Powerful Radar Visits Pearl Harbor

The military at Pearl Harbor is taking strict security measures to protect a $900 million floating missile defense radar rig, according to an Associated Press report. The Coast Guard is prohibiting anyone without prior permission from entering a 500-yard security zone around the ship. The 280-foot tall Sea-Based X-band Radar is so powerful it can identify baseball-sized objects from thousands of miles away. The radar is designed to tell the difference between decoys and real missile warheads, making it a critical component of the U.S. military’s effort to track and intercept missiles that may target the United States or its allies. The radar platform sailed from Texas aboard the MV Blue Marlin. The floating radar will be based at Adak, a tiny outpost in Alaska halfway between Tokyo and Seattle, but can sail anywhere in the Pacific to go where its tracking capabilities are most needed. The radar will undergo minor modifications at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard before leaving for Alaska in the spring. (Source: Associated Press)