1.RAF Fylingdales

RAF http://www.raf.mod.uk/ Fylingdales. Construction began in 1960. Initaially equipped with radars in the iconic golf ball radomes and operational as of 1963 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/RAF_Fylingdales_golfballs_1989.jpg The whole system upgraded in 1990 with the AN/FPS-126 Solid State Phased Array Radar (SSPAR) which became ops in 1992 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Radar_RAF_Fylingdales.jpg

RAF Fylingdales is also part of the US Ballistic Missile Defense System as of 2007. Data is provided to the US Missile Warning Center, USSTRATCOM and UK. MWC.

Tasking:

1. Primary Early Warning facility for surprise ballistic missile attacks to the UK and US governments.
2. Secondary role is detection and tracking of orbiting objects as part of the US Space Surveillance Network.
3. Third role is satellite warning for the UK. It keeps track of foreign spy satellites so that certain classified activities in the UK can be carried out when they are not overhead.

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