The SCR-602 (Set Complete Radio model 602) also known as the AN/TPS-3, was a mobile, lightweight, medium-range, early-warning radar utilized by the

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and its

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The radar was originally designed for use during the initial stages of an

amphibious assault Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

or military operation where its lightweight relative to other radar systems was a distinct advantage. Once larger radars such as the SCR-270 or AN/TPS-1 came online the SCR-602 could also be used to fill in gaps in radar coverage. Numerous variations of the SCR-602 were manufactured during the war. It was utilized by the United States,

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and

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Developing the radar

Development of the SCR-602 began in 1942 at the behest of Colonel

Gordon P. Saville Gordon Philip Saville (September 14, 1902 – January 31, 1984). Retrieved on November 19, 2009. was a United States Air Force major general who was the top authority on US air defense from 1940 to 1951. Blunt and direct in manner, Saville had be ...

of the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

. With delays to the manufacture and fielding of both the SCR-588 and SCR-527, the Air Corps was quickly seeking another radar for ground-controlled interception. This new radar was an adaptation of the

's Chain Home Low radar. The Signal Corps was asked to develop a lightweight assault-type radar that could be both air transportable and hand-carried as well as have a range of over 100 miles on enemy bombardment aircraft. Prior to this request, the Air Force relied on the British lightweight warning (LW) radar, which the Signal Corps studied for ideas. After testing the VT-158 in various existing sets such as the SCR-268, a team led by Captain John Marchetti incorporated the VT-158 in a new system designated as the SCR-602. The original SCR-602, known as SCR-602-T1 for “Type 1”, was almost an exact copy of the British LW radar. With the implementation of the VT-158, Marchetti's team developed the SCR-602-T8 (Type 8), which was based on a modified SCR-268 used in the Canal Zone. In order to prove that the newly developed SCR-602-T8 was air transportable, the Signal Corps flew the first laboratory model in a

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company f ...

from

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to a test site in

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on February 27, 1943. Upon arriving at its destination, the SCR-602-T8 was set up and calibrated for testing. At the end of the tests, the engineers determined that the model had a range in excess of 110 miles and could be mass-produced. The SCR-602-T8, which was designated as the AN/TPS-3, soon became the most successful variant of the SCR-602 model. Consisting of a 10-ft parabolic reflector antenna with a horizontal polarized dipole radiator at its focus and a console with an

A-scope A radar display is an electronic device to present radar data to the operator. The radar system transmits pulses or continuous waves of electromagnetic radiation, a small portion of which backscatter off targets (intended or otherwise) and retur ...

and a PPI-scope, the AN/TPS-3 became widely used by Army and Marine forces for early warning at beachheads, isolated areas, and captured air bases. Furthermore, the AN/TPS-3 could be assembled and put on the air by a crew of four men in thirty minutes, making it easy to deploy. Many Japanese

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aircraft attacks were reportedly foiled by this radar. By 1944, 900 sets of the SCR-602-T8 were manufactured by Zenith Radio Corporation, and the accompanying VT-158's were produced by Eitel-McCullough, Inc., a manufacturer of high-frequency transmitting tubes located near San Francisco. However, the exact number of VT-158's produced throughout the war remains unknown.

Technical description

The radar utilized the BC-800-B

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receiver/transponder.

Operational history

The SCR-602 was developed in time to be utilized by the U.S. Army during the invasion of North Africa in November 1942.

Citation

References

;Bibliography ;Journal * ;Web
SCR-602 radar description
;Technical Manuals * TM 11-1126 - Radio Sets SCR-602-A and SCR-602-T6 - War Department - September 1943 * TM 11-1326 - Radio Sets SCR-602-T6 and 602A Technical Operation - War Department - May 1944 * TM 11-1426 - Preventive Maintenance Radio Sets SCR-602A and SCR-602-T6 - War Department - June 1944 * TM 11-1526 - Service Manual For Radio Sets SCR-602 - War Department - July 1944.

External links