Beale AFB Pave Paws Radar Site

 (1979-Present) - A Cold War U.S. Air Force Pave Paws System Missile Warning Radar Site. Established in 1979 on Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, Yuba County, California. Active radar site on Beale Air Force Base.

History
Established in 1979 and became operational in 1980 as the Beale AFB Pave Paws Radar Site manned by the 7th Missile Warning Squadron. Initial equipment included two FPS-115 phased array radar systems. Subsequent hardware and software upgrades to the FPS-115 changed the designation first to FPS-123 and finally to FPS-132 under the auspices of the Missile Defense Agency and its Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) program.

Physical Plant
The two original Pave Paws FPS-115 radars were housed in a 105 foot high building with three sides, two of which were active. Each of the two active sides contained 1,800 individual radar transmitters and receivers. The active sides were tilted back 20 degrees to allow for an elevation deflection from 3 to 85 degrees above the horizon. A computer controlled the activation of individual radar elements providing a moving radar beam. This building is known as the technical equipment building and houses the operations and maintenance components as well as the equipment.

Adjacent to the technical equipment building is the power building housing diesel generators that can supply power to the radars should commercial power become unavailable. A separate building houses communications and satellite equipment linking the site to the agencies using the radar data. A security tower and a security building at the entrance to the compound provide access control. Surrounding the compound are two concentric fences, the inner fence is a security fence to provide access control for the compound and the outer fence creates an exclusion zone to keep people and animals out of the radiation pattern.

Housing and support facilities are provided by Beale Air Force Base.

Current Status
Active military site in Marysville, Yuba County, California.

See Also:
 * Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS)
 * SLBM Detection Systems
 * Permanent System Radar Sites
 * US Radar Sets
 * Cape Cod Air Force Station

Sources:
 * , page 46, 47, 149.
 * , page 54-56, 86, 105.

Links:
 * Radomes - Beale AFB Pave Paws Radar Site
 * Wikipedia - Beale AFB Pave Paws Radar Site
 * USAF Factsheet - Beale Pave Paws Factsheet