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, 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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