GLOBUS
GLOBUS is a radar system in Vardø, on the island of Vårberget in Norway. It is operated by the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) and its official uses are primarily space observation and Arctic monitoring for Norway's national interest, though the site's close proximity to known Russian naval bases as well as U.S. involvement in construction and funding have fueled suspicions that it also serves as part of an American missile defense system.
Administration and funding
The radar is administered by the Norwegian Intelligence Service. It is however believed to be connected to the US radar network. Although the cost of the radar is classified, it is believed to have cost more than 100 million US dollars[1] and that it was financed by the United States. The Norwegian intelligence service claims that it is operated by Norwegian personnel only and that data is not transferred real-time. What is to be considered real-time is however disputed as such radar-stations collect too much information for it to be transferred live. Instead, information is typically automatically filtered on location and transferred in batches every 30–90 seconds
Globus II
Globus II is a radar station located at 70°22′02″N 31°07′38″E / 70.3671°N 31.1271°E in Vardø, Norway, near the Russian border.[2]
Purpose and use
The site is administrated by the Norwegian Intelligence Service, which states that the radar is used for:[3]
- Space surveillance
- Surveillance of areas of national interest abroad
- Gather information of interest to research and development
The radar was previously known as "Have Stare" and located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It was made by Raytheon, who previously described it on their website as a radar "originally designed to collect intelligence data against ballistic missiles". The website has since then been removed by request of the US DoD.[4][5]
The radar, which uses a mechanically steered 27-meter dish antenna, is believed to have similar, though probably somewhat more limited, capabilities as the newer American Sea-based X-band Radar used in the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense anti-ballistic missile system.
Controversy
When the radar was built the Norwegian official statement was that it was going to be used to monitor objects in space, such as satellites and space debris. This information was to be added to the orbital database provided by the US Space Command.
In April 1998 a Norwegian journalist, Inge Sellevåg, from the daily newspaper Bergens Tidende discovered that NASA had no knowledge of a new radar being added to the system. This led him to suspect it had other purposes and Mr. Sellevåg discovered that it was also going to be used for national purposes such as intelligence gathering.[5]
This paragraph is directly copied from Geographical
In 2000, during a storm, the radome was torn off and uncovered the radar-dish. At that time it was pointing directly towards Russia. A local newspaper editor commented: "I'm not an expert, but I thought space was in the sky." Official comments claimed that the radar was still being tested and that it pointed towards Russia was a pure coincidence.[1] The Russian general Leonid Ivashov said in a statement to the Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, that Russia had programmed tactical nuclear weapons to attack the radar station.[6]
Globus III
A new radar, GLOBUS 3, is currently under construction.[7][8] On 13 February 2018 it was reported that the local population felt misled about the size of the radar. The construction work was shrouded in secrecy, and many locals were critical, but they were reluctant to speak out because the project brought sorely needed employment to the community.[9]
Russian responses
In March 2017 nine Russian bombers took off from Russia's nearby Kola Peninsula and executed a mock air strike against the radar station, flying in attack formation and turning back just before breaching Norwegian airspace.[10] Then in February of the following year a very similar mock strike was carried out by eleven Russian fighter jets.[11] Regarding the GLOBUS system, Russian spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated in 2019 "It’s no secret that the information it receives is transmitted to the United States" and "...there is every reason to believe that the radar will monitor precisely the territory of the Russian Federation and will become part of the US missile defense system."[11]
References
- ^ a b Higgins, Andrew (6 June 2000). "How A Storm Spread A Cold War Chill". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ Globus II/Have Stare Sourcebook
- ^ Etterretningstjenesten. "Globus II: Oppgaver" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 13 October 2003.
- ^ Raytheon Systems Company (15 November 1999). "AN/FPS-129 HAVE STARE" (PDF). Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ a b Sellevåg, Inge (March–April 2000). "Vardø Exposed". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 56 (2): 26–29. doi:10.1080/00963402.2000.11456939.
- ^ Lowenstein, Oliver (30 December 2019). "The Norwegian town that came back from the dead". Geographical. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Modernisering av radaranlegget i Vardø" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Armed Forces. April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017.
- ^ Higgins, Andrew (13 June 2017). "On a Tiny Norwegian Island, America Keeps an Eye on Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ Wormdal, Bård (13 February 2018). "Lokalbefolkningen raser mot feilinformasjon om ny topphemmelig radar". NRK (in Norwegian).
- ^ Nilsen, Thomas (13 March 2018). "Norway says Russia's mock attack on Vardø radar troubles stability in the north". The Barents Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b Nilsen, Thomas (23 May 2019). "Moscow threatens response against Norwegian radar near Russian border". The Barents Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
External links
- AN/FPS-129 HAVE STARE X-Band Dish radar, GlobalSecurity.org
- "Pentagons øye?" [The Pentagon's eye?]. Brennpunkt (in Norwegian). NRK. 11 October 2005.