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.
- Features:
- It can detect targets with a radar cross section of 10 square metres at a range of 3,000 nautical miles (approximately 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
