The GE 477L Nuclear Detection and Reporting System (NUDETS, NUDETS 477L, Program 477L) was a

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

"Nuclear Detonation and Radioactive Fall-out Reporting System" for the National Military Command System. Planning/development began "by September 1, 1959, when

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and pr ...

had taken over responsibility from

CONAD Conad (', English: ''National Retailers Consortium''), stylized CONAD, is an Italian retail store brand which operates one of the largest supermarket chains in Italy. History Created in 1962, Conad is a cooperative system of entrepreneurs, ...

." In February 1961,

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

and the sensor subcontractor Dresser agreed on a "team proposal" to the USAF. GE's oral proposal to the USAF was on October 18 1961, and in early November the GE/Dresser team was selected from 13 proposals. The contract was completed February 5 1962; specifications were approved June 1962; and the "target cost" and "target fee" amounts were $1,709,755 and $95,000. Lt Col Elmer Jones was the program chief at the System Program Office.

Deuces Wild/Thirsty Camel

Phase I of NUDETS deployed under the code names ''Deuces Wild'' and ''Thirsty Camel'' and was a prototype system "in operation in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area and reported data to the NORAD COC for about 20 months (l July 1964 to 27 February 1966)--

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Combined Operations Center in Colorado Springs until

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a United States Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which host ...

became operational in 1965-6. The "regional data processing center" was at

Benton Air Force Station Ground Equipment Facility QRC ( FUDS C03PA046300: "Benton Air Force Communications Annex") is an FAA radar station that was part of a Cold War SAGE radar station (Benton Air Force Station, call sign: Oppose) for aircraft control and warning ...

, and the sensors were at sensors located at Benton;

Thomas, West Virginia Thomas is a city and former coal town in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 623 at the 2020 census. History Thomas was platted in 1884. Thomas was named for Thomas Beall Davis (1828-1911), brother of Senator Hen ...

;

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, and Hermanville, Maryland (RP-54A/Z-227A, ). Phase I testing "showed that the data it gave was not reliable" and by May 1965, NUDETS was planned to be cancelled. NUDETS was combined with the Army's Improved Biological and Chemical Detection Warning System to form the NORAD Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) Warning and Reporting System effective 1 January 1966 by NORAD Operation Order 303N-66, 26 November 1965.

References

{{USAF system codes 1964 establishments in the United States 1966 disestablishments in the United States NORAD systems United States warning systems