The AN/FPS-19 was a long-range search radar developed for the NORAD Distant Early Warning Line (DEW 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.
6-579: The system was developed from the AN/TPS-1 , which dated to the late World War II era. Raytheon adapted it to the long-range role by designing much larger antenna systems and other modifications. The first examples were activated in 1957, along with the AN/FPS-23 radars that provided low-altitude coverage between the stations. The AN/FPS-23 was removed in 1963, and the FPS-19 was scheduled to be replaced by
12-779: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . AN/TPS-1 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
18-717: The basis of their post- ROTOR network. 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. Thus, the AN/FPS-19 represents the 19th design of an Army-Navy “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency This United States Air Force article
24-525: The post-war era. In Royal Air Force service it was known as AMES Type 61 . The TPS-1 is a lightweight portable search radar using a cut-down parabolic antenna of the "orange peel" design with an off-axis feed and transmitting in the L-band between 1220 and 1280 megahertz (MHz). The initial versions were designed to break down into ten packages and then be assembled on-site, but a number of adaptations to large trucks and even school bus frames were made over
30-534: The somewhat more powerful AN/FPS-30 . The declining role of bomber defense in the era of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) meant these upgrades were not carried out. The FPS-19 remained in service until the late 1980s when they were replaced by the AN/FPS-117 as part of the newly named North Warning System . The UK equivalent was the AMES Type 80 , a significantly more powerful radar that formed
36-473: The years. A crew of two could operate the radar. The 1B model could detect bombers at 10,000 feet at a distance of 120 nautical miles. Versions B through G differed primarily in the antenna pattern, providing better vertical range, but were electrically identical. TPS-1s were used to defend many beach-heads in the Pacific during the war and were among the first portable radar units to go into operation following
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