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Pave Paws Radar Station at Otis AFB
The radar, developed by Raytheon, is used primarily to detect and track sea-launched (SLBM) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). PAVE PAWS radars are located at Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts, Beale AFB, California, and Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. PAVE is an Air Force program name, while PAWS stands for Phased Array Warning System.
The system also has a secondary mission of Earth-orbiting satellite detection and tracking. Information received from the PAVE PAWS radar systems pertaining to SLBM/ICBM and satellite detection is forwarded to the U.S. Strategic Command’s Missile Correlation (formerly Missile Warning) and Space Control Centers at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Colorado. Data is also sent to the National Military Command Center and to U.S. Strategic Command’s Command Center at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
The installation occupies approximately 100 acres of land on Flat Rock Hill in the northeastern portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) on upper Cape Cod. The installation at Cape Cod AFS was the first of its type to be built and operated. The installation was completed in 1978 and activated as the 6th Missile Warning Squadron on October 1, 1979. On May 1, 1983, the unit was transferred to the 21st Space Wing of Air Force Space Command as the 6 SWS.
Pre 9/11, we used to go deer hunting all over the base and I have been within a couple hundred yards of the PAVE PAWS site. That thing is huge! The picture does not do it justice. I remember that day really well because it was really cold. Although my hands and feet were freezing, I felt really warm inside for some strange reason. Zoomed in satellite view may be distorted for National Security reasons. ???
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For our safety from SLBM/ICBM. more and more such systems will have to be tolarated. Currently there are two operated PAVE PAW system and people living in a certian radius of them will have to indure there operations.
At the present time in California at Beale AFB, amateur radio operators operating repeater on 440 MHZ radio band are having to lower the power of their privately owned repeater sites around the radar site because of interference from the repeaters. The Ham operators of these 440 repeaters in California near Beale AFB are working with the Air Force to not interfer with the operation of the PAVE PAW radar.
They are working with the Amateur Radio Relay League, USAF, and FCC, to accomplise the required needs of the USAF. In many cases they have had to either lower there output power of the repeaters or either move the antennas or repeaters of satisfy the FCC, and Air Force.
All this is a sacrifice for the Defense of the USA.
Jim