The AN/FPS-20 was the most ubiquitous air defense surveillance radar deployed at sites across the United States during the late Fifties and early Sixties and beyond. The Air Force's Montauk installation received one of the nation's first examples of this SAGE compatible radar during the first half of 1957. Montauk became a component in the SAGE air defense network during the following year.

Manufactured by the Bendix Corporation, the AN/FPS-20 was an improved version of the earlier AN/FPS-3 radar set and was capable of detecting aircraft at distances of over 200 miles from the site. Over 200 examples of this radar were produced. Variants included the AN/FPS-20A and -20B radars as well as the AN/FPS-66 and -67. These radars remained in active service throughout the Cold War.

Copyright 2000 by Donald E. Bender. All Rights Reserved.