HAARP - S Band Aircraft Alert Radar

USA / Alaska / Gakona /
 radar station, interesting place, early warning radar
The HAARP Gakona Facility employs a Faruno S-Band radar to detect all aircraft that may be in the vicinity of the facility. The radar is used to alert the control operator during research operations so that any high power transmitters on-site can be shut down. This Aircraft Alert Radar can detect planes at altitudes as low as 500 feet at 8 miles. As a supplement and to improve detection performance, the radar installation uses a modified TCAS system to interrogate planes within range that carry transponders. The resulting automatic replies allow the plane's altitude to be shown on the display console adjacent to the normal radar return.

In the photo to the left, the taller mast supports the main rotating antenna for the S-Band radar. The smaller mast supports a four monopole array used by the modified TCAS equipment to interrogate transponders in the vicinity and to determine the bearing for any responses. A larger image of the radar is available (34 K jpg).

The shelter shown in the image is used to house the S-Band transmitter, SSR PC-RP™ radar processor and TCAS system. Processed information is sent from the trailer to the Operations Center and the control operator position by a fiber optic link. A large UPS is also located in the trailer to protect the equipment from power interruptions.

Some of the specifications for this radar include:

Radar Transceiver: Furuno Model RTR018/60S
60 kW Peak Power S-Band Radar Transceiver
State-Of-The-Art Maritime Radar
MTD Target Detection Capability
SSR Engineering Processor: Model PCRP-202
Radar Control and Post-Detection Signal Processing
Pentium IV PC Platform with Solid-State Disk Storage
Range: Maximum: 96 nMiles, Minimum: .1 nMile
Detection threshold 1 m2 at range 7 miles, altitude 500 feet.

The display console for the radar system is driven by a standard workstation with software that allows a map overlay and custom setting of range rings. The display console is installed at the main control operator's position. The radar system was installed by BAE Systems Advanced Technologies and the Naval Air Warfare Center (PAX River) with assistance from the Oceantronics Corporation during July and August 2003.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   62°23'46"N   145°10'8"W

Comments

  • wondering how you got these pictures
  • What is there to say? I am a Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force. My primary AFSC (Air Force Speciality Code) is 1C5x1, with a secondary of 1C6x1. If I were to tell you I am uncomfortable with many of the systems operated in this particular command, would it disturb you? Well, I am disturbed. I admit that my expertise is not centered on this technology, however, what I do know troubles me. Heating up the Ionosphere, using MILLIONS (now BILLIONS, I hear) of Watts would trouble any sane technician. In the future, remember my little blurb here. I said it bothered me. Let us hope I was wrong.
This article was last modified 13 years ago