Mission
The COBRA DANE radar is a single faced ground-based, L-band phased-array radar located in northern U.S. Indio-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area of operations and operated by the U.S. Air Force.
The primary mission of COBRA DANE is to collect radar metric and signature data on foreign ballistic missile events during exo-atmospheric and early endo-atmospheric portions of flight and on selected space launches in early orbit in support of treaty monitoring, force modernization, and missile defense. Additional missions include collecting space surveillance data on new foreign launches and both known (cataloged) and unknown (uncatalogued) satellites in low-earth orbit for the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Operations Cell.
Features
COBRA DANE has a phased array and the capability to track and record data on many objects simultaneously. COBRA DANE will transition into Missile Defense mode automatically upon detection of a threatening missile or transition upon receipt of an alert message. At all other times, COBRA DANE primarily supports the Space Surveillance Mission.
Background
This radar system was built for the primary mission of intelligence gathering in support of verification of the SALT II arms limitation treaty. It faces the western USINDOPACOM area. Data from the radar is sent to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. It is also listed as a partner of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office and works with the Missile Defense Agency. The sensor’s secondary mission is Space Surveillance as a contributing sensor.
(Current as of August 2019)