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

early-warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum tim ...

utilized by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and its

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 conducte ...

or military operation where its lightweight relative to other radar systems was a distinct advantage. Once larger radars such as the

SCR-270 The SCR-270 was one of the first operational early-warning radars. It was the U.S. Army's primary long-distance radar throughout World War II and was deployed around the world. It is also known as the Pearl Harbor Radar, since it was an SCR-27 ...

or AN/TPS-1 came online the SCR-602 could also be used to fill in gaps in radar coverage. Early versions of the SCR-602 were based on the British

AMES Type 6 AMES Type 6, also known as the Light Warning Set or L/W, was a portable early warning radar developed by the Air Ministry Experimental Station (AMES) for use by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the field. Units in British Army service were officially ...

, an ''ad-hoc'' system developed by adapting the electronics and antennas from the airborne anti-submarine

ASV Mk. II radar Radar, Air to Surface Vessel, Mark II, or ASV Mk. II for short, was an airborne sea-surface search radar developed by the UK's Air Ministry immediately prior to the start of World War II. It was the first aircraft-mounted radar of any sort to b ...

. This produced a small and robust radar that could be quickly moved and set up. This proved highly useful in the field and led to requests by the

US 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 ri ...

for a similar system. The 602 was initially built in Canada while improved versions were being developed in the US. By 1944 these newer versions had matured and took over from the earlier systems in both US and Allied use. Numerous variations of the SCR-602 were manufactured during the war. It was utilized by the United States,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. In the post-war era, these were generally replaced by the AN/TPS-1.

Developing the radar

Development of the SCR-602 began in 1942 at the behest of Colonel Gordon P. Saville 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 ri ...

. With delays to the manufacture and fielding of both the SCR-588 and

SCR-527 The SCR-527 ('' Signal Corps Radio'' model 527) was a medium-range radar used by the United States for early warning and ground-controlled interception (GCI) during World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 ...

, the Air Corps was quickly seeking another radar for

ground-controlled interception Ground-controlled interception (GCI) is an air defence tactic whereby one or more radar stations or other observational stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic wa ...

. This new radar was an adaptation of the

Chain Home Low Chain Home Low (CHL) was the name of a British early warning radar system operated by the RAF during World War II. The name refers to CHL's ability to detect aircraft flying at altitudes below the capabilities of the original Chain Home (CH) r ...

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 The SCR-268 (for ''Signal Corps Radio no. 268'') was the United States Army's first radar system. Introduced in 1940, it was developed to provide accurate aiming information for antiaircraft artillery and was also used for gun laying systems and ...

, 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 twin-engined medium 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 Airc ...

from

Newark Airport Newark Liberty International Airport is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. The airport straddles the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union County, in the U.S. stat ...

to a test site in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

on 27 February 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 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

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

aircraft attacks were reportedly foiled by this radar. By 1944, 900 sets of the SCR-602-T8 were manufactured by

Zenith Radio Corporation Zenith Electronics, LLC, is an American research and development company that develops ATSC and digital rights management technologies. It is owned by the South Korean company LG Electronics. Zenith was previously an American brand of consumer e ...

, 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

IFF In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (often shortened as "iff") is paraphrased by the biconditional, a logical connective between statements. The biconditional is true in two cases, where either both ...

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