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History of the Aircraft Control and Warning System in Alaska: Air Defense of Arctic Skies

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History of the Aircraft Control and Warning System in Alaska: Air Defense of Arctic Skies History of the Aircraft Control and Warning System in Alaska: Air Defense of Arctic Skies Prepared for the United States Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Eleventh Air Force, 611th Air Support Group Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska By Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois (2002) Edited/Updated By Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Fort Collins, Colorado (2013) Cover: Campion Aircraft Control and Warning Installation (1961). Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... i ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................. v PREFACE .............................................................................................................................. ix 1.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Global Events and National Strategic Context ....................................................... 1 1.2 Alaska State Context ............................................................................................... 6 1.2.1 Military Buildup in Alaska ..................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Economic Effects of the Military Buildup in Alaska .............................................. 10 1.2.3 Social Effects of the Military Buildup in Alaska .................................................... 11 2.0 AIRCRAFT CONTROL AND WARNING SYSTEM HISTORY ........................ 13 2.1 Aircraft Control and Warning System: 1951 to 1965 ............................................. 13 2.1.1 Conception and Planning ........................................................................................ 13 2.1.2 Construction ............................................................................................................ 15 2.1.3 Design Issues .......................................................................................................... 18 2.1.4 Radar Equipment and Upgrades ............................................................................. 20 2.1.5 Operational Challenges ........................................................................................... 21 2.1.6 Other Alaskan Radar Developments ....................................................................... 23 2.1.7 Integration with Forward Operation Bases ............................................................. 25 2.1.8 Communication ....................................................................................................... 26 2.2 Aircraft Control and Warning System: 1965 to Present ......................................... 28 3.0 INDIVIDUAL AIRCRAFT CONTROL AND WARNING SYSTEM SITES ...... 31 3.1 Murphy Dome ......................................................................................................... 32 3.2 Fire Island ............................................................................................................... 34 3.3 King Salmon ........................................................................................................... 35 3.4 Tatalina ................................................................................................................... 39 3.5 Campion .................................................................................................................. 41 3.6 Cape Lisburne ......................................................................................................... 43 3.7 Cape Romanzof ....................................................................................................... 47 3.8 Tin City ................................................................................................................... 49 3.9 Northeast Cape ........................................................................................................ 51 3.10 Cape Newenham ..................................................................................................... 53 3.11 Indian Mountain ...................................................................................................... 56 3.12 Sparrevohn .............................................................................................................. 59 3.13 Kotzebue ................................................................................................................. 63 3.14 Ohlson Mountain .................................................................................................... 65 3.15 Fort Yukon .............................................................................................................. 67 3.16 Middleton Island ..................................................................................................... 70 i History of the Aircraft Control and Warning System 3.17 Unalakleet ............................................................................................................... 71 3.18 Bethel ...................................................................................................................... 72 4.0 AIRCRAFT CONTROL AND WARNING SYSTEM REMBRANCES .............. 73 4.1 Geographic Influences ............................................................................................ 73 4.2 Weather ................................................................................................................... 75 4.3 Wildlife ................................................................................................................... 78 4.4 Local People............................................................................................................ 79 4.5 Health Issues ........................................................................................................... 80 4.6 Buildings ................................................................................................................. 81 4.7 Construction ............................................................................................................ 82 4.8 Electronic Equipment.............................................................................................. 83 4.9 Support Facilities .................................................................................................... 84 4.10 Transportation ......................................................................................................... 85 4.11 Supplies/Requisition ............................................................................................... 86 4.12 Lifestyles ................................................................................................................. 87 4.12.1 Daily Activities ....................................................................................................... 87 4.12.2 Dining Hall and Food.............................................................................................. 88 4.12.3 Recreational Amenities ........................................................................................... 89 4.12.4 Morale ..................................................................................................................... 91 4.12.5 Memorable Experiences.......................................................................................... 92 4.13 Mission Operations ................................................................................................. 94 5.0 NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBILITY ............................................................... 95 6.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX A: RADAR HISTORY .................................................................................... 107 A.1 Radar Concepts ....................................................................................................... 107 A2 Historic Development ............................................................................................. 108 A.3 Radar Development During World War II ............................................................. 110 A.4 Post World War II Radar Development .................................................................. 111 A.5 Radar Components .................................................................................................. 112 A.6 Types of Radar Systems.......................................................................................... 114 A.6.1 Simple-Pulse Radar ................................................................................................. 114 A.6.2 Moving-Target Indication Radar ............................................................................ 115 A.6.3 Airborne Moving-Target Indication Radar ............................................................. 115 A.6.4 Pulse Doppler Radar ............................................................................................... 115 A.6.5 High-Range Resolution Radar ................................................................................ 115 A.6.6 Pulse-Compression Radar ....................................................................................... 115 A.6.7 Synthetic Aperture Radar ........................................................................................ 116 A.6.8 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar ..........................................................................
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