TPS-10 Medium Range Height Finder Radar Set - A Medium Range Height Finder Radar set built by Zenith/RCA. The original TPS-10 was developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory during WWII. The postwar A model was produced by Zenith Corporation and following models, including the D model, produced by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Modified versions were produced as FPS-4 (fixed) and MPS-8 (mobile), some 450 copies of these versions were produced between 1948 and 1954.
TPS-10D Height Finder Radar
TPS-10D Height Finder Radar
Element
Value
Notes
Nomenclature
TPS-10D
Origins
TPS-10 TPS-10A TPS-10B
Variants
TPS-10 TPS-10A TPS-10B FPS-4 MPS-8
Manufacturer
Zenith/RCA
Type
Height Finder
Number Made
450~
All variants
IEEE Band
X
Frequency
9230-9404 MHz
PRF
539 pps
Pulse Width
0.5 or 2 usec
Rotation Speed
Auto - 1/3 rpm Manual - 0 to 6 rpm
Nod Speed
Auto - 60 cpm Manual - 30 cpm
Power
250 kw peak
6002 Magnetron
Range
120 nmi
Medium Range
Altitude
-5,000 to +60,000
Introduced
WWII
FPS-4/TPS-10D USAF Radar Set
TPS-10D System Components
From MIL-HDBK-162A - 15 Dec 1965:
"Radar Set AN/TPS-10D is a lightweight, medium- range height-finding equipment. The extremely narrow beam width of the antenna makes it especially adaptable for use in mountainous terrain. The set has a maximum presentable range coverage of 120 nautical mile s and a height-finding capability of -5000 to +60, 000 feet. Radar Set AN/TPS-10D is air-transportable in a type C-82 cargo aircraft without disassembly of any components other than the upper section of the antenna reflector."
Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf, page 76.
