Solid State Phased Array Radar System

The Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) is a network of fixed-position, solid-state phased array radar systems used for long-range early warning and space surveillance. SSPARS provides critical missile defense data primarily for the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of 2026, six of the seven existing SSPARS installations are equipped with the AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) radar system. The AN/FPS-132 radar unit is 120 feet (37 m) in overall height and has two or three faces, where each face covers an azimuth angle of 120 degrees. The radars operate at ultra high frequency (UHF) and can detect objects out to 3,000 miles (4,800 km). The SSPARS network replaced the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), which had been fully operational since 15 January 1964. The first iteration of SSPARS was the Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased-Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS), which came online in 2001. The PAVE PAWS system was in turn upgraded to the UEWR system, which became fully operational in 2014. While other nations possess long-range tracking systems for monitoring ballistic missiles and aircraft (such as Russia's Voronezh, Israel's Green Pine, and Australia's JORN), SSPARS systems are currently only operational in the US, UK, Greenland, Qatar, and Taiwan.