SFR air surveillance system

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SFR radar antenna in the Flieger-Flab-Museum Dübendorf
SFR high-altitude radar antenna, model in the Flieger-Flab-Museum

The SFR air surveillance system was the first comprehensive air surveillance system of the Swiss Air Force .

history

After the Second World War , it became apparent that, with the rapid development of air warfare, a defense of Switzerland without comprehensive air surveillance is not realistic. The knowledge about practical application in Switzerland was very modest and the victorious powers were restrictive with the allocation of knowledge and the sale of new radar systems. Therefore, a LGR-1 radar was procured in order to determine suitable locations for the radar antennas of the SFR system. The core of the SFR system was the ER-200 early warning and guidance radar from Société française radio-électrique (SFR) from France (predecessor of Thomson-CSF). The system was ordered on January 31, 1952 in a large number of radar assemblies from which radar systems could be assembled according to your own architecture.

From 1955 to 1966, a school facility in Dübendorf (the "Radardörfli" on the Dürrbach training site), one at the Bütschelegg test site ( Rüti near Riggisberg , above Bern- Belp ) and the facilities at 4 altitude locations for the first airspace surveillance in Switzerland were in operation. The air surveillance system also included an above-ground command center in Dübendorf and an underground command center in Brünig . In these command centers, the data from the altitude locations were displayed in a holistic aerial image. It was from these command centers that the company's own aircraft were also managed. The data from the various radar stations were evaluated in the command centers and the company's own aircraft were operated. The expansion of the high-altitude locations proved difficult and led to delays in commissioning. Experience with Chaff has already been made and could be taken into account. However, the detection of flying objects in the stationary area (e.g. in the extensive radar echo of a mountain that is in the line of sight of the radar behind the flying object) was problematic and could only be improved by improving the electronics. Due to these facts, the SFR air surveillance system was only fully in use after around ten years before it was replaced by the FLORIDA air surveillance system and guidance system after a relatively short period of time .

An antenna and the model of a height-searching antenna (back to back) are now in the Flieger-Flab-Museum in Dübendorf .

technology

The radar system works in the S-band on discrete frequency islands in the range from 2910 to 3350 MHz and scanned the height layers of the airspace two-dimensionally (for side and distance) with two rotating antennas. A separate altitude finder radar is used to measure the altitude of individually selected targets. A third radar antenna is required for vertical radar coverage: a double antenna (back to back) for the "low - medium" height coverage in place of the originally planned "Couverture Basse station".

  • Magnetron transmitter on approx. 3200 MHz
  • Pulse power: up to 500 kW
  • Pulse width: 1 microsecond
  • Range: 220 km
  • Locations: 4 fixed units and one mobile unit
  • Elements per location: 1 single antenna each, Doppler antenna (back to back), height finder antenna, 4 transmitters / receivers, 3 fixed-character suppression devices WITH

Web link

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ref about KP Dübendorf and EZ-KP im Brünig ( Memento from August 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive )