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AN/FPQ-16

Early Warning Radar
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Basic Information
Name
AN/FPQ-16
Designation
Alternate Designation
Equipment Type
Early Warning Radar
Manufacturer
General Electric
Date of Introduction
Description

The AN/FPQ-16, also known as the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS), is a UHF band (420-450 MHz) phased-array early warning radar manufactured by General Electric in the United States. Located at Cavalier Space Command Base in North Dakota (48°43’30.0" N 97°54’00.0" W), it tracks over 20,000 objects daily, ranging from satellites to space debris, with an instrumented range of 3,700 km and a range resolution of 50 m. Activated in 1975 as part of the US Army’s Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system, it now functions as a key component of the missile attack warning system after modernization. The radar, along with its computer, communications equipment, and operations rooms, is housed in a reinforced multi-story concrete building; its single-faced phased array, comprising 6,888 radiating elements fed by 128 traveling wave tubes, is angled at 35 degrees and pointed northward over Hudson Bay, utilizing a linear frequency modulated waveform with a pulse compression ratio of 1:100.

Ground Specifications
Range 4259.6 km
Technical Characteristics
frequency 420 … 450 MHz (UHF band)
pulse repetition time (PRT) 50 ms
pulse repetition frequency (PRF) 20 Hz
pulsewidth (τ) 2.5 ms
peak power 14.4 MW
average power 715 kW
instrumented range 2,300 NM (≙ 3,700 km)
range resolution 50 m
Details
Country of Origin United States
Category Air Defense Radars
Land > Radars > Air Defense Radars
Classification
Domain
Ground
Equipment Status
Active
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