Pirinçlik Air Base
Encyclopedia
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
.
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. Observations from Diyarbakır were normally the first radar reports of new Russian satellite launches from Kapustin Yar in the early days of satellite tracking; see Project Space Track. There were two types of radars located at Pirinçlik Air Station
(AS). The Pirinclik, 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.
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 Diyarbakir-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
per second). Operating at 432 MHz, this radar has a maximum detection range in excess of 4,300 kilometers.
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.
In 1970, the name Diyarbakir Air Station was changed to that of Pirinçlik, the name of the small village 30 km west of Diyarbakir 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 İncirlik Air Base
.
Pirinçlik Air Station is a remote site, where personnel lived in several quonset hut dorms, 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 İncirlik. This site was so small you could practically see the perimeter fence from anywhere on the base. The staff consisted of 150 airmen which during the 1980s and after included about 20 or so females, 30+ officers, 120 American civilian contractors, and nearly 300 Turkish military and civilians.
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 Pirinclik Air Station. The work was performed at Pirinçlik Air Station. The contract was completed September 1997. The 21st Space Wing, Peterson AFB, Colorado
, was the contracting activity.
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.
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was known as NATO's frontier post for monitoring the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, completely closed on 30 September 1997.
This return was the result of the general drawdown of US bases in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
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
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
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. Observations from Diyarbakır were normally the first radar reports of new Russian satellite launches from Kapustin Yar in the early days of satellite tracking; see Project Space Track. There were two types of radars located at Pirinçlik Air Station
Air station
Air station may refer to:* AirStation is the name given to a series of wireless LAN equipment sold by Buffalo Technology* Airbase* Naval air station* A station to refill an air car....
(AS). The Pirinclik, 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.
AN/FPS-17 and AN/FPS-79 radar systems
The AN/FPS-17AN/FPS-17
The AN/FPS-17 is a ground-based fixed-beam radar system that was installed at Pirinçlik Air Base in south-eastern Turkey.This system was deployed to satisfy scientific and technical intelligence collection requirements during the Cold War...
Space Surveillance Radar
United States Space Surveillance Network
The United States Space Surveillance Network is a critical part of United States Strategic Command's mission and involves detecting, tracking, cataloging and identifying artificial objects orbiting Earth, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris...
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 Diyarbakir-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
per second). Operating at 432 MHz, this radar has a maximum detection range in excess of 4,300 kilometers.Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
’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
Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
, deep within the Soviet Union.[2] Subsequent installation of another AN/FPS-17 radar on Shemya
Shemya
Shemya or Simiya is a small island in the Near Islands group of the Semichi Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of 5.903 sq mi , and is about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.The Russian vessel Saint Peter and Paul wrecked at...
, a western island in the chain of Aleutian Islands off Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, made it possible for U.S. observers to monitor Soviet missile test flights to the Kamchatka peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. The AN/FPS-17 radar was the first demonstration of pulse compression in an operational radar system.
In 1970, the name Diyarbakir Air Station was changed to that of Pirinçlik, the name of the small village 30 km west of Diyarbakir 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 İncirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base
The Incirlik Air Base is located in İncirlik, five miles east of Adana, Turkey's fifth largest city, and from the Mediterranean Sea.The U.S...
.
Pirinçlik Air Station is a remote site, where personnel lived in several quonset hut dorms, 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 İncirlik. This site was so small you could practically see the perimeter fence from anywhere on the base. The staff consisted of 150 airmen which during the 1980s and after included about 20 or so females, 30+ officers, 120 American civilian contractors, and nearly 300 Turkish military and civilians.
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 Pirinclik Air Station. The work was performed at Pirinçlik Air Station. The contract was completed September 1997. The 21st Space Wing, Peterson AFB, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 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 GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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.