |format=Google books |access-date=2014-03-13 |quote=BMEWS was replaced by the Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) in 2001. ... CINCAD (Command in Chief, Aerospace Defense Command)}}</ref> The US approved sale of an{{Which|reason=Was the Robins AFB PAVE PAWS the one sold to Taiwan?|date=March 2014}} AN/FPS-115 to Taiwan in 2000<ref name="MDA">{{cite web |url=http://www.mda.mil/global/documents/pdf/uewr1.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912144237/http://www.mda.mil/global/documents/pdf/uewr1.pdf |archive-date=2014-09-12 }}</ref> and it was introduced in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20130730000090&cid=1101 |title=US radar system a waste of money for Taiwan: Magazine｜Politics｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com |access-date=2014-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907212831/http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20130730000090&cid=1101 |archive-date=2014-09-07 }}</ref>▼
==Classification of radar systems==
{{further|Joint Electronics Type Designation System}}
Under the [[Joint Electronics Type Designation System]] (JETDS), all U.S. military radar and tracking systems are assigned a unique identifying alphanumeric designation. The letters “AN” (for Army-Navy) are placed ahead of a three-letter code.<ref name=EWRS2013>{{cite book|author=Avionics Department|title=Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook|edition=4|chapter=Missile and Electronic Equipment Designations|
*The first letter of the three-letter code denotes the type of platform hosting the electronic device, where A=Aircraft, F=Fixed (land-based), S=Ship-mounted, and T=Ground transportable.
*The second letter indicates the type of equipment, where P=Radar (pulsed), Q=Sonar, and R=Radio.
*The third letter indicates the function or purpose of the device, where G=Fire control, R=Receiving, S=Search, and T=Transmitting.
Thus, the AN/FPS-132 represents the 132nd design of an Army-Navy “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device.<ref name=EWRS2013/><ref name=Winkler1997>{{cite book|last=Winkler|first=David F.|title=Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program|chapter=Radar Systems Classification Methods|page=73|publisher=United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command|___location=Langley AFB, Virginia|year=1997|lccn=97020912|url=https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/airdef/1997-06-01955.pdf}}</ref>▼
The '''AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR)''' is a series of [[phased array radar]] systems used for long-range [[Early-warning radar|early warning]] and [[space surveillance]], operating as part of the [[United States national missile defense|United States Missile Defense]] and [[Space Surveillance Network]].
▲Thus, the AN/FPS-132 represents the 132nd design of an Army-Navy “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device.<ref name=EWRS2013/><ref name=Winkler1997>{{cite book|last=Winkler|first=David F.|title=Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program|chapter=Radar Systems Classification Methods|page=73|publisher=United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command|___location=Langley AFB, Virginia|year=1997|lccn=97020912|url=https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/airdef/1997-06-01955.pdf}}</ref>
The AN/FPS-132 Block-5 was ordered by the [[Qatar Emiri Air Force]], and is in construction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar - AN/FPS-132 Block 5 Early Warning Radar {{!}} Defense Security Cooperation Agency |url=https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/qatar-anfps-132-block-5-early-warning-radar |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=www.dsca.mil}}</ref>▼
==History==
The Solid State Phased Array Radar System is a phased array radar with 2500 "solid state transmitter" modules.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Radar Handbook | first=Merrill I. | last=Skolnik | url=http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/rsl-documents/research/SARlab/GMTILiterature/PDF/Skolnik90.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416175805/http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/rsl-documents/research/SARlab/GMTILiterature/PDF/Skolnik90.pdf | archive-date=2014-04-16}}</ref>
The Solid State Phased Array Radar System began replacing PAVE PAWS when the first AN/FPS-115 face was taken off-line for the radar upgrade. New [[AN/FPS-123]] Early Warning Radars became operational in (Beale) and (Cape Cod) in each base's existing PAVE PAWS "Scanner Building".<ref name=HAER>{{Cite report |title=Photographs [and<nowiki>]</nowiki> Written Historical and Descriptive Data: Cape Cod Air Station Technical Facility/Scanner Building and Power Plant |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ma/ma1600/ma1633/data/ma1633data.pdf |access-date=2014-06-10 |quote=Technical Facility/Scanner Building (HAER No. MA-151-A), which houses the AN/FPS-1152 radar and related equipment… PAVE PAWS Site 1 … AN/FSS-7…designed by [[Avco|Avco Electronics Division]]… The first two PAVE PAWS sites in Massachusetts and California represented the first two-faced phased array radars deployed by the U.S. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715034251/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ma/ma1600/ma1633/data/ma1633data.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-15 }}</ref>▼
▲
[[RAF Fylingdales|The UK]] and [[Clear Air Force Station|Alaska]] BMEWS stations became SSPARS radar stations when their respective [[Raytheon AN/FPS-126 Solid State Phased Array Radar|AN/FPS-126]] radar <ref name=Radomes>{{Cite web |title=AN/FPS-115, AN/FPS-120, AN/FPS-123, AN/FPS-126 |url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/equip/fps-115.html |publisher=Radomes.org |access-date=2014-06-11}}</ref> and 2001 [[Raytheon AN/FPS-120 Solid State Phased Array Radar|AN/FPS-120]] became operational.<ref name=CRU>{{cite web|url=http://radomes.org/museum/documents/BMEWSSite2ClearAKnewradar032001.html|title=Raytheon completes upgrades to BMEWS radar in Alaska - 16 Mar 2001}}</ref> In 2007, 100 owners/trustees of amateur radio repeaters near AN/FPS-123 radars were notified to lower their power output to mitigate interference,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w5yi.org/ama_news_article.php?id=191|title=W5YI |publisher=w5yi.org}}</ref> and AN/FPS-123s were part of the [[Air Force Space Surveillance System]] by 2009.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chatters |first1=Maj Edward P IV |last2=Crothers |first2=Maj Brian J. |year=2009 |title=AU-18 Space Primer |url=http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil/digital/pdf/book/AU-18.pdf |chapter=Chapter 19: Space Surveillance Network |chapter-url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/space/au-18-2009/au-18_chap19.pdf |publisher=Air University |page=252 |access-date=2014-06-06 |quote=Perimeter Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased-Array Weapons System (PAVE PAWS)}}</ref> [[BAE Systems]] began a 2007 contract for SSPARS maintenance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/39693bae-systems-to-continue-maintaining-sspars-radar-network-for-us-air|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319131750/http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/39693bae-systems-to-continue-maintaining-sspars-radar-network-for-us-air|archive-date=March 19, 2014|title=BAE Systems To Continue Maintaining SSPARS Radar Network for U.S. Air Force - SpaceNews.com|date=3 March 2014}}</ref> The SSPARS radar electronics was subsequently upgraded, e.g., the Beale radar<ref name="MDA"/> and the Fylingales FPS-126 each became an [[AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar]] (UEWR)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mostlymissiledefense.com/2013/08/07/u-s-to-sell-large-early-warning-radar-to-qatar-august-7-2013/|title=U.S. to Sell Large Early Warning Radar to Qatar (August 7, 2013) (corrected February 10, 2014)|date=7 August 2013}}</ref> by Raytheon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fylingdales |url=http://www.raytheon.co.uk/ourcompany/facilities/fylingdales/index.html |publisher=Raytheon.co.uk |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311182300/http://www.raytheon.co.uk/ourcompany/facilities/fylingdales/index.html |archive-date=2014-03-11 }}</ref> The Beale AN/FPS-123 was upgraded to a Raytheon '''AN/FPS-132 (UEWR)''' with capabilities to operate in the [[Ground-based Midcourse Defense]] (GMD) ABM system—the Beale UEWR included "Avionics", "T/R modules",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/topstories/Northrop-Grumman-Sets-TR-Module-Standard_73016.html#.U5cyXUnnb4Y|title=Avionics Magazine :: Northrop Grumman Sets T/R Module Standard}}</ref> "FEX/TTG", "BSG", "Signal Processor", and other changes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/logistics_material_readiness/contracts/HQ0006-01-C-0001.pdf|title=ALERT|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713032135/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/logistics_material_readiness/contracts/HQ0006-01-C-0001.pdf|archive-date=2013-07-13}}</ref> After additional UEWR installations for GMD at Thule Site J and the UK (contracted 2003),<ref name="radomes.org">http://www.radomes.org/museum/documents/CCAFS%20Tri-fold%20Brochure_10Jan08.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> a 2012 ESD/XRX [[Request for Information]] for replacement, and remote operation, of the remaining "PAVE PAWS/BMEWS/PARCS systems" at Cape Cod, Alaska, and North Dakota was issued.<ref name=FBO2f3973>{{Citation |format=Solicitation |date=January 23, 2012 |title=PAVE PAWS, BMEWS, and PARCS Radar Systems |url=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=2f3973d6a7d33a330f489cad72702494&tab=core&_cview=0 |number=1262012 |publisher=FedBizOpps.gov |access-date=2014-06-11 |quote=The PAVE PAWS and BMEWS Beam Steering Unit (BSU), Receiver Exciter (REX), Receiver Beam Former (RBF), Array Group Driver (AGD), Radio Frequency Monitor (RFM), Frequency Time Standard (FTS), and the Corporate Feed (CFD) were built for these five radars in the late 1970s and were upgraded in the 1980s. … The PARCS Signal Processing Group (SPG) has received only "band-aid" fixes since the site's Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 1975}}</ref> The Alaska AN/FPS-132 was contracted in fall 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/BMEWS-Radar-Upgrades-Clear-AFS-Goes-from-Warning-to-BMD-Targeting-07532/|title=PAVE PAWS Radar Upgrades: Clear AFS Goes from Warning to BMD Targeting}}</ref> and the Cape Cod installation in 2013.<ref name="MDA"/>▼
In 2001 SSPARS equipment included:
▲* '''Raytheon
▲* '''Raytheon [[PAVE PAWS#Replacement|AN/FPS-120]] Solid State Phased Array Radar''' at [[Thule Air Station|Thule]] ("2QFY87")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/spp/military/program/nssrm/initiatives/clearu.htm|title=Clear Upgrade (U)|access-date=2015-04-04|archive-date=2008-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011183130/https://fas.org/spp/military/program/nssrm/initiatives/clearu.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> with greater radar capabilities than the FPS-115 PAVE PAWS radars
▲* '''Raytheon [[PAVE PAWS#Replacement|AN/FPS-126]] Solid State Phased Array Radar''' at [[RAF Fylingdales|Fylingdales]] with three faces for 360 degree coverage (constructed August 1989-October 1992)<ref name=UK>{{Cite book |last=Stocker |first=Jeremy |editor=Gray, Colin S. |editor2=Murray, Williamson |year=2004 |isbn=0-203-30963-4 |publisher=Frank Cass |title=Britain and Ballistic Missile Defence 1942-2002 |url=http://sobchak.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/britain-and-ballistic-missile-1942-2002.pdf |issn=1473-6403 |access-date=2014-03-09 |quote=in March 1963 an Air Ministry review of ABM systems said of MIDAS that 'performance to date has been disappointing'.<sup>78</sup> … A teletype circuit was established between NORAD and the ADOC in Britain to pass information derived from Site 1 at Thule.<sup>95</sup> This was supplemented by a voice circuit with agreed formatted messages, and both were operational by October 1960. … AN/FPS-49 Range resolution 240 nm Maximum range 2,650 nm Minimum target at 1,650 m 2.8 m<sup>2</sup> Impact accuracy North America 135 nm}}</ref>
▲*'''Raytheon AN/FPS-120<ref name=GlobalSecurityClear>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/clear.htm|title=Clear AFS|first=John|last=Pike}}</ref> Solid State Phased Array Radar''' using an older antenna from the 1987<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/parsehtml.php?html=EldoradoAFSPAVEPAWSTXdedication87.html&type=doc_html|title=Eldorado AFS Dedication - 1987}}</ref> [[Eldorado Air Force Station|PAVE PAWS EWR in Texas]] (groundbreaking
▲After the Fylingdales BMEWS radars had been replaced by Raytheon/[[Cossor AeroSpace]] and [[Control Data Corporation]] (embedded CDC-Cyber computer) at a cost of US $100M,{{Citation needed|reason=This claim was in the BMEWS article.date=March 2014|date=March 2014}} in February 1995 the "missile warning center at [[Cheyenne Mountain Air Station|Cheyenne Mountain AS]] [was] undergoing a $450 million upgrade program".<ref name=Orban1995>{{cite news|last=Orban|first=SSgt. Brian|date=February 1995|title=The trip wire|newspaper=Guardian|publisher=Air Force Space Command|page=6|quote=North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command command center. ... For more than 30 years, the crews operating the missile warning center inside Cheyenne Mountain have maintained an early warning trip line [for] incoming ballistic missiles}}</ref> The entire SSPARS became operational on 31 January
▲[[RAF Fylingdales|The UK]] and [[Clear Air Force Station|Alaska]] BMEWS stations became SSPARS radar stations when their respective
▲The AN/FPS-132 Block-5 was ordered by the [[Qatar Emiri Air Force]], and is in construction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar - AN/FPS-132 Block 5 Early Warning Radar {{!}} Defense Security Cooperation Agency |url=https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/qatar-anfps-132-block-5-early-warning-radar |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=www.dsca.mil}}</ref>
==System overview==
{{External media▼
* [[Solid-state (electronics)|Solid-state]] [[phased array radar]]▼
|image1=[https://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/7414560082/ AN/FPS-132 UEWR]▼
}}▼
** Each radar installation has multiple faces, where each face provides a 120-degree coverage.<ref name="MDA"/>
* Operating frequency: [[Ultra high frequency]] (UHF)<ref name="MDA"/>
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* [[Cape Cod Space Force Station]], [[Massachusetts]]
* [[Qatar]]<ref name="2016-12-13_JDW">[http://www.janes.com/article/66185/qatari-long-range-radar-procurement-moves-forward Qatar long-range radar purchase moves forward], Jeremy Burnie, [[Jane's Defence Weekly]], 13 December 2016, accessed 2017-01-11</ref>
▲{{External media
▲|image1=[https://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/7414560082/ AN/FPS-132 UEWR]
▲}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==See also==
{{Portal|Electronics}}
*[[List of radars]]
*[[List of military electronics of the United States]]
{{United States Missile Defense}}
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[[Category:2001 in military history]]<!--complete-->
[[Category:Early warning systems]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Equipment of the United States Space Force]]
[[Category:
[[Category:United States Space Surveillance Network]]
[[Category:Military electronics of the United States]]
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