New images provide the clearest view yet of damage to a U.S.-made AN/FPS-132 early warning radar in Qatar.

New images provide the clearest view yet of damage to a U.S.-made AN/FPS-132 early warning radar in Qatar.

New images provide the clearest view yet of damage to a U.S.-made AN/FPS-132 early warning radar in Qatar.

This image details the damage to a giant phased array AN/FPS-132 radar struck during an Iranian attack on Qatar last month.

New photos posted by Al Jazeera Data circulated online provides the clearest view yet on the damage suffered by the US-made AN/FPS-132 Block 5 (SSPARS) ballistic missile early warning radar deployed in Qatar in last month’s retaliatory attack by Iran.

Qatar’s radar complex, a high-value fixed-position phased array system that forms part of the Gulf’s broader missile warning architecture, is located at Al Udeid Air Base, a key U.S. base in the region that has been targeted several times by Tehran missiles during the conflict triggered by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

The images themselves do not allow us to assess the full extent of the damage or the current operational status of the radar, but appear consistent with previous reports that at least part of the radar installation had been hit based on satellite imagery. Previous analysis showed one side of the radar was damaged and debris and signs consistent with firefighting activity were identified at the scene.

Again, the photos show burnt parts and wiring, and although the damage is clear, it is impossible to determine whether the radar can be repaired or how long it will take, so caution is required. There has been no official statement about the damage so far, so it is unknown how badly the radar has been hit or whether it continues to operate in some degraded mode.

However, it is worth emphasizing that even partially damaged such radars can be problematic. This does not necessarily mean that the entire network is unnoticed, especially in areas of significant redundancy, but it can still degrade warning coverage, degrade tracking quality, and complicate response to subsequent missile or drone attacks.

The AN/FPS-132 Block 5 is not only the radar of regional air defense, but also the main fixed-site ballistic missile early warning system, one of the largest and most strategically important sensors deployed in the region.

According to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the radar was sold to Qatar to provide a “permanent defense capability” on the Korean Peninsula, protect economic infrastructure, and help counter current and future threats in the region. The package included not only the radar itself, but also communications equipment, cryptography devices, support and test equipment, training, and U.S. government and contractor engineering and logistics support. Raytheon was the main contractor.

Although some media outlets describe the radar complex as being operated by the United States, the radar was purchased by Qatar through a foreign military sale, so it is technically owned by Qatar and made in the United States. However, it is reasonable to assume that both Qatari and American personnel will work on the system. At the same time, the radar is said to be part of a broader missile warning architecture in the Gulf region supported by the United States and its allies, meaning it is tightly integrated into regional air and missile defense networks.

According to published details, the system uses three electronically steered phased array planes that provide 360-degree azimuth coverage and can detect ballistic missiles at a range of up to 5,000 km. The same source said the radar would support missile warning, missile defense and space situational awareness, placing it in a broader area air and missile defense architecture rather than a narrow point defense role.

In any case, what makes the strike particularly important is the type of function involved – a function worth $1.1 billion in 2013 – that cannot be more easily relocated or replaced. So there is something symbolic about the huge Qatari radar.

But the attack on this radar station was not an isolated act.

Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, Iran has continued to target multiple radar systems in the Middle East, including several AN/TPY-2 sites, with the goal of degrading the warning and tracking architecture that supports the region’s integrated air and missile defense posture.

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