Cobra Dane

Night view of the COBRA DANE radar
Displays for the COBRA DANE system, 1977
Personnel inside the data processing center, June 1977

The AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE radar is a passive electronically scanned array installation operated by Raytheon for the United States Air Force at Eareckson Air Station on the island of Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.[1] This radar system was built in 1976 and brought on-line in 1977 for the primary mission of intelligence gathering in support of verification of the SALT II arms limitation treaty. Its single face radar with a 29 m (95 ft) diameter phased array radar antenna 52°44′14″N 174°05′29″E / 52.7373°N 174.0914°E / 52.7373; 174.0914 faces the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kura Test Range. COBRA DANE operates in the 1215–1400 MHz band.[2]

The "COBRA" designation indicated a General Defense Intelligence Program.[3]

It initially employed a Control Data Corporation Cyber 74 mainframe computer for data processing.[4] Data from the radar is sent to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. It is also listed as a partner of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office and works with the Missile Defense Agency,[1] under the control of the 21st Operations Group.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  2. ↑ "AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE". fas.org. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
  3. ↑ Colonel Bill Grimes, U.R. (2014). The History of Big Safari. Archway. p. 454. ISBN 9781480804562.
  4. ↑ "Press report on Computer sale to PRC (THIS LINK POINTS TO THE WRONG DOCUMENT)". United States Department of State. 1976-10-30. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  5. ↑ Steve Brady. "Wing adopts new (again) space surveillance mission". afspc.af.mil. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
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