Western Electric System 1393 Radar Course Directing Central

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RCDC functional diagram depicting Target Ranging Radar (TRR)
"The battery control officer continually survey[ed] the tactical situation on the plan position indicator"[1] (large circular scope with light face). The acquisition radar operator was to the left of the BCO and the computer operator was on the right.[citation needed] Separate stations at the "target radar control console" and "missile radar control console" were also used. The later Anti Tactical Ballistic Missile (ATBM) version of the battery control console was slightly different.

The Western Electric System 1393 Radar Course Directing Central[2] (RCDC) was a Cold War complex of radar/computer systems within the overall Improved Nike Hercules Air Defense Guided Missile System (separate from the missiles, storage and launch equipment, and command post equipment). The RCDC was installed at the "battery control areas"[3][4] (Integrated Fire Control areas)[5] of ~5 hectares (12 acres)[3] each which was for commanding a nearby missile Launching Area (LA), firing a missile from the LA, and guiding a launched missile to a burst point near an enemy aircraft.

Transportability

The Radar Course Directing Central included a defense acquisition radar ("ACQR"[3] e.g., General Electric AN/MPQ-43 High Power Acquisition Radar), a Target Tracking Radar (TTR), and a radar/computer subsystem for controlling the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules. The RCDC Director's Console with 4 cabinets included the electro-mechanical Servo Computer Cabinet with the analog ballistics computer[6] ("Intercept Computer")[7] which calculated the relative location of a launched Nike missile (measured by a Missile Tracking Radar, MTR) to the TTR track of an enemy aircraft or formation. After launch, the ground-controlled interception algorithm guided the missile to a calculated point where the missile was detonated and conventional warhead fragments (3 HE warheads)[8] or a nuclear warhead's blast were to neutralize the target. The Central also had a mode for surface-to-surface missions to airburst a nuclear Hercules over a ground target,[1] and the RCDC included a Missile Motion Generator to simulate a Nike trajectory.[6] After the 10 Army Air Defense Command Posts with Missile Master bunkers were operational in December 1960, battery control areas also had an AN/TSQ-8 Firing Unit Interface Facility for the automated data link (ADL) of digital information[9] between the RCDC and the AADCP's Martin AN/FSG-1 Antiaircraft Defense System.

Personnel of the Nike "Fire Control Platoon"[3]: 3-3  at the RCDC included the Battery Control Officer (BCO), IFC crewmen (specialty 16C20 such as Acquisition Radar crewman, TTR elevation operator, MTR Fireman, etc.), Nike Radar and Computer Repairmen (23N2P),[7] etc.

As with preceding Nike fire control systems, the Improved Hercules van trailers (e.g., by Fruehauf Trailer Co.) allowed the RCDC to be transported after the military installation was disemplaced from the station. Van trailers included:

  • M381A1 Electronic Shop
  • M424E1 Guided Missile Director Station
  • M428E1 Guided Missile Tracking Station
  • XM446 Radar signal simulator
  • M564, M564A1, M564A2 Shop equipment (3 trailers for "Improved Hercules")[10]

History

References

External media

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