 An AN/CPS-1 (MEW) in the field | |
| Country of origin | US |
|---|---|
| Designer | MIT Radiation Laboratory |
| No. built | 6 |
| Frequency | 3,200 MHz |
| Beamwidth | 0.8º |
| Pulsewidth | 0.8 microsecond |
| RPM | 10 rpm |
| Range | 200 miles (320 km) |
| Azimuth | 360º |
| Other Names | Microwave Early Warning, MEW |
The AN/CPS-1, also known as the Microwave Early Warning (MEW) radar, was a semi-mobile, S band, early-warning radar developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War II. It was one of the first projects attempted by the Lab and was intended to build equipment to transition from the British long-wave radar to the new microwave centimeter-band radar made possible by the cavity magnetron. The project was led by Luis Walter Alvarez.
Deployed to the European Theater in 1944, the MEW proved to be an extremely effective radar against German V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets.[1] After the war, the AN/CPS-1 was adopted for use by civil aviation becoming the first radar used to track aircraft on civil air routes in the United States.[2]
The designation "CPS" under the JETDS system means “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device.[3][4]
- ^ "AN/CPS-1 Microwave Early Warning (MEW) Radar". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Buderi 1996, pp. 458.
- ^ Avionics Department (2013). "Missile and Electronic Equipment Designations". Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook (PDF) (4 ed.). Point Mugu, California: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. p. 2-8.1.
- ^ Winkler, David F. (1997). "Radar Systems Classification Methods". Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program (PDF). Langley AFB, Virginia: United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. p. 73. LCCN 97020912.