DARC
 

Menwith Hill?

https://www.thenational.scot/news/na...radar-britain/

Talks under way to have US ‘deep space radar’ in Britain

Britain is in talks with the US over siting a powerful new radar system in the UK to track objects in deep space. The Ministry of Defence said the discussions with the Americans had been “positive” with a number of locations under consideration.

The US Space Force is developing a global system to monitor objects up to 22,000 miles from Earth amid concerns about a new arms race developing space. Both the US and the UK have warned that China and Russia are developing weapons that could be used to take out a satellite.

The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, who is in the US for talks with the Americans, said the British were “very interested” in the project. “It will enable us to get a good picture of what is going on and if necessary be ready to protect our critical interests in space,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“We see activity by countries like China and Russia which of course is of concern. It is reckless activity, deploying and testing of systems that look like weapons in space. So any system like the radar we are talking about which gives us a better picture of what is going on is incredibly important to us.”

In order to get a “full picture” of what is happening, the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) will require three radar stations around the globe with possible sites in the UK, US and Australia. The stations, covering around one square kilometre, would host an array of large radar dishes, known as parabolic antenna, each 15 metres in diameter.

Air Chief Marshal Wigston said there were a number of potential British sites under consideration and that no final decisions had been made.

The US already operates an early warning system to detect ballistic missiles in space, which includes a facility at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. However that can only detect objects up to 12,000 miles away while DARC would look much further into space.

“These radars are going to have to be powerful enough to look out at what is happening 22,000 miles away where the really important geostationary Earth satellites sit,” Air Chief Marshal Wigston said.

In a statement, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “This new radar capability has the potential to make space safer and more secure, helping to protect our satellite system by tracking and monitoring objects.

“We are exploring our potential partnership with the USA on DARC and discussions so far have been positive.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Menwith_Hill

And was there not talk over decade ago about installing BMD capability up on the moors and then got moved to Poland ??

Anyhow according to today’s beeb news, said radar could be up Bonnie wee Scotland or further south so as Orac quite rightly stated could be MA or even Fylingdales area.

https://www.google.at/amp/s/www.bbc....6zPX9P4tRwYPkQ

cheers

I believe the original quote was “Scotland or further south”, which has somehow got converted to southern England.

With the price of land and planning restrictions, especially for RADHAZ, I would suspect a current active northern site is probable - especially since they want the system up and running by 2025.

I understand the basis for this but … … how do we do that? Evasive manoeuvres?

Do you think HMG will make any investment in Scotland that can be sited elsewhere ?

How about Predannack? Not far from Goonhilly with its big dishes.

Guess the question is does it have to have clear line of site in any direction?

They'll probably not want to incite the SNP so somewhere on a current , disused RAF station in E astern England will do

Or offshore on a couple of disused oil rigs.USAF used rig type structures in the 50/60s as air defence radar platforms.

The had to put in sector blanking on the radar at RAF Portreath so that it didn’t blast the Goonhilly receivers. I don’t think the much higher powered transmitters of the DARC would be appreciated and putting in Tx blanking to the northeast would sort of defeat the purpose.

Fylingdales is my pick - and why 15m diameter parabolics as opposed to more phased arrays?

Radar101

Phased arrays with multiple Tx/Rx units are presumably fine for 2K miles. I would assume that, for 22K miles then multiple Tx focused into a tight beam are required for both range and discrimination.

Isn't it in the National Park? Covering another square mile with radar dishes will get a lot of people worked up. Far better to stick it somewhere in E Anglia

There is also the question of all your eggs in one site....................

Feltwell

(my pic from the tower during Lakenheath base Tour )


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f9079600d.jpeg

Yes the 5th Space Warning Squadron disbanded 15/16 years back but a tiny 18th Space Intel Squadron (have to sift through layers at AFSPC website to find it) is the resident at Feltwell as well as DOd schools and housing for 48th folk.

cheers

yes - I'd have thought it would be a lot cheaper to build there as well cp N York's

I am presuming, as an intel site, Feltwell consists of sensitive receivers and satellite dishes, not radar transmitters.

Not sure Lakenheath would be happy with a site using high power radars searching out to 22,000 miles next to a circuit full of F-15Es and F-35As carrying live munitions…

Anyone got a picture of a map showing the RADHAZ areas in East Anglia?

Never knew that. Thank you, every day is a school day.

Why not reactivate the old Cobra Mist site at Orford?

Spadeadam, plenty of land ;)

Too close to the Tribal Areas..................... :cool:

Sculthorpe ?

Arc