Bendix AN/FPS-20 Radar

The AN/FPS-20 Radar was a General Surveillance Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.

Production of the AN/FPS-20 Surveillance Radar began in 1956. This dual-modulator, fixed station, general surveillance system, developed by RADC became the main surveillance radar for the continental United States. Equipped for dual-channel operations with a klystron transmitter, this system provided long-range surveillance capability.

This Bendix-built radar was an AN/FPS-3 search radar with an AN/GPA-27 installed. Designed to operate in the L-band frequencies of 1250 to 1350 MHz, the radar had a range of over 200 miles. By the late 1950s, this radar dominated the US radar defense network, with deployment continuing into the early 1960s. In June 1959 Bendix received a contract to provide private industry's MK-447 [the same system as the military AN/GPA-103] and MK-448 AN/GPA-102 anti-jam packages to the radars.

With the addition of these packages, the Air Force redesignated the radars as AN/FPS-66 [AN/GPA-102] and AN/FPS-67 [AN/GPA-103] The AN/FPS-93 search radar system is a modified AN/FPS-20 with the addition of the Diplex Gating Unit (DGU) developed by Raytheon for use in the SAGE system.