FPS-3

FPS-3 Long Range Search Radar Set - A long range search radar manufactured by the Bendix Radio Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation and deployed to long range radar sites in the 1950s. Equipped with Moving Target Indicator (MTI) and normally employed as part of an aircraft early warning network. Capable of detecting heavy bomber aircraft at a range of 200 to 300 miles and a height of approximately 40,000 to 60,000 feet depending on the range. Operates in temperatures ranging from -67 deg F to plus 140 deg F with humidity up to 100 percent and at altitudes from sea level to 7,000 feet. Variants include the FPS-3A, the FPS-508 Canadian version and the MPS-7 Mobile Version.

The antenna was normally mounted on either a temperate tower or an arctic tower and usually covered with an inflated radome on the arctic tower. Air pressure kept the radome inflated and access to the antenna deck was through an airlock. In colder climates the antenna bubble also had heat banks to keep snow and ice off the bubble. The two transmitter groups and other components were mounted on a rotating frame below the antenna sail.

• 
  Othello AFS, two FPS 6 Height Finder Radars on the left, FPS 3 Search Radar in the bubble and Operations building on the right, circa 1959

FPS-3 search radar Element Value Notes Nomenclature FPS-3 Origins CPS-5 Disputed Variants FPS-3A MPS-7 Mobile Version FPS-508 Canadian Version Manufacturer Bendix Radio Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation Type Search Number Made 49~ IEEE Band L Frequency 1220 to 1365 MHz PRF 440 Pulse Width 3 or 6 us Rotation Speed 3.3, 5, 6.6, 10 RPM Power 650 Kw 5J26 magnetron Range 220 nmi Long Range Resolution 0.5 mi Altitude 60,000 ft Introduced 1950 FPS-3 Radar Set on a Temperate Tower FPS-3 System Components FPS-3 Components (edit list) Component Model Quantity Height Width Deep Weight Notes Antenna Reflector AT-251/FPS-3 1 480 230 156 Pedestal AB-180/FPS-3 1 63 66 108 Antenna Support AB-179/FPS-3 1 160 89 101 Antenna Horn AS-488/FPS-3 1 96 60 138 Transmitter Group OA-398/FPS-3 2 42 39 43 600 Oscilloscope OA-17/FPS-3 Receiver Group OA-176 OA-318 1 59 27 28 450 Indicator Group OA-175/FPS-3 0-12 44 24 45 412 Indicator Group OA-188/FPS-3 OA-319/FPS-3 1 48 21 26 Radar Control Group OA-179/FPS-3 1 60 23 26 Generator Group OA-174/FPS-3 1 Display-Plotting Board Group OA-289A/G OA-327/G 1 21.25 15.25 10.125 Telephone Central Group AN/GTA-3 1 Towers AB-178/FPS-3 (Temperate) AB-196/FPS-3 (Temperate) AB-199/FPS-3 (Arctic) AB-199A/FPS-3A (Arctic) 1 300 264 480 14,000 Context See Also: US Radar Sets Sources: Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf MIL-HDBK-162A, 15 Dec 1965, Pdf. Related: Aiken Air Force Station, Antigo Air Force Station, Baldy Hughes Air Station, Barrington Air Station, Baudette Air Force Station, Beausejour Air Station, Bellefontaine Air Force Station, Belleville Air Force Station, Brookfield Air Force Station, CFS Beaverlodge, CFS Gander, CFS Holberg, Calumet Air Force Station, Cambria Air Force Station, Campion Air Force Station, Cape Charles Air Force Station, Cape Lisburne Air Force Station, Cape Newenham Air Force Station, Cape Romanzof Air Force Station, Cartwright Air Station, Chandler Air Force Station, Charleston Air Force Station, Claysburg Air Force Station, Cold Bay Air Force Station, Colville Air Force Station, Condon Air Force Station, Continental Divide Air Force Station, Curlew Air Force Station, Custer Air Force Station, Cut Bank Air Force Station, Dickinson Air Force Station, Ellsworth Air Force Station, Experimental SAGE Subsector, Fallon Air Force Station, Finland Air Force Station, Finley Air Force Station, Fordland Air Force Station, Fort Yukon Air Force Station, Fortuna Air Force Station, GPX-7A, Grand Rapids Air Force Station, Guthrie Air Force Station, Hanna City Air Force Station, Havre Air Force Station, Hopedale Air Station, Hutchinson Air Force Station, Indian Mountain Air Force Station, Jacksonville NAS Radar Site, Kamloops Air Station, Key West NAS Radar Site, Killeen Air Force Station, King Salmon Air Force Station, Klamath Air Force Station, Lackland Air Force Base Radar Site, Lake Charles Air Force Station, Las Vegas Air Force Station, Lewistown Air Force Station, Lufkin Air Force Station, Madera Air Force Station, Makah Air Force Station, Manassas Air Force Station, Middleton Island Air Force Station, Minot Air Force Station, Montauk Air Force Station, Moriarty Air Force Station, Mount Laguna Air Force Station, Naselle Air Force Station, North Bend Air Force Station, Northeast Cape Air Force Station, Ohlson Mountain Air Force Station, Olathe Air Force Station, Omaha Air Force Station, Opheim Air Force Station, Othello Air Force Station, Ozona Air Force Station, Palermo Air Force Station, Perrin Air Force Station, Point Arena Air Force Station, Port Austin Air Force Station, Port Isabel Air Force Station, Puntzi Mountain Air Station, Pyote Air Force Station, RCAF Station Edgar, RCAF Station Falconbridge, RCAF Station Foymount, RCAF Station Saint Margarets, RCAF Station Senneterre, RCAF Station Sydney, Ramore Air Station, Rockport Air Force Station, Saglek Air Station, San Clemente Air Force Station, Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station, Saratoga Springs Air Force Station, Sault Ste Marie Air Force Station, Savannah Air Force Station, Snow Mountain Air Force Station, Sparrevohn Air Force Station, St. Anthony Air Station, Sweetwater Air Force Station, TPS-1D, Tatalina Air Force Station, Texarkana Air Force Station, Texas Tower 2, Tierra Amarilla Air Force Station, Tin City Air Force Station, US Radar Sets, Wadena Air Force Station, Watertown Air Force Station, Willmar Air Force Station, Winnemucca Air Force Station, Yaak Air Force Station, Zapata Air Force Station,