AN/FPS-31


>Designed by Lincoln Laboratory, this huge radar was designed to be compatible with the SAGE system. A prototype was built at Jug Handle Hill in West Bath, Maine. The antenna was 120 feet wide and 16 feet high. Operations began in October 1955. After a period of unexpected clutter, it was determined that the radar received echoes from the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) and this hindered tracking. Although this model was never mass-produced for active use, lessons learned from this radar would continue sup-porting SAGE system research and development.

[Photo courtesy MITRE Corporation]

Click for article on FPS-31 implementation.

Photos below clipped from SAGE video

Click here for recent (1999) photos of the prototype site.

Sites using FPS-31 systems

Perm ID
Sage ID		 Location Model Notes
(none)
(none)		 West Bath, ME   MIT Lincoln Labs Test Site for the Experimental SAGE Sector (ESS)