Dimona Radar Facility

Dimona Radar Facility
מתקן המכ"ם בדימונה
Transmission antennas of the Dimona Radar Facility, January 2014
Dimona Radar Facility Location within Israel
General information
Type	Radar facility
Location	Near Dimona, Israel
Coordinates	30°58′06.9″N 35°05′49.6″E 30°58′32.5″N 35°05′55.3″E
Completed	2008
Height	400 metres (1,300 ft)

The Dimona Radar Facility (Hebrew: מתקן המכ"ם בדימונה) is a Raytheon-built AN/TPY-2 radar facility located near Dimona, Israel operated by the United States.[1] The facility's stated purpose is detecting, tracking, and intercepting incoming enemy aircraft and ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi)[a], in particular focusing on threats from Iran and its nuclear program.

Height

At 400 metres (1,300 ft) tall, the two radar towers are the highest radar towers in the world as well as being by far the tallest structures in Israel, beating out both the tallest building in Israel, the 238.5-metre-tall (782 ft) Azrieli Sarona Tower, and the 300-metre-tall (980 ft) smokestack of the Orot Rabin power plant.[3]

The radar towers' height, as well as the presence of several guy wires used to anchor them in place, inhibits the ability to fly in their immediate surroundings. To solve this, as well as to not disrupt any air force activities in the Negev, the facility was located close to the nearby Nuclear Research Center, whose surroundings were already strictly off-limits to any kind of aviation.[4]

Notes

1. According to one source,[2] the range might be as high as 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi).

References

1. "Israel to install radar antennae near nuclear site". AFP. 2008-10-02. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09.
2. "Israelis Wary of a US Radar Base in the Negev". Time. 2008-10-02. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03.
3. "Skyscraper Page: Dimona Radar". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
4. "צה"ל מקים שתי אנטנות ענק סמוך לדימונה". nrg. 2008-10-03. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-25.