Performance Upgrade Kit for AN/MPS-36 Radars

The AN/MPS-36 radar is a missile range instrumentation radar used for precision tracking of flight vehicles. Angular resolution is achieved by a monopulse lobing technique. The AN/MPS-36 radars were built in the 1970'x and since their inception have been subject to occasional tracking problems manifested as oscillation of the antenna in azimuth and/or elevation about the true track. In some instances simultaneous oscillation in both axes, or "spiraling" is unstable and can result in loss of track. Tests have shown that the AN/MPS-36 five-horn monopulse feed and comparator exhibit severe corss-coupling between the azimuth and elevation error channels in the presence of a cross-polarized component of the received signal. Tracking oscillation can be expected in the presence of this cross-coupling as the tracking servos attempt to correct this problem by replacing the present five-horn feed with a four-horn feed which is free of the cross-polarization errors of the present feed, and replacing or overhauling the parabolic dish.