History of BMEWS Site 1, Thule, GL

In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) radar was constructed at J Site, 13 miles north east of the base. BMEWS was developed by the Raytheon Corporation in order to provide North America warning of a transpolar missile attack from the Russian mainland and submarine-launched missiles from the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. The four fixed antennas, 400 feet long and more than 300 feet high, were larger than a football field turned upright. It was during this period that Thule reached its maximum manning, about 10,000 personnel. The old mechanical BMEWS radar was upgraded to a solid-state, phased-array system in June 1987 to make the operation more effective and efficient. Information from this site is transmitted to the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command Post at Cheyenne Mountain, CO. Information is then passed to National Command Authorities.

Reference: http://www.thule.af.mil/history.htm


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