Martin AN/FSG-1 Antiaircraft Defense System

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Martin AN/FSG-1 Antiaircraft Defense System
military command, control and coordination system
Country United States
9 states CA IL MA MD MI NJ(2) NY PA WA
Part of Army Air Defense Command Posts
at Missile Master complexes
Subsystems
&
AAOC
consoles[1]		 tactical display subsystem with

3 tactical monitor consoles:

  • friendly protector console
  • operations officer's console
  • commander's console

tracking subsystem with

  • 6 tracking consoles
  • 2 surveillance and entry cons.
  • 2 range-height indicator cons.
  • channel status unit

computing and storage equipment
ADL transmitters and receivers
Owner
Operator
Contractee[3]
Contractor
Subcontractors[4]		 United States Army
Army Air Defense Command
Signal Engineering Laboratories
Martin Company Orlando Division[2]
Airborne Instruments Laboratory,
American Machine and Foundry

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For other Nike command & control systems, see BIRDIE and Missile Mentor.

The Martin AN/FSG-1 Antiaircraft Defense System, better known as Missile Master,[5][6] was an electronic fire distribution center[7] to computerize Cold War air defense (AD) command posts[1] from manual plotting board operations[8] to automated command and control of remote surface-to-air missile (SAM) launch batteries. The 10 United States Army C3 systems used radar netting ("electronic umbrella")[9] at Missile Master military installations for coordinating ground-controlled interception by Nike and MIM-23 Hawk missiles. The vacuum tube fire control logic reduced the time to designate the appropriate missile battery to launch if an enemy target had intruded into a defense area where an AN/FSG-1 system was deployed.

AN/FSG-1 systems in 9 U.S. nuclear bunkers (large building) networked local radars and "up to 24 Nike Hercules AD missile batteries".[7]

History

The AN/FSG-1 was an outgrowth of the July 1945 Signal Corps' Project 414A for an electronic Air Defense Fire Distribution System (ADFDS),[10] a 1950 prototype computer and console system,[11] and the 1954 experimental forerunner/"test system"[4][12]:55 (AN/GSG-2) installed at Fort George G. Meade.[11] The 1st AN/FSG-1 was contracted in August 1955,[13] the program had been publicly announced by August 1956,[4] Missile Master sites had been selected by June 1957,[14] and the "operational"[1] AN/FSG-1 at the Fort Meade radar station was "put into action" on December 5, 1957.[15] A 13-minute AN/FSG-1 military film (MF 11-8923) was produced in 1958,[5] and Congressional funding for additional sites was initiated in 1959 after the "Missile Master Plan" resolved the Army Project Nike and USAF CIM-10 Bomarc plans for SAM air defense.[16]

During the October 1959-July 1960 study regarding the system's algorithm for Automatic Target and Battery Evaluation (ATABE),[17] the "first production model AN/FSG-1" was dedicated in January 1960 at Fort Lawton Air Force Station (AFS), Washington.[18]:313 Following installation, a checkout period, and AN/FSG-1 acceptance; a dedication ceremony was often held and open to media (e.g., May 1960 acceptance at Highlands AADS, New Jersey,[13] with June 5 dedication).[19] The "SAGE/Missile Master test program" conducted large-scale field testing of the AN/FSG-1 "mathematical model" using actual radar tracks of SAC and ADC aircraft sorties[clarification needed] into the defense areas[17] (SAC-simulated bomb runs were planned after September 22, 1960).[18]:314 The last (10th) AN/FSG-1 was dedicated in December 1960 at Fort MacArthur, California.[1]

AN/FSG-1 installations
ST
site
(defense area)
 AN/FSG-1 operations razed[20] CP: Brig (batteries)
MD Fort Meade December 5, 1957—August 1966[21] (no bunker) W-13DC: 35th[12]
WA Fort Lawton AFS January 21, 1960[22]—c. January 1965* 2008 [2] S-90DC
MA Fort Heath c. April 1960 [3] [19]—early 1965 1969[23] B-21DC[24]
(12)
NJ Highlands AADS May 1960[13]—November 30, 1966[18] 1995[25] NY-55DC: 52nd[8]
MI Selfridge AFB June 1960[18]—c. October 1967* 2005[26] D-15DC 
(16)
NY Lockport AFS  Jul or Aug 1960[27]—c. July 1965* bunker intact NF-17DC
NJ Pedricktown AADB *[specify]        —September 1966[8] bunker intact PH-64DC: 24th[4]
IL Arlington Heights AFS  October 28, 1960[28]—c. October 1967* bunker intact C-80DC: 45th[28]
PA Oakdale AFS November 18, 1960[29]—February 8, 1967 P-70DC: 31st[30]  
(6)[31]
CA Fort MacArthur DC December 14, 1960 [5]<--[18]-->—January 31, 1967[32] c. 1985[33] LA-45DC: 47th [6]
(16)

Replacement

With the availability of solid-state direction center (DC) equipment such as the Martin AN/GSG-6 BIRDIE deployed in 1961, the United States Department of Defense approved in December 1963 the replacement of the AN/FSG-1.[18]:317 Six were replaced with Hughes AN/TSQ-51 Air Defense Command and Coordination Systems[34] with the last replacement on February 8, 1967, at Oakdale AFS, Pennsylvania.[18]:317,320 Ft Lawton,[35] Fort Heath MA,[34] and Lockport AFS NY[36] were replaced with BIRDIEs[9] while instead of replacement, the AN/FSG-1 at Pedricktown Army Air Defense Base was removed after its defense area was incorporated[when?] into the combined New York-Philadelphia Defense Area controlled by Highlands AADS[37]—which later switched to a BIRDIE by July 1, 1972[34]:C-23 (conversely, Ft Heath & Lockport subsequently switched from BIRDIE to AN/TSQ-51).[34]

Operations

The "semiautomatic"[1]:17 AN/FSG-1 automatically plotted target tracks, evaluated missile sites for use against a target, and automated the communication with batteries.[38] The automation reduced delay "by four or five times" over the previous command post method with manual plotting,[8] review of hardcopy performance charts to estimate an intercept point, and telephone voice commands.[19] Operators at the AADCP reviewed the 19 in (48 cm)[39] orange interactive plan position indicator CRTs which displayed the AN/FSG-1 radar network's data, e.g., "14 pieces of information…height, level, priority, direction…",[40] etc. in the tiered Antiaircraft Operations Center (AAOC). The "Blue Room"[19] was recessed in a pit with a stage,[41] blue walls, blue overhead fluorescent illumination, and more than 12 blue consoles. In the rear of the AAOC was the highest "third row [with] a "friendly protector" console, three tactical monitor consoles, and a tactical director's console. The defense commander's room…at the top rear" had a window for viewing into the AAOC.[12] The AAOC crew was typically 22 soldiers and 5 company grade officers.[42]

Via an automated data link (ADL) of digital information,[1] the AN/FSG-1 communicated the identification friend or foe status from the AADCP to remote fire units where a "foe" symbol was placed "around[specify] each radar return on the scope".[43] The AN/FSG-1 assigned a Nike fire unit to a target using the same ATABE "programmed selection logic" as the USAF SAGE system, and the algorithm could be tested using a simulator (a "20-target raid…with maneuvering targets, takes approximately 1 1/4 minutes.")[17] When the AN/FSG-1 had automatically assigned a battery to a foe, a technician used the "entry stick" to alert the battery to "prepare to engage" (e.g., lock the Target Tracking Radar on the target).[31] The director's console was subsequently used to manually input the attack command, and the AN/FSG-1 transmitted[44] a change[specify] to the foe symbol at the designated fire unit[43] where the Battery Control Officer reacted to the symbol and issued the firing order to a ready[specify] missile.[7] The AN/FSG-1 also provided[clarification needed] a communication function previously performed[clarification needed] by the Interim Battery Data Link (IBDL) system which had transmitted the "missile away" notification from the firing battery to other sites, allowing "battery commanders to see which targets were being engaged by other batteries".[45]

External images
image icon console images
image icon AN/FSG-1 promotion booklet
image icon Niagara console
image icon Ft Meade consoles

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.Ch. 2, p. 17 NOTE: The p. 36 image with scrub brush ("Figure 34") titled "Missile Master" is identified differently in the text as "SAGE (fig 34)" (Texas had 3 BIRDIE command posts: Austin, Duncanville, & Sweetwater.)
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (page 55)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Brown v. Jersey Central Power and Light Co. (New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division). "The power building at Highlands was "in a 25' x 17' cinderblock building, designated on the plans as "Switch Gear Room Bldg. 118." The equipment in this small building permits the missile site to switch back and forth from external commercial power to its own internal power from diesel generators. …van housing the computer"
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Windsor Daily Star article: Peek Slated At Missile Master Plan Retrieved 2011-09-28)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (cites Miller 1961)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.:317
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (photograph caption).
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. NOTE: The Lockport bunker is a similarly shaped building but with a different roof shape than the other bunkers (see Morris 2009).
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (the Ft Lawton operational date also identified by Leonard 2011, p. 313)
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. NOTE: The descriptions for the Fort Heath images (SC5999xx) identify the Missile Master as site ID "B-18" on August 18, 1962. The list also identifies Nike firings at Point Mugu, Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, Summit AK, & Fort Bliss; and has an article on the "Accidental Nike Launch at Fort Meade".
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[verification needed]
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (a different reference identifies the Ft MacArthur AN/FSG-1 was replaced in 1966: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.)
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    *NOTE: Estimates for AN/FSG-1 dates with asterisks are from the annual July 1 maps in McMaster's report, which don't show a symbol near the Pedricktown NJ site but instead mark a Missile Master north of Philadelphia near Allentown/Bethlehem PA). Also, although Berhow 2005 claims 7 of the 10 AN/FSG-1 systems were replaced with AN/TSQ-51 systems, the maps only show 6 AN/TSQ-51 Missile Mentors in 1966 at former Missile Master sites, with Ft Heath instead shown with an AN/FSG-1 Missile Master in 1964 (near a separate Massachusetts BIRDIE), then a Ft Heath BIRDIE in 1966 & 1967, a Ft Heath Missile Mentor in 1968 & 1969, and no Ft Heath AADCP in 1970 (a Rhode Island Missile Mentor was depicted in 1970; but not in 1971.) Likewise, the report's maps show the replacement Lockport BIRDIE subsequently switched to a Missile Mentor between July 1, 1967 & July 1, 1968 (as did Homestead-Miami.)
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (p. 124)
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. NOTE: The labels on one of the HAER floor plans are after the bunker was used for air traffic control (rooms for RAPCON, ATCALS, etc.)
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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