AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws

AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws Latest News

Taiwan’s AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws radar system played a crucial role in tracking China’s recent ballistic missile launch from the South China Sea.

About AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws

• It is an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF; 420–450 MHz) phased-array system for detecting submarine-launched ballistic missiles. 
• It was developed by US defence contractor Raytheon.
• Besides tracking ballistic missiles, it can monitor aircraft, cruise missiles, and maritime activity.

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AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws Features

• It can detect targets with a radar cross section of 10 square metres at a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km). 
• The array antenna contains 1,792 active elements within a diameter of 72.5 feet (22 metres). 
• Each active element is a module with its own solid-state transmitter, receiver, duplexer, and phase shifter.  
• Two antennas make up a system, with each capable of covering a sector 120 degrees in azimuth.  Vertical coverage is from 3 to 85 degrees. 
• The unique aspect of this radar system is the phased array antenna technology.
  • This system differs from a mechanical radar, which must be physically aimed at an object in space to track or observe it. 
  • The phased array antenna is a fixed position and is part of the exterior building wall. 
  • Phased array antenna aiming, or beam steering, is done rapidly by electronically controlling the timing, or phase, of the incoming and outgoing signals. 
  • Thus, it continuously scans large areas without mechanical rotation, enabling rapid detection and tracking of multiple targets simultaneously. 

News: TOI