The Air Force recently broke ground on a new radar facility at Lualualei, part of its global RAIDRS system. It is another link in the space war network.
http://www.hookelenews.com/air-force-space-command-breaks-ground-on-raidrs-program/
Air Force Space Command breaks ground on RAIDRS program
Ho’okele Staff | Aug 05, 2011
MC2 Robert Stirrup
Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs
U.S. Air Force Space Command held a groundbreaking ceremony July 28 for the Rapid Attack Identification, Detection and Reporting System (RAIDRS) at Radio Transmitter Facility (RTF) Lualualei in Waianae, Hawaii.
The RAIDRS program will support defense counter space operations and consists of sensor and decision support elements, providing space system users with real-time awareness of the nature and source of attacks.
The RAIDRS architecture includes five networked antenna array sites worldwide to identify direct radio frequency interference of commercial or military satellites from both friendly and unfriendly sources.
“The mission that we have is very important. As a defense department, our demand for bandwidth has been growing and we’re relying more and more on satellite communications,” said Col. Douglas Cool, deputy director of Space Superiority Systems Directorate. “Today we have the opportunity to break ground on the very first RAIDRS site that will help us find out what is causing problems in our satellite communication and help us find out where those problems are to solve them.”
Capt. Patricia Cole, commanding officer of Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific (NCTAMS PAC), offered remarks to the audience.
“I’m very pleased that NCTAMS PAC could represent the Navy in fostering and help enabling this tremendous capability,” Cole said. “This is a great day for both the Air Force and the Navy.”
The RAIDRS site at RTF Lualualei is scheduled to be completed in spring 2012. Other RAIDRS sites in Florida, Germany, Japan and U.S. Central Command are scheduled to be completed within two years.
NCTAMS PAC comprises two major land areas at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam. The main station and receiver site is NCTAMS PAC Wahiawa and the transmitter site is RTF Lualualei.