AN/FPS-7 Radar
General Electric AN/FPS-7 Radar | |
Country of origin | United States |
---|---|
Type | Long Range Search Radar |
Other names | AN/ECP-91 AN/FPS-107 (V1, V2) |
The AN/FPS-7 Radar was a Long Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.
In the mid-1950s General Electric developed a radar with a search altitude of 100,000 feet and a range of 270 miles. This radar was significant in that it was the first stacked-beam radar to enter into production in the United States. The antenna was fed signals from several feed horns arranged in a vertical stack, producing a series of horizontal beams separated vertically in space. By comparing the returns from the different feeds, altitude information could be determined without the need for a separate height-finder radar.
Designed to operate in the L-band at 1250 to 1350 MHz, the radar deployed in late 1959 and the early 1960s. The AN/FPS-7 was used for both air defense and air traffic control in New York, Kansas City, Houston, Spokane, San Antonio, and elsewhere.
In the early 1960s a modification called AN/ECP-91 was installed to improve its electronic countermeasure (ECM) capability. About thirty units were produced. Another modification was the AN/FPS-107 which also operated in the L-Band which was manufactured by Westinghouse.
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/FPS-7" designation represents the 7th design of an Army-Navy electronic device for fixed ground search radar.[1][2] The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense electronic systems.
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ Winkler, David F. (1997). "Radar Systems Classification Methods". Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program (PDF). Langley AFB, Virginia: United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. p. 73. LCCN 97020912. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Avionics Department (2013). "Missile and Electronic Equipment Designations". Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook (PDF) (4 ed.). Point Mugu, California: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. pp. 2–8.1.