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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Feb 9, 2012 - 5:06:14 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team's Air Defense Airspace Management set up the Sentinel Radar System at Forward Operating Base Sword, located on Fort Polk, La., during a training event, July 31. The Sentinel Radar System can determine what type of aircraft is within a vicinity of approximately 40 Kilometers. |
FORT POLK, La. - Up on two storage containers with its square-like face, it scans the skies for enemy's aircraft ready to detect anything in its range.
For Paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Air Defense Airspace Management section, it was a chance to get hands-on training on the three-dimensional radar known as the Improved Sentinel Radar System during a training exercise here, July 31.
The exercise is part of the brigade's current training schedule during its rotation through the Joint Readiness Training Center preparing the unit for an upcoming deployment in support of the war on terror.
This modified version of this Sentinel differs from its predecessor by the way in which it scans the horizon for suspicious activity.
The improved Sentinel performs 20 revolutions per minute, whereas the prior model executes 30 revolutions per minute, said Pfc. Christopher Grother, a radar operator of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, which is currently attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
The slower spinning allows the Sentinel to stop and then follow the aircraft. This feature then allows the Sentinel to discern what manner of aircraft is entering the airspace. It can distinguish up to 40 kilometers away whether the aircraft is a jet, fixed wing, propeller, or even an unmanned aerial vehicle.
With this added feature, the radar is helpful in assessing threats and gives the brigade ADAM cell a first-hand look at its skies.
"It allows us to watch for enemy aircraft," said Staff Sgt. Carlos Rosado, an Air Defense Airspace Management sergeant. "The Sentinel provides the brigade with a picture of the local air area."
In order to get a better reading of its skies, Paratroopers of the 3rd BCT, along with their 3-4 ADA counterparts, improvised the traditional use of the radar by modifying its location.
Instead of placing the radar on the ground, Paratroopers set the Sentinel up on two large storage containers, effectively lifting it above most structures on the brigade's area of operation in order to increase the effectiveness of the system.
Rosado said the decision was made in order to give the ADAM section "360 degrees of visibility," of its skies and stands vigilant against possible aerial threats.
The 3rd BCT is scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the fall.
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