Talk:AN/MPQ-14

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[edit] Krulak's rank in 1951

In response to an inline html comment, Victor Krulak was promoted to Colonel in 1949 and to Brigadier General in 1956, so, in 1951, he held the rank of Colonel. I've added the rank to the article and removed the inline comment. — ERcheck (talk) 04:18, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Radar or Missile

Maybe I should re-read the article, but is it saying the MPQ-14 is a missile based on the V-1 or that it is a radar that is used to control aircraft on night bombing missions? All the *PQ systems I've heard of are radar systems, and the few google items that come up for AN/MPQ-14 seem to indicate it was a radar bombing system that allowed ground units to guide aircraft in bombing (day or night). That seems to conflict with it being a missile system, though I suppose it could be used to guide a missile as well as aircraft. --Dual Freq 01:34, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

It is a system for radar-assisted guidance of aircraft bomb runs, not a missile. I would appreciate help with appropriately describing it. Krulak has a comprehensive history of it but is not too clear on how the system actually works.

It was developed as a training substitute for the V-1, so that an aircraft could simulate the remote-control of the V-1. This evolved into a weapon system for bomb release. In development, it was a system for ground control of aircraft up to bomb release.

What is unclear is a) the degree of automation in conjunction with radar b) where the radar is mounted (since they used night Corsairs...which already have a wing-mounted radar).

A NAVAIR source[1] (I was googling for AN-MPQ-14 without success) states it was ground control, so I will edit the article to match. The bomb category no longer fits; any ideas of appropriate categories? --Mmx1 01:49, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Based only on the NAVAIR link, the MPQ desig and The Improved Direct Air Support Center article, I would say it is a Radar system that ground forces use to locate aircraft and guide them to a target. It would have to consist of a ground based radar towed or otherwise transported to the field and an uplink system that tells the aircraft where to fly and when to drop the bombs. I have no experience with this type of system, but all the *PQ systems I know of are radars, ie SPQ-9 gun fire control radar, the MPQ-64 Sentinel and the MPQ-53 or MPQ-65 radar used with Patriot. There are a few MPQ radars associated with the MIM-23 Hawk as well. That's why I originally thought it was a radar vice an actual missile. I used AN/MPQ-14 on google, but it only came up with two items. I'm not sure I have enough other info to add to the article, although I would say it fits in Category:Ground radars. --Dual Freq 02:15, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Additional Sources

I found some additional sources. They are not very detailed, but they describe the AN/MPQ-14 in a paragraph or two each. US Marine Corps Aviation (5 page PDF), The Sea Services in the Korean War 1950-1953 (500 page PDF).

I assume all to be PD-USGov-Military so I will quote directly, The Marine equipment, on the other hand, was more mobile since it was to be employed close to friendly lines. Referred to as the MPQ-14, the Marine radar bombing system was designed so that the largest piece could be put into a one-ton trailer. Major ground items were a generator power supply, a tracking radar, and a computer; the last essential component, an automatic bombing control, was mounted in the aircraft.

Developed and hand built after World War II by Marines under Major Marion C. Dalby at the Naval Air Materiel Test Center, Point Mugu, California, the MPQ-14 was first used in Korea in September 1951. Initially, considerable mechanical difficulty was experienced with radar bombing, which affected the accuracy of the bombs, but later the system became sufficiently reliable to permit bomb drops within one mile of friendly lines. Subsequent use confirmed the tactical precision of the MPQ-14. By the middle of summer 1952, the Marines had obtained Fifth Air Force permission to use radar bombing, controlled by a forward observer on the ground, in a close support role. (The Sea Services in the Korean War 1950-1953 page 38).

The new MPQ–14 radar-controlled bombing equipment, developed between 1946 and 1950, was employed by MASRT–1, as a device to control night fighter sorties of a general support nature flown by day attack aircraft. By means of height-finding and directional radars, it enabled a pilot to leave his base, drop a bomb load on target, and return to home field without ever having seen the ground. It offered major practical improvement in blind bombing methods. MPQ was limited, however, in its use in sudden, moving battle situations because of some of its sophisticated, hand-built ABC components. (The Sea Services in the Korean War 1950-1953 page 267).

US Marine Corps Aviation page 4 indicates the "controller vectored the aircraft to the release point and, at the proper spot, directed release by radio and, in later refinements, automatically."

Kind of sounds similar to a Precision Approach Radar. Hope this is helpful. --Dual Freq 23:18, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Incredible. Thanks a lot. I'll incorporate them later tonight. How did you find these, might I ask? --Mmx1 23:23, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Google keywords: Marine Corps Korea MPQ-14. Also Google:Marine Corps TPQ-10, shows some Vietnam era stuff on the TPQ-10. Direct Air Support Center also mentions the AN/TPQ-10 system. There are similar Air Force systems and some more detail can be found with Google:Ground directed bombing search terms. It sounds like these systems were vital for all weather / night bombing in the time before accurate navigation systems like GPS. --Dual Freq 23:34, 19 July 2006 (UTC)