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Coordinates: 22°01′22″N 159°47′06″W / 22.02278°N 159.78500°W / 22.02278; -159.78500
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{{Short description|United States naval facility and airport in Hawaii}}
{{Infobox airport
{{Infobox military installation
| name = PMRF Barking Sands
| name = Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands
| image = PMRF aerial.jpg
| image-width = 250
| ensign =
| ensign_size =
| caption = 2004 aerial view
| IATA = BKH
| native_name =
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| ICAO = PHBK
| FAA = BKH
| location =
| nearest_town = [[Kekaha, Hawaii|Kekaha]], [[Hawaii]]
| type = Military
| owner = [[United States Navy]]
| country = the [[United States]]
| image = File:PMRF_aerial.jpg
| operator =
| alt =
| location = [[Kauai County, Hawaii|Kauai County]], near [[Kekaha, Hawaii|Kekaha]], [[Hawaii|Hawaii, United States]]
| caption = Aerial view of the airfield at PMRF Barking Sands
| built =
| image2 = [[File:Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands logo.jpg|175x175px]]
| used =
| alt2 =
| commander = CAPT Bruce W. Hay
| occupants =
| caption2 =
| type = Test & training range and airfield
| elevation-f = 23
| coordinates = {{coord|22|01|22|N|159|47|06|W|region:US-HI_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| elevation-m = 7
| gridref =
| coordinates = {{coord|22|01|22|N|159|47|06|W|region:US-HI_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| image_map =
| website = [http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html PMRF official website]
| r1-number = 16/34
| image_mapsize =
| r1-length-f = 6,006
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption =
| r1-length-m = 1,831
| pushpin_map = USA Hawaii
| r1-surface = Asphalt
| pushpin_mapsize =
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=BKH|use=PR|own=MN|site=52302.1*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 29 July 2010.</ref>
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of PMRF Barking Sands airfield in Hawaii
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_image =
| pushpin_label = PMRF Barking Sands
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mark =
| pushpin_marksize =
| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator = [[United States Navy|US Navy]]
| controlledby = [[Navy Region Hawaii]]
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = {{Convert|42,000|sqmi|km2}} (controlled airspace)<br />{{Convert|1,100|sqmi|km2}} (underwater range)
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built = {{Start date|1921}} (for Kekaha Sugar Company)
| used = *1940 – 1942 ([[United States Army Air Forces|US Army Air Forces]])
*1942 – 1957 ([[United States Air Force|US Air Force]])
*1957 – present ([[United States Navy|US Navy]]) <!--{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder =
| materials =
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition = Operational
| battles =
| events =
| current_commander = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] Timothy H. Young
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations =
| website = {{Official website|https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html}}
<!-- begin airfield information -->
| IATA = BKH
| ICAO = PHBK
| FAA = BKH
| TC =
| LID =
| GPS =
| WMO = 911620
| elevation = {{Convert|5.4|m|0}}
| r1-number = 16/34
| r1-length = {{Convert|1829.4|m|0}}
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| h1-number =
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!-- end airfield information -->
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=BKH|use=PR|own=MN|site=52302.1*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 17 July 2021.</ref>
}}
}}
The '''Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands''' {{airport codes|BKH|PHBK|BKH}} is a U.S. naval facility and [[airport]] located five [[nautical mile]]s (9&nbsp;km) northwest of the [[central business district]] of [[Kekaha, Hawaii|Kekaha]], in [[Kauai County, Hawaii]], United States.<ref name="FAA" />


PMRF is the world's largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training missile range.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pacific Missile Range Facility|url=https://cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html/|website=CNIC|publisher=US Navy|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207114321/https://cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[US military]] and its [[Defense contractor|contractors]] favor its relative isolation, ideal year-round [[tropical climate]] and encroachment-free environment (see [[#PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative|PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative]] below). It is the only range in the world where [[submarine]]s, [[surface ship]]s, [[aircraft]] and [[space vehicle]]s can operate and be [[Radar tracker|tracked]] simultaneously. There are over {{convert|1100|sqmi|km2|-2}} of instrumented underwater range and over {{convert|42000|sqmi|km2|-3}} of [[controlled airspace]]. The base itself covers roughly {{convert|2385|acre}}.
The '''Pacific Missile Range Facility, [[Barking Sands]]''' {{airport codes|BKH|PHBK|BKH}} is a U.S. naval facility and [[airport]] located five [[nautical mile]]s (9&nbsp;km) northwest of the [[central business district]] of [[Kekaha, Hawaii|Kekaha]], in [[Kauai County, Hawaii|Kauai County]], [[Hawaii]], [[United States]].<ref name="FAA" />


The base includes a {{convert|6000|ft|m|-2|adj=on}} runway with operations and maintenance facilities. It has roughly 70 housing units and various recreational facilities for those who can access the base.
PMRF is the world's largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training missile range. [[US Military]] and [[Defense contractor|subcontractors]] favor its relative isolation, ideal year-round [[tropical climate]] and encroachment-free environment (see "PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative" below). It is the only range in the world where [[submarine]]s, [[surface ship]]s, [[aircraft]] and [[space vehicle]]s can operate and be [[Radar tracker|tracked]] simultaneously. There are over {{convert|1100|sqmi|km2|-2}} of instrumented underwater range and over {{convert|42000|sqmi|km2|-3}} of [[controlled airspace]]. The base itself covers roughly {{convert|2385|acre}}.


The base has support facilities at Port Allen, [[Makaha Ridge]], and [[Koke'e State Park]]. The base also uses a portion of the nearby island of [[Niihau]] for a remotely operated [[AN/APY-10#AN/APS-134|APS-134 surveillance]] [[radar]], an {{convert|1100|acre|adj=on}} Test Vehicle Recovery Site, the Perch Electronic Warfare site, multiple EW Portable Simulator sites, and a Helicopter Terrain Flight training course.
The base includes a {{convert|6000|ft|m|-2|sing=on}} runway with operations and maintenance facilities. It has roughly 70 housing units and various recreational facilities for those who can access the base.

The base has support facilities at Port Allen, [[Makaha Ridge]], and [[Koke'e State Park]]. The base also uses a portion of the nearby island of [[Niihau]] for a remotely operated APS-134 surveillance [[radar]], an {{convert|1100|acre|sing=on}} Test Vehicle Recovery Site, the Perch Electronic Warfare site, multiple EW Portable Simulator sites, and a Helicopter Terrain Flight training course.


==History==
==History==
In 1921, the land area known as the [[Barking Sands]] was acquired by the [[Kekaha Sugar Company]] and became a runway for private planes. The [[U.S. Army]] acquired the land in 1940, named it '''Mana Airport''', and paved the runway. Additional land acquired in 1941 expanded the facility to {{convert|2058|acre}}. Private airlines frequently utilized the airport, and [[World War II]] incurred a great deal of military flight operations. The base was officially designated '''Bonham Air Force Base''' in 1954. U.S. Navy operations at Bonham began in 1956, with testing of the [[Regulus I]] missile. In 1958, the Pacific Missile Range Facility was established to support the growing demand of the Navy at Bonham. In 1964, the Pacific Missile Range Facility and Bonham was transferred to the Navy, becoming Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cnic.navy.mil/BarkingSands/AboutCNIC/GeneralInformation/index.htm | title = History of Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands | accessdate = 13 August 2010}}</ref>
In 1921, the land area known as the Barking Sands was acquired by the [[Kekaha Sugar Company]] and became a runway for private planes. In 1928 [[Charles Kingsford Smith]], a record-setting Australian aviator, took off with his four-man crew from a sandy runway here to fly non-stop to Fiji. They had arrived in Hawaii at [[Wheeler Army Airfield]], but left from Barking Sands as Wheeler was not long enough to take off with their heavy load. The [[U.S. Army]] acquired the land in 1940, named it '''Mana Airport''', and paved the runway. Additional land acquired in 1941 expanded the facility to {{convert|2058|acre}}. Private airlines frequently utilized the airport, and [[World War II]] incurred a great deal of military flight operations. The base was officially designated '''Bonham Air Force Base''' in 1954. U.S. Navy operations at Bonham began in 1956, with testing of the [[Regulus I]] missile. In 1958, the Pacific Missile Range Facility was established to support the growing demand of the Navy at Bonham. In 1964, the Pacific Missile Range Facility and Bonham was transferred to the Navy, becoming Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cnic.navy.mil/BarkingSands/AboutCNIC/GeneralInformation/index.htm | title = History of Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands | access-date = 13 August 2010 | archive-date = 6 March 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120306025517/https://cnic.navy.mil/BarkingSands/AboutCNIC/GeneralInformation/index.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref>


==Missile tests==
==Missile tests==
{{multiple image
[[Image:Missile launch from Pacific Missile Range.jpg|thumb|upright|A ballistic missile launch from Barking Sands]]
| direction = vertical
| width = 200px

| image1 = Missile launch from Pacific Missile Range.jpg
| caption1 = Target ballistic missile launch from Barking Sands, to test SM-3 missile interception

| image2 = A medium-range ballistic missile target is launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility. (36083377444).jpg
| caption2 = Target ballistic missile launch from Barking Sands, to test SM-6 missile interception

}}
In 1962, the U.S. military conducted the Frigate Bird Test of the [[Operation Dominic]] program near PMRF. The military launched an operational [[ballistic missile]] with a live warhead from the {{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608}}, which was situated near PMRF. The [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warhead]] flew toward [[Kiritimati|Christmas Island]] and detonated in an [[air burst]] at {{convert|11000|ft|m|-2}}.
In 1962, the U.S. military conducted the Frigate Bird Test of the [[Operation Dominic]] program near PMRF. The military launched an operational [[ballistic missile]] with a live warhead from the {{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608}}, which was situated near PMRF. The [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warhead]] flew toward [[Kiritimati|Christmas Island]] and detonated in an [[air burst]] at {{convert|11000|ft|m|-2}}.


The Navy is currently using PMRF to test "hit to kill" technology using direct collision of the [[anti-ballistic missile]] with its target.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/pdf/05news0010.pdf |title=Sea-Based Missile Defense "Hit To Kill" Intercept Achieved |publisher=[[Missile Defense Agency]] |format=[[PDF]] |date=2005-11-17 |accessdate=2008-12-10}}</ref> This destroys the target by using only [[kinetic energy]] from the force of the collision. The two [[Missile Defense Agency]] programs that currently utilize the range at PMRF are the Navy's [[Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System]] and the [[United States Army|Army's]] [[Terminal High Altitude Area Defense]] System, or THAAD. The THAAD program relocated their testing operations from the [[White Sands Missile Range]] in [[New Mexico]] and conducted its first demonstration at PMRF on 26 January 2007.
The Navy is currently using PMRF to test "hit to kill" technology using direct collision of the [[anti-ballistic missile]] with its target.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mda.mil/global/documents/pdf/05news0010.pdf |title=Sea-Based Missile Defense "Hit To Kill" Intercept Achieved |publisher=[[Missile Defense Agency]] |date=2005-11-17 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> This destroys the target by using only [[kinetic energy]] from the force of the collision. The two [[Missile Defense Agency]] programs that currently utilize the range at PMRF are the Navy's [[Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System]] and the [[United States Army|Army's]] [[Terminal High Altitude Area Defense]] System, or THAAD. The THAAD program relocated their testing operations from the [[White Sands Missile Range]] in [[New Mexico]] and conducted its first demonstration at PMRF on 26 January 2007.


On 27 April 2007, the U.S. military's sea-based missile defense system, the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, showed it could intercept two targets simultaneously when it destroyed a [[cruise missile]] and a [[short-range ballistic missile]] during a test off the [[Hawaii]]an island of Kauai. The test marked eight out of ten times the [[Missile Defense Agency]] and U.S. Navy's Aegis missile defense system successfully intercepted its target, but was the first time the system knocked out two targets at the same time.
On 27 April 2007, the U.S. military's sea-based missile defense system, the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, showed it could intercept two targets simultaneously when it destroyed a [[cruise missile]] and a [[short-range ballistic missile]] during a test off the [[Hawaii]]an island of Kauai. The test marked eight out of ten times the [[Missile Defense Agency]] and U.S. Navy's Aegis missile defense system successfully intercepted its target, but was the first time the system knocked out two targets at the same time.


==PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative==
==PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative==
The Navy is currently working with the [[State of Hawaii]] and [[Kauai County]] to ensure the long-term viability of PMRF. For many decades, the land adjacent to PMRF was used for [[sugarcane]] fields, which was wholly compatible with operations at PMRF. Since Kekaha Sugar's closure, the Navy has become wary of "encroachment", incompatible developments, that might occur on the land next to the base. In order to ensure that PMRF can continue to safely conduct important research and training operations in the future, the Navy and some citizens of Kauai are seeking to permanently preserve the land adjacent to PMRF for [[agricultural]] purposes. Under the PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative the Navy would have the roughly {{convert|6000|acre}} of land adjacent to PMRF preserved solely for agricultural use. Although the Navy has stated that it would like to lease about {{convert|300|acre}} of land, it has also stated that its main goal is not to purchase more land but to merely ensure the land continues to be used for agricultural purposes.<ref>[http://navyusa.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1751:pmrf-agriculture-preservation-initiative&catid=529:overview "PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative"] ''NavyUSA.com'' retrieved 15 May 2014</ref>
The Navy is currently working with the [[State of Hawaii]] and [[Kauai County]] to ensure the long-term viability of PMRF. For many decades, the land adjacent to PMRF was used for [[sugarcane]] fields, which was wholly compatible with operations at PMRF.{{original research inline|date=November 2015}} Since Kekaha Sugar's closure, the Navy has become wary of "encroachment", incompatible developments, that might occur on the land next to the base. In order to ensure that PMRF can continue to safely conduct important research and training operations in the future, the Navy and some citizens of Kauai are seeking to permanently preserve the land adjacent to PMRF for [[agricultural]] purposes. Under the PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative the Navy would have the roughly {{convert|6000|acre}} of land adjacent to PMRF preserved solely for agricultural use. Although the Navy has stated that it would like to lease about {{convert|300|acre}} of land, it has also stated that its main goal is not to purchase more land but to merely ensure the land continues to be used for agricultural purposes.<ref>[http://navyusa.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1751:pmrf-agriculture-preservation-initiative&catid=529:overview "PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122435/http://navyusa.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1751:pmrf-agriculture-preservation-initiative&catid=529:overview |date=2014-05-17 }} ''NavyUSA.com'' retrieved 15 May 2014</ref>


==Operational deployment of THAAD==
==Operational deployment of THAAD==
When North Korea threatened to launch [[Taepodong-2]] ICBMs toward Hawaii in 2009, the US temporarily deployed a [[Terminal High Altitude Area Defense|THAAD]] missile unit to the facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=What's known about missile shield in Hawaii |first=Gordon |last=Lubold |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2009/0620/p02s07-usmi.html |newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=20 June 2009 |accessdate=13 August 2012}}</ref>
When North Korea threatened to launch [[Taepodong-2]] ICBMs toward Hawaii in 2009, the US temporarily deployed a [[Terminal High Altitude Area Defense|THAAD]] missile unit to the facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=What's known about missile shield in Hawaii |first=Gordon |last=Lubold |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2009/0620/p02s07-usmi.html |newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=20 June 2009 |access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref>

== Range Programs ==
The range hosted the following programs:<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/misslesrockets7196unse#page/n677/mode/2up ''Missiles and Rockets''], November 21, 1960, p. 14.</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* Able III & IV
* ADTS
* [[SM-65 Atlas|Atlas]]
* Bullpup (A) & (B)
* Caleb Satellite
* [[Centaur (rocket stage)|Centaur]]
* Composite Radiation Satellite
* [[ASM-N-8 Corvus|Corvus I]]
* Courier
* Discoverer
* [[Dyna-Soar]]
* [[AAM-N-10 Eagle|Eagle]]
* [[GAR-9|Falcon]]
* [[MIM-23 Hawk|Hawk]]
* Hummingbird
* Hydra
* Hyperjet
* Jaguar (Probe)
* Mach 2 Expendable Target
* Mach 2 Recoverable Target
* Mercury
* Midas
* [[LGM-30 Minuteman|Minuteman]]
* MORT (Fleet Training)
* NERV
* [[LIM-49 Nike Zeus|Nike-Zeus]]
* NORT (Fleet Training)
* Ozarc
* [[MGM-31 Pershing|Pershing]]
* [[AIM-54 Phoenix|Phoenix]]
* [[SSM-N-8 Regulus|Regulus I]]
* Rella
* Samos-Atlas
* Scout
* [[MGM-29 Sergeant|Sergeant]]
* [[AIM-9 Sidewinder|Sidewinder]]
* [[AIM-7 Sparrow|Sparrow III]]
* Sunflare
* [[RIM-8 Talos|Talos]]
* [[RIM-24 Tartar|Tartar]]
* Tepee
* Terrier I
* [[PGM-17 Thor|Thor]]
* Tiros
* [[SM-68 Titan|Titan]]
* Tophat
* Transit
* Tumbleweed
* [[RIM-50 Typhon|Typhon]]
{{div col end}}


==See also==
==See also==
{{commons category|Pacific Missile Range Facility (Barking Sands)}}
{{Portal|United States Air Force|Military of the United States|World War II}}

* [[Eastern Test Range]]
* [[Eastern Test Range]]
* [[WWVH]], a [[time signal]] [[radio station]] on the grounds of the PMRF
* [[WWVH]], a [[time signal]] [[radio station]] on the grounds of the PMRF
* [[Hawaii World War II Army Airfields]]
* [[Hawaii World War II Army Airfields]]
*[[List of United States Navy airfields]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 62: Line 180:
==References==
==References==
* {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|origyear=1969|url= http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_sq_of_the_af_wwii.pdf |edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402|pages= }}
* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|orig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html/ Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands], official website
* [http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrh/installations/pacific_missile_range_facility_barking_sands.html/ Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands], official website
* [http://www.hawaii.navy.mil/PMRF/PMRF_AgricultureInitiative.htm PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061211063646/http://www.hawaii.navy.mil/PMRF/PMRF_AgricultureInitiative.htm PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative]
* [http://barkingsands.hi.navyusa.org NMB Barking Sands Installation Overview] at NavyUSA.org
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082100/http://barkingsands.hi.navyusa.org/ NMB Barking Sands Installation Overview] at NavyUSA.org
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/pmrf.htm Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) / NS Barking Sands] at GlobalSecurity.org
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/pmrf.htm Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) / NS Barking Sands] at GlobalSecurity.org
* {{US-airport2|BKH|PHBK}}
* {{US-airport2|BKH|PHBK}}


{{US Proving Grounds}}
{{USAAF 7th Air Force World War II}}
{{USAAF 7th Air Force World War II}}
{{Airports in Hawaii}}
{{Airports in Hawaii}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Hawaii]]
Line 79: Line 200:
[[Category:Guided missiles]]
[[Category:Guided missiles]]
[[Category:Kauai]]
[[Category:Kauai]]
[[Category:Military facilities in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Missile defense]]
[[Category:Missile defense]]
[[Category:Rocket launch sites]]
[[Category:Rocket launch sites in the United States]]
[[Category:United States Navy installations]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Navy in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1940]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1940]]
[[Category:1940 establishments in Hawaii]]
[[Category:1940 establishments in Hawaii]]

Latest revision as of 21:32, 30 September 2024

Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands
Near Kekaha, Hawaii in the United States
Aerial view of the airfield at PMRF Barking Sands
PMRF Barking Sands is located in Hawaii
PMRF Barking Sands
PMRF Barking Sands
Location of PMRF Barking Sands airfield in Hawaii
Coordinates22°01′22″N 159°47′06″W / 22.02278°N 159.78500°W / 22.02278; -159.78500
TypeTest & training range and airfield
Area42,000 square miles (110,000 km2) (controlled airspace)
1,100 square miles (2,800 km2) (underwater range)
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Navy
Controlled byNavy Region Hawaii
ConditionOperational
WebsiteOfficial website
Site history
Built1921 (1921) (for Kekaha Sugar Company)
In use
Garrison information
Current
commander		Captain Timothy H. Young
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: BKH, ICAO: PHBK, FAA LID: BKH, WMO: 911620
Elevation5.4 metres (18 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
16/34 1,829.4 metres (6,002 ft) Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands (IATA: BKH, ICAO: PHBK, FAA LID: BKH) is a U.S. naval facility and airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States.[1]

PMRF is the world's largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training missile range.[2] The US military and its contractors favor its relative isolation, ideal year-round tropical climate and encroachment-free environment (see PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative below). It is the only range in the world where submarines, surface ships, aircraft and space vehicles can operate and be tracked simultaneously. There are over 1,100 square miles (2,800 km2) of instrumented underwater range and over 42,000 square miles (109,000 km2) of controlled airspace. The base itself covers roughly 2,385 acres (965 ha).

The base includes a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) runway with operations and maintenance facilities. It has roughly 70 housing units and various recreational facilities for those who can access the base.

The base has support facilities at Port Allen, Makaha Ridge, and Koke'e State Park. The base also uses a portion of the nearby island of Niihau for a remotely operated APS-134 surveillance radar, an 1,100-acre (450 ha) Test Vehicle Recovery Site, the Perch Electronic Warfare site, multiple EW Portable Simulator sites, and a Helicopter Terrain Flight training course.

History

[edit]

In 1921, the land area known as the Barking Sands was acquired by the Kekaha Sugar Company and became a runway for private planes. In 1928 Charles Kingsford Smith, a record-setting Australian aviator, took off with his four-man crew from a sandy runway here to fly non-stop to Fiji. They had arrived in Hawaii at Wheeler Army Airfield, but left from Barking Sands as Wheeler was not long enough to take off with their heavy load. The U.S. Army acquired the land in 1940, named it Mana Airport, and paved the runway. Additional land acquired in 1941 expanded the facility to 2,058 acres (833 ha). Private airlines frequently utilized the airport, and World War II incurred a great deal of military flight operations. The base was officially designated Bonham Air Force Base in 1954. U.S. Navy operations at Bonham began in 1956, with testing of the Regulus I missile. In 1958, the Pacific Missile Range Facility was established to support the growing demand of the Navy at Bonham. In 1964, the Pacific Missile Range Facility and Bonham was transferred to the Navy, becoming Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands.[3]

Missile tests

[edit]
Target ballistic missile launch from Barking Sands, to test SM-3 missile interception
Target ballistic missile launch from Barking Sands, to test SM-6 missile interception

In 1962, the U.S. military conducted the Frigate Bird Test of the Operation Dominic program near PMRF. The military launched an operational ballistic missile with a live warhead from the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), which was situated near PMRF. The nuclear warhead flew toward Christmas Island and detonated in an air burst at 11,000 feet (3,400 m).

The Navy is currently using PMRF to test "hit to kill" technology using direct collision of the anti-ballistic missile with its target.[4] This destroys the target by using only kinetic energy from the force of the collision. The two Missile Defense Agency programs that currently utilize the range at PMRF are the Navy's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and the Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD. The THAAD program relocated their testing operations from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and conducted its first demonstration at PMRF on 26 January 2007.

On 27 April 2007, the U.S. military's sea-based missile defense system, the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, showed it could intercept two targets simultaneously when it destroyed a cruise missile and a short-range ballistic missile during a test off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The test marked eight out of ten times the Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy's Aegis missile defense system successfully intercepted its target, but was the first time the system knocked out two targets at the same time.

PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative

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The Navy is currently working with the State of Hawaii and Kauai County to ensure the long-term viability of PMRF. For many decades, the land adjacent to PMRF was used for sugarcane fields, which was wholly compatible with operations at PMRF.[original research?] Since Kekaha Sugar's closure, the Navy has become wary of "encroachment", incompatible developments, that might occur on the land next to the base. In order to ensure that PMRF can continue to safely conduct important research and training operations in the future, the Navy and some citizens of Kauai are seeking to permanently preserve the land adjacent to PMRF for agricultural purposes. Under the PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative the Navy would have the roughly 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of land adjacent to PMRF preserved solely for agricultural use. Although the Navy has stated that it would like to lease about 300 acres (120 ha) of land, it has also stated that its main goal is not to purchase more land but to merely ensure the land continues to be used for agricultural purposes.[5]

Operational deployment of THAAD

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When North Korea threatened to launch Taepodong-2 ICBMs toward Hawaii in 2009, the US temporarily deployed a THAAD missile unit to the facility.[6]

Range Programs

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The range hosted the following programs:[7]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pacific Missile Range Facility (Barking Sands).

Notes

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  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for BKH PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Pacific Missile Range Facility". CNIC. US Navy. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  3. ^ "History of Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Sea-Based Missile Defense "Hit To Kill" Intercept Achieved" (PDF) (Press release). Missile Defense Agency. 2005-11-17. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  5. ^ "PMRF Agriculture Preservation Initiative" Archived 2014-05-17 at the Wayback Machine NavyUSA.com retrieved 15 May 2014
  6. ^ Lubold, Gordon (20 June 2009). "What's known about missile shield in Hawaii". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  7. ^ Missiles and Rockets, November 21, 1960, p. 14.

References

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