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John S. Wilkinson
© 2003-2011 by Author
Pirinçlik Air Base or Pirinçlik Air Station, formerly Diyarbakır Air
Station, was a 41-year-old American-Turkish military base near Diyarbakir,
Turkey. It was known as NATO's frontier post for monitoring the former
Soviet Union and the Middle East, completely closed on 30 September 1997.
This return was the result of the general drawdown of US bases in Europe and
improvement in space surveillance technology. The base near the southeastern
city of Diyarbakir housed sensitive electronic intelligence-gathering
systems for listening on the Middle East, Caucasus and Russia.1
The Pirinçlik sensor system consisted of two radio frequency (RF) mechanical
radar systems providing radar intelligence, space surveillance, and missile
warning data to multiple users. There were two types of radars located at
Pirinçlik Air Station (AS). The Pirinçlik, Turkey, RADINT site operated both
a detection radar (AN/FPS-17) and a mechanical tracking radar (AN/FPS-79).
Both radars operated at an UHF (432 MHz) frequency. Although limited by
their mechanical technology, Pirinçlik's two radars gave the advantage of
tracking two objects simultaneously in real time. Its location close to the
southern Soviet Union made it the only ground sensor capable of tracking
actual deorbits of Soviet space hardware. In addition, the Pirinçlik radar
was the only 24-hour-per-day eastern hemisphere deep-space sensor.2
AN/FPS-17 and AN/FPS-79 radar systems
The AN/FPS-17 Space Surveillance Radar developed by the Rome Air Development
Center (RADC) was the first surveillance radar system designed to detect
objects in space. The FPS-17 detection scanning radars have fixed antennae
oriented toward the Soviet Union. The Air Force FPS-79 UHF tracking radar at
Diyarbakır-Pirinçlik in Turkey is capable of tracking missiles during
flight. The 10 meter diameter dish antenna system has a variable focus feed
horn system which can provide a wide beam for target detection, and a narrow
beam for tracking (other similar radars have scan rates in excess of 10o per
second). Operating at 432 MHz, this radar has a maximum detection range in
excess of 4,300 kilometers.
AN/FPS-17 fixed antennae radar at the Pirinçlik Air Station oriented toward
Kapustin Yar, Soviet Union to monitor missile test launches
Lincoln Laboratory’s phase-coded pulse-modulation receiver/exciter for the
VHF AN/FPS-17 radar, built at the Pirinçlik site in eastern Turkey by the
General Electric Company, allowed U.S. observers to monitor missile test
launches from Kapustin Yar, deep within the Soviet Union.[2] Subsequent
installation of another AN/FPS-17 radar on Shemya, a western island in the
chain of Aleutian Islands off Alaska, made it possible for U.S. observers to
monitor Soviet missile test flights to the Kamchatka peninsula. The
AN/FPS-17 radar was the first demonstration of pulse compression in an
operational radar system.3
In 1970, the name Diyarbakır Air Station was changed to that of Pirinçlik,
the name of the small village 30 km west of Diyarbakır where the unit were
actually located. On 1 June 1972, the 7022d Air Base Squadron was activated,
under the command of the 39th Tactical Group. On 30 July 1981, this air base
squadron was assigned to HQ TUSLOG, the Turkish United States Logistics
Group. Its mission is to support the 19th Surveillance Squadron of SAC at
Pirinçlik. It received logistical support from ?ncirlik Air Base.
Pirinçlik Air Station is a remote site, where personnel lived in one dorm,
had one club to socialize in, could not go off base at night, and had very
few shopping or entertainment opportunities other than an occasional
temporary duty to ?ncirlik. This site was so small you could practically see
the perimeter fence from anywhere on the base. The staff consisted of 150
airmen, 30+ soldiers, 120 American civilian contractors, and nearly 300
Turkish military and civilians.( In 1960 it was much less that what is
listed here.)
On September 30, 1996, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., was
awarded a $16,221,360 face value increase to a fixed price incentive
contract to provide for FY 1997 operation, maintenance, and logistic support
of the sensor facilities at Pirinçlik Air Station. The work was perfumed at
Pirinçlik Air Station. The contract was completed September 1997. The 21st
Space Wing, Peterson AFB, Colorado, was the contracting activity.
Base closure in 1997
The Secretary of Defense announced February 13, 1997, that the U.S.
Department of Defense would end or reduce operations at seven European
installations as a result of the latest round of base and force realignment
actions. The phrase "return" means the entire installation is vacated by
U.S. forces and returned to the control of the host nation. This round
included six installations in Germany and one in Turkey -- Pirinçlik Air
Base. This action began immediately, with return of the installation to the
host nation planned for September, 1997. It affected about 117 U.S. Air
Force personnel then assigned to the base.4
References
1 Globalsecurity.org
2 William P. Delaney and William W. Ward. Radar Development at Lincoln
Laboratory: An Overview of the First Fifty Years. LINCOLN LABORATORY
JOURNAL. VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2, 2000, pp. 147-166
3 Siebert, W.M. The early history of pulse compression radar - The
development of AN/FPS-17 coded-pulse radar at Lincoln Laboratory. IEEE
Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Volume 24, Issue 6, Nov
1988, page(s): 833 - 837
4 DoD news release No. 058-97, February 06, 1997
John S. Wilkinson Rome, NY
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