The Solid State Phased Array Radar System[1] (SSPARS), colloquially Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar network (BMEWS radar network),[2] is a United States Space Force radar, computer, and communications system for missile warning and space surveillance. There are SSPARS systems at five sites: Beale Air Force Base, CA, Cape Cod Space Force Station, MA, Clear Space Force Station, AK, RAF Fylingdales, UK, and Pituffik Space Base, Greenland.[3] The system completed replacement of the RCA 474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System when the last SSPAR became operational at then-Clear Air Force Station in 2001.[1]
Classification of radar systems
Under the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), all U.S. military radar and tracking systems are assigned a unique identifying alphanumeric designation. The letters “AN” (for Army-Navy) are placed ahead of a three-letter code.[4]
- The first letter of the three-letter code denotes the type of platform hosting the electronic device, where A=Aircraft, F=Fixed (land-based), S=Ship-mounted, and T=Ground transportable.
- The second letter indicates the type of equipment, where P=Radar (pulsed), Q=Sonar, and R=Radio.
- The third letter indicates the function or purpose of the device, where G=Fire control, R=Receiving, S=Search, and T=Transmitting.
The AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) is a series of phased array radar systems used for long-range early warning and space surveillance, operating as part of the United States Missile Defense and Space Surveillance Network.
Thus, the AN/FPS-132 represents the 132nd design of an Army-Navy “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device.[4][5]
History
The Solid State Phased Array Radar System is a phased array radar with 2500 "solid state transmitter" modules.[6] It began replacing PAVE PAWS when the first AN/FPS-115 face was taken off-line for the radar upgrade. New AN/FPS-123 Early Warning Radars became operational at (Beale) and (Cape Cod) in each base's existing PAVE PAWS "Scanner Building".[7]
In 2001 SSPARS equipment included:
- Raytheon AN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS Radar[8] at Beale (FPS-115 IOC 4 April 1980) and Cape Cod (FPS-115 IOC 15 August 1980)[9]
- Raytheon AN/FPS-120 Solid State Phased Array Radar at Thule ("2QFY87")[10] with greater radar capabilities than the FPS-115 PAVE PAWS radars
- Raytheon AN/FPS-126 Solid State Phased Array Radar at Fylingdales with three faces for 360-degree coverage (constructed August 1989 – October 1992)[11]
- Raytheon AN/FPS-120[12] Solid State Phased Array Radar using an older antenna from the 1987[13] PAVE PAWS EWR in Texas (groundbreaking 16 April 1998,[12] for the "Clear Radar Upgrade")[14]
After the Fylingdales BMEWS radars had been replaced by Raytheon/Cossor AeroSpace and Control Data Corporation (embedded CDC-Cyber computer) at a cost of US $100 million,[citation needed] in February 1995 the "missile warning center at Cheyenne Mountain AS [was] undergoing a $450 million upgrade program".[15] The entire SSPARS became operational on 31 January 2001 when the "SSPARS Site"[16] at Clear AFS (separate from the BMEWS site) had Initial Operational Capability.[17] The Clear AN/FPS-120 was subsequently "upgraded to the AN/FPS-123 model" SSPA Radar,[18] and the SSPARS was modified in the Early Warning Radar Service Life Extension Program[1] The US approved sale of an[which?] AN/FPS-115 to Taiwan in 2000[19] and it was introduced in 2006.[20]
The Alaska BMEWS station became a SSPARS radar station when its Raytheon AN/FPS-126 radar[18] and 2001 Raytheon AN/FPS-120 became operational.[21] In 2007, 100 owners/trustees of amateur radio repeaters near AN/FPS-123 radars were notified to lower their power output to mitigate interference,[22] and AN/FPS-123s were part of the Air Force Space Surveillance System by 2009.[23] BAE Systems began a 2007 contract for SSPARS maintenance.[24] The SSPARS radar electronics was subsequently upgraded, e.g., the Beale radar[19] and the Fylingdales FPS-126 each became an AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR)[25] by Raytheon.[26] The Beale AN/FPS-123 was upgraded to a Raytheon AN/FPS-132 (UEWR) with capabilities to operate in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) ABM system—the Beale UEWR included "Avionics", "T/R modules",[27] "FEX/TTG", "BSG", "Signal Processor", and other changes.[28] After additional UEWR installations for GMD at Thule Site J and the UK (contracted 2003),[29] a 2012 ESD/XRX Request for Information for replacement, and remote operation, of the remaining "PAVE PAWS/BMEWS/PARCS systems" at Cape Cod, Alaska, and North Dakota was issued.[30] The Alaska AN/FPS-132 was contracted in fall 2012[31] and the Cape Cod installation in 2013.[19]
The AN/FPS-132 Block-5 was ordered by the Qatar Emiri Air Force, and was under construction as part of the country's missile defense infrastructure.[32] On 28 February 2026, during the Iran conflict, Iranian sources reported that the system was targeted in retaliatory strikes on U.S.-associated military installations in Qatar.[33]
System overview
| External image | |
|---|---|
 AN/FPS-132 UEWR |
- Solid-state phased-array radar
- Each radar installation has multiple faces, where each face provides a 120-degree coverage.[19]
- Operating frequency: Ultra high frequency (UHF)[19]
- Range: 3,000 miles[19]
Locations
Active:
- Beale Air Force Base, California
- RAF Fylingdales, United Kingdom
- Thule Site J (Pituffik Space Base), Greenland
Planned:
See also
References
- ^ a b c Chapman, Bert (2008). Space Warfare and Defense: A Historical Encyclopedia and Research Guide (Google books). Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-59884-006-3. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
BMEWS was replaced by the Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) in 2001.
- ^ Carter, Austin; Mattorano, Gino, eds. (2004). Space Command Almanac 2004-2005 (PDF) (Report). HQ AFSPACECOMM Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2006.
- ^ "Operations, Maintenance and Support for the Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) at 5 Geographically Separated Units WorldWide". FedBizOpps.gov. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ a b Avionics Department (2013). "Missile and Electronic Equipment Designations". Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook (PDF) (4 ed.). Point Mugu, California: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. pp. 2–8.1.
- ^ Winkler, David F. (1997). "Radar Systems Classification Methods". Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program (PDF). Langley AFB, Virginia: United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. p. 73. LCCN 97020912.
- ^ Skolnik, Merrill I. "Radar Handbook" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014.
- ^ Photographs [and] Written Historical and Descriptive Data: Cape Cod Air Station Technical Facility/Scanner Building and Power Plant (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
Technical Facility/Scanner Building (HAER No. MA-151-A), which houses the AN/FPS-1152 radar and related equipment… PAVE PAWS Site 1 … AN/FSS-7…designed by Avco Electronics Division… The first two PAVE PAWS sites in Massachusetts and California represented the first two-faced phased array radars deployed by the U.S.
- ^ Communications-Electronics (C-E) Managers Handbook (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 13 March 2014.
AN/FPS-49 has a traditional azimuth bearing assembly (race and steel balls) while the AN/FPS-92 has a hydrostatic bearing (antenna floats on a high pressure film of hydraulic fluid). AN/FPQ-16 Radar Set, Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System – PARCS: PARCS is a single faced phased array radar system consisting of AN/FPQ-16 radar and an AN/FSQ-100 computer system located at Cavalier AFS, ND. The primary mission of the PARCS is to provide the CMC with TW/AA data on all SLBMs penetrating the coverage area. ... FORCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FMS) PROVIDES THE CONUS NORAD REGION COMMANDER WITH TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION
- ^ Pike, John. "AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS Radar".
- ^ "Clear Upgrade (U)". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ Stocker, Jeremy (2004). Gray, Colin S.; Murray, Williamson (eds.). Britain and Ballistic Missile Defence 1942-2002 (PDF). Frank Cass. ISBN 0-203-30963-4. ISSN 1473-6403. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
in March 1963 an Air Ministry review of ABM systems said of MIDAS that 'performance to date has been disappointing'.78 … A teletype circuit was established between NORAD and the ADOC in Britain to pass information derived from Site 1 at Thule.95 This was supplemented by a voice circuit with agreed formatted messages, and both were operational by October 1960. … AN/FPS-49 Range resolution 240 nm Maximum range 2,650 nm Minimum target at 1,650 m 2.8 m2 Impact accuracy North America 135 nm
- ^ a b Pike, John. "Clear AFS".
- ^ "Eldorado AFS Dedication – 1987".
- ^ "AN/FPS-120 Solid State Phased-Array System [SSPARS]: Clear Radar Upgrade". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ Orban, Brian (February 1995). "The trip wire". Guardian. Air Force Space Command. p. 6.
North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command command center. ... For more than 30 years, the crews operating the missile warning center inside Cheyenne Mountain have maintained an early warning trip line [for] incoming ballistic missiles
- ^ "Clear Air Force Station, Alaska".
- ^ "Clear AFS, AK". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ a b "AN/FPS-115, AN/FPS-120, AN/FPS-123, AN/FPS-126". Radomes.org. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Upgraded Early Warning Radars, AN/FPS-132" (PDF). Missile Defense Agency. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "US radar system a waste of money for Taiwan". WantChinaTimes.com. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Raytheon completes upgrades to BMEWS radar in Alaska 16-Mar-01". Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "W5YI". w5yi.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Chatters, Maj Edward P IV; Crothers, Maj Brian J. (2009). "Chapter 19: Space Surveillance Network" (PDF). AU-18 Space Primer (PDF). Air University. p. 252. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
Perimeter Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased-Array Weapons System (PAVE PAWS)
- ^ "BAE Systems To Continue Maintaining SSPARS Radar Network for U.S. Air Force - SpaceNews.com". 3 March 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "U.S. to Sell Large Early Warning Radar to Qatar (August 7, 2013) (corrected February 10, 2014)". 7 August 2013.
- ^ "Fylingdales". Raytheon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ "Avionics Magazine :: Northrop Grumman Sets T/R Module Standard". Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "ALERT" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2013.
- ^ "History of Cape Cod Air Force Station" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ PAVE PAWS, BMEWS, and PARCS Radar Systems (Solicitation), FedBizOpps.gov, 23 January 2012, retrieved 11 June 2014,
The PAVE PAWS and BMEWS Beam Steering Unit (BSU), Receiver Exciter (REX), Receiver Beam Former (RBF), Array Group Driver (AGD), Radio Frequency Monitor (RFM), Frequency Time Standard (FTS), and the Corporate Feed (CFD) were built for these five radars in the late 1970s and were upgraded in the 1980s. … The PARCS Signal Processing Group (SPG) has received only "band-aid" fixes since the site's Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 1975
- ^ "PAVE PAWS Radar Upgrades: Clear AFS Goes from Warning to BMD Targeting".
- ^ "Qatar – AN/FPS-132 Block 5 Early Warning Radar | Defense Security Cooperation Agency". www.dsca.mil. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "[VIDEO] Iran Destroys $1.1 Billion US AN/FPS-132 Radar in [VIDEO] Qatar — IRGC Strike Shakes American Missile Defense Shield Across the Gulf". Defence Security Asia. 28 February 2026.
- ^ Binnie, Jeremy (13 December 2016). "Qatari long-range radar procurement moves forward". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
