The military acronym for the 1960's radar-based Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, used to keep watch on the Soviet Union for a possible missile launch directed at the U.S. It worked by "looking" out over the top of the world by using the most powerful radar ever developed. The system -- operated by the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) -- was based at three huge sites, located in Thule, Greenland; Clear, Alaska; and Fylingdales, England.
A monumental technical achievement for the 1950s, the multi-billion dollar BMEWS program was obsolete just a few years after it went operational, as satellite servelliance took over the chores of spying on the Soviet enemy by the close of the 1960s.
A monumental technical achievement for the 1950s, the multi-billion dollar BMEWS program was obsolete just a few years after it went operational, as satellite servelliance took over the chores of spying on the Soviet enemy by the close of the 1960s.
by bmews October 20, 2012
Get the BMEWSmug.