PAVE PAWS is a United States Air Force Space Command radar system operated by three 21st Space Wing squadrons for missile warning and space surveillance. Operational PAVE PAWS radars are located at:
- Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts. Operated by 6th Space Warning Squadron, (41°45′08″N 70°32′17″W / 41.75222°N 70.53806°W / 41.75222; -70.53806)
- Beale AFB, California. Operated by 7th Space Warning Squadron, (39°08′10″N 121°21′03″W / 39.13611°N 121.35083°W / 39.13611; -121.35083)
- Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. Operated by 13th Space Warning Squadron, (64°18′01″N 149°11′23″W / 64.30028°N 149.18972°W / 64.30028; -149.18972). Scheduled to become a PAVE PAWS site from being a BMEWS site in 2001.
In addition, two other facilities were shuttered by the Air Force in 1995: Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia (32°34′52″N 83°34′09″W / 32.58111°N 83.56917°W / 32.58111; -83.56917), and Eldorado AFS, Texas (30°58′44″N 100°33′14″W / 30.979°N 100.554°W / 30.979; -100.554).
PAVE is an Air Force program name relating to electronic systems, while PAWS stands for Phased Array Warning System. PAVE has also been defined as an acronym for Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry, but that is likely a backronym created to explain the program name. The radar, developed by Raytheon, is used primarily to detect and track sea-launched (SLBM) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The system also has a secondary mission of detecting and tracking Earth-orbiting satellites. Information received from the PAVE PAWS radar systems pertaining to SLBM/ICBM and satellite detection is forwarded to the U.S. Strategic Command’s Missile Correlation (formerly Missile Warning) and Space Control Centers at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Colorado. Data is also sent to the National Military Command Center and to U.S. Strategic Command's Command Center at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
Read more about PAVE PAWS: Features, Background, Environmental and Health Concerns
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