BMEWS

Had this nagging feeling about a picture I saw from an Alaskan radar site (found a link here, that in turn, linked to it), can't remeber what it was called, although the name was somehow related to Scandinavia. I'll edit this tommorow, and find the website. Thing is; nowhere mentioned did it say anything about being a part of the BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System), and it didn't look like the Alaskan Clear site (a part of BMEWS). yet the contstruction of it resembled that of a phased array BMEWS? Anyway, interesting thing, this BMEWS...
A few pictures here


[edit] Got it. Cobra Dane was the name...See the resemblence?

[edit once again] Uh, I'm blushing a little here...It does in fact state, on the above linked to page, that it is a part of BMEWS...My bad. But hey, nice pictures ey? *smiling nervously*

[Edited on 11-10-2003 by operatoreleven]

This is a neat site on the BMEWS, but there is also other stuff on the site. If you go to the site check out the link to the undergrund bunkers while you're there.

Tim

Ghost, your site reference isnt usable.....

operatoreleven, your pictures are a perfect match for:

www.fas.org...

thanks.

What the pictures dont show about Cobra Dane

the sky is grey, the buildings are grey, the sea is grey,
and anyone who has been there longer than 90 days
is......grey.


/\/ight\/\/ing

Enjoyed the Aleutians did you. I have heard that there are interesting artifacts left from the Japanese occupation. Is this true?

Operator, although the COBRA DANE system may be under the same command structure as the BMEWS, it has a different mission.

COBRA DANE is used to collect intelligence in Russian and North Korean ballistic missile test. It is an L-band phased array radar used to track MIRVs as they re-enter the earth's atmosphere. This system is used in concert with the COBRA EYE and COBRA JUDY intelligence gathering platforms.

COBRA EYE (which replaced COBRA BALL) is an RC-135 equipped with a 3-color IR telescope, which can focus in on re-entering MIRVs at great distances. IR intelligence and data about decoys, heat shields, and so forth can then be gathered. Like COBRA DANE, the COBRA EYE aircraft are based in Shemya, AK.

COBRA JUDY is a US Navy auxilliary ship (ex-cargo ship) equipped with an S-band phased array (COBRA JUDY) radar and an X-band measurement radar. The ship is based out of Pearl Harbor, and is deployed to the Sea of Japan to observe Russian and North Korean missile shots. The COBRA JUDY ship is an important part of the US's Treaty Compliance program, as it makes measurements accurate enough to determine missile throw weight, CEP accuracy, number of warheads, and warhead size.

All three systems work in concert with each other during missile shots, but the COBRA DANE is usually the first system to actually "see" the missile and it's MIRV bus coming over the earth's horizon. It can then disseminate the estimated impact poin to the COBRA EYE and COBRA JUDY so they can position themselves and their systems in order to gain better coverage of the returing MIRVs.

With the lack of Russian missile shots over the last 5-10 years, the system may be getting ready for mothballs, although we can also use it to measure our own shots from Vandenburg AFB that come down near Kwaj.

BlueTwo - Enjoyed the Aleutians did you. I have heard that there are interesting artifacts left from the Japanese occupation.

Yeah. I heard the same. Didnt do a full tour so didnt
get to explore much. Volunteered to fill in for a bad
manpower crunch and was super lucky on transport,
otherwise would have been stuck for a while. Finished
my tour at Clear.

Very informative Pyros! Thanks!
Nightwing & BlueTwo; aleutians?

Nightwing & BlueTwo; aleutians? - operatoreleven

Uh....dont you read your own links ?

Shemya is an island in the balmy tropical Aleutians.


/\/ight\/\/ing

Is harrp not located in Alaska?

Deep

Nightwing: lol, yeah, maybe I oughta read it through, but thanks for the info.

One of the reasons for my interest in BMEWS is evident in my post in this thread.

Another fascinating facility at Thule Air Base is the satellite tracking station, which not only communicates with satellites in polar orbit, but also tracks around 8000 pieces of space junk in orbit. This facility is also at least as secure as the main BMEWS site, in terms of entry control, as it is a joint civilian (Harris Corp.)/military facility.

ZeroDeep, I do not see the connection with HAARP here, but yes, Alaska has a HAARP facility. It is far from the only one or the largest one in use, though...

Peace...

There is one of these early warning sites rigt down the street from my house.Link!When I was 17 I used to deliver pizzas and I used to deliver to this place. There are tons of cameras and guards around this site. There are signs of use of deadly force authorized. Some of the other drivers used to get freaked out about delivering there, but I loved going out to visit them. The weird thing is they changed the website, they used to have all sorts of pictures and now there isnt any. Also right after 9/11 they removed the sign at the main entrance. I was always fascinated about the place and had always thought about driving up there but was scared until I delivered pizzas, they would always call for deliveries.

Originally posted by operatoreleven


Another fascinating facility at Thule Air Base is the satellite tracking station, which not only communicates with satellites in polar orbit, but also tracks around 8000 pieces of space junk in orbit. This facility is also at least as secure as the main BMEWS site, in terms of entry control, as it is a joint civilian (Harris Corp.)/military facility.

the "satellite tracking station" as you call it is known as DET 3. it is not affiliated with the BMEWS site at all. Currently, it employs just 2 military folks and soon to be only one. the site does not actually track anything. That is what BMEWS does. DET 3 is a relay station and DOWNLOADS/ UPLOADS data from pollar orbit satellites since theses satillietes will rarely overfly (in line of site) the US. This site can be considered a "secure" site but that is all realitive and compared to the BMEWS site NO WHERE CLOSE.



Check out the official Thule website and the DEC 03 Thule times for an unclassified version of an impact near Thule. it wasn't a plane though. sorry.