AN/FPS-16 Instrumentation Radar

The FPS-16 radar sits atop Tranquillon Peak overlooking all of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, including Space Launch Complex-6, and the shoreline. Tranquillon Peak's elevation of 2,126 feet (648 m) is the highest point on Vandenberg AFB. The radar provides data and range safety for missile launches. This radar, along with its data system, is used for tracking the Minuteman III ICBM.

The AN/FPS-16 is a highly accurate ground-based monopulse single object tracking radar (SOTR), used extensively by the NASA crewed space program, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. The accuracy of Radar Set AN/FPS-16 is such that the position data obtained from point-source targets has azimuth and elevation angular errors of less than 0.1 milliradian (approximately 0.006 degree) and range errors of less than 5 yards (5 m) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20 decibels or greater.