AN/FPS-117
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(November 2013) |
Country of origin | United States |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
Introduced | 1980 |
Type | Long-Range Radar System |
Frequency | 1215 to 1400 MHz (D/L) |
PRF | 241 |
Pulsewidth | 51.2 / 409.6 μS |
RPM | 5 or 6 RPMs |
Range | 470 km (250 nmi) |
Altitude | 30.5 km (100,000 ft) |
Azimuth | 0.18° at 250 km |
Elevation | -6° to +20° |
Power | 24.6 kw |
Other Names | Seek Igloo, AN/TPS-77, AN/TPS-59, RRS-177, AMES Type 92 |
The AN/FPS-117 is a 3-dimensional air search radar first produced by GE Aerospace (now Lockheed Martin) in 1980.[1][2]
The system is a low power (~20 kW), long range (200-250 nautical miles), L-band pencil beam, solid-state transmitter and beacon interrogator search radar. System design includes a redundant architecture with computer software remote controlled and monitored operations to minimize manning requirements.
The AN/FPS-117 is in use as part of the American-Canadian North Warning System of radars stretching across North America from Alaska, USA to Labrador, Canada. This North Warning System is designed to provide long-range detection and coverage for drug interdiction support and tactical command and control.
Implementation of the North Warning System has resulted in a reduction in Operations and Maintenance (O&M) spending by up to 50% compared to previous systems. Due to extreme northern locations of these radars, the physics of radiowave propagation in the 1215-1400 MHz frequency range is even more critical for target detection requirements.
The Air Force and the FAA also operate a limited number of AN/FPS-117 radars within the continental United States. The AN/FPS-117 radar is capable of randomly hopping among 18 channels in the 1215-1400 MHz band.[3]
Originally selected for the Alaskan Air Command's SEEK IGLOO project, the radar was also picked to replace the United States Air Force's AN/FPS-67 radar at Berlin's Tempelhof Central Airport and was commissioned at Tempelhof in July 1984.
The RRP-117 version is a model which is being supplied to Germany with an offset input from Siemens in fixed-site applications.
In 2011, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to upgrade the radars to extend their operational lives through 2025.[4]
(more: Radar Basics)
Operators
- Albania
- Australia
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Croatia
- Canada - Used in North Warning System
- Denmark
- Estonia - Used in Baltic Air Surveillance Network [5]
- Germany - Uses German variant RRP-117[6]
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Latvia - Used in Baltic Air Surveillance Network
- Lithuania - Used in Baltic Air Surveillance Network
- Pakistan
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia[7]
- South Korea - Used on Ulleungdo Island to defend Liancourt Rocks from a territorial dispute with Japan, and on the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
- Singapore - Republic of Singapore Air Force
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Greece
- United Kingdom - Officially known as the Type 92, based on the older AMES naming system, but rarely used that way. Use at RAF Saxa Vord to provide long-range coverage over the North Sea.
- United States - Used in North Warning System [8]
Variants
- AN/FPS-117 - Standard fixed version produced by Lockheed Martin.
- AN/TPS-77 - Transportable version produced by Lockheed Martin.
- RRP-117 - German fixed variant produced by Lockheed Martin, modified by Siemens to meet Luftwaffe requirements.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Lockheed Martin. "AN/FPS-117 LONG-RANGE AIR SURVEILLANCE RADARS" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- ^ "AN/FPS-117". Radomes. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ "AN/FPS Series". alternatewars.com. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- ^ "Lockheed Martin to Modernize 29 U.S. Air Force Early Warning Long-Range Surveillance Radars." Archived November 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Lockheed Martin, 7 November 2011.
- ^ ""The Baltic Air Surveillance Network - BALTNET"". Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Bundeswehr baut auf dem Flughafen Tempelhof (Bundeswehr is building at Tempelhof Airport)". Berliner Morgenpost. September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ "AN/FPS-117 Long Range Radar Upgrade". ASD News. December 26, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ John Keller (December 12, 2012). "Lockheed Martin to continue project to upgrade AN/FPS-117 long-range surveillance radars". Military & Aerospace Electronics. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "RRP-117 "Seek Igloo"". Retrieved 2017-09-14.[dead link]