Sunday, July 25, 2010

The X-Band Radar Dome

Standing on the lanai at my son’s home in Aiea, I was mesmerized by the clear view of Pearl Harbor and all of the ships berthed there for the Rim of the Pacific (RimPac) war games that launched on Friday.

They've done this every year since 1971. This year, 32 ships from 14 nations sailed into Hawaii for the exercise, including the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-classed nuclear-powered supercarrier, and the USS Freedom combat ship.

Neighborhood residents complain that whenever these exercises take place, there are problems with home electronics – especially with the garage door openers. They strongly suspect that it’s because of the sea-based X-Band floating white-domed radar that stands out like a sore thumb.

It can detect ballistic missile launches and determine if they are real or fake. Based in Alaska, the sophisticated radar dome is back in Hawaii for maintenance. It sits on an oil-drilling platform and is manned by a crew of 85.

Can you imagine this huge white bubble floating south on Pacific seas from Alaska to Hawaii, then back again?

Wow!

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