Radiation Intensity of the PAVE PAWS Radar System
Abstract
In May 1978, when the U.S. Air Force requested the National Research Council to assess certain aspects of its newest missile defense warning system then under construction at the Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the facility was the subject of intense public concern that exposure to its radiation emissions might be harmful to humans. The purpose of the radar facility, known as PAVE PAWS (PAVE being a code word for the Air Force unit in charge of the project PAWS and acronym for Phased Array Warning System) is to detect and track ballistic missiles launched at sea as far as 3,000 nautical miles from U.S. shores. In order to discern ballistic missiles early in their trajectory, it operates at an angle as low as 3 degrees above the horizon. Its long range capacity is achieved by a fairly high average power level of 145kW. The Research Council's initial response was to establish two separate panels to examine the facility--one, the Engineering Panel on the PAVE PAWS Radar System, under the Assembly of Engineering, and the other the Panel on the Extent of Radiation from the PAVE PAWS Radar System Assembly of Life Sciences. this is the report of the engineering panel. The report of the second panel, consisting of an analysis of the exposure levels and potential biological effects of PAVE PAWS, will be published separately.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA088323
Entities
Organizations
- National Research Council