Abstract :
A brief history of the MIT Radiation Laboratory established by the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) is presented. The focus is on Radlab Projects 2, a gunlaying system including a radar for target acquisition and tracking, a computer to establish tracks and to make fire-control predictions, and the guns and the shells with their fuses, and Project 3, a navigation system. The current situation is discussed, including the impact of advances in technology, both in the microwave field and in complementary fields essential to the design of modern microwave systems. Three examples are briefly reviewed: the Army Patriot, the Navy Aegis, and the AF Navstar of GPS navigation system
Keywords :
laboratories; microwaves; military systems; AF Navstar; Army Patriot; GPS; MIT Radiation Laboratory; NDRC; National Defense Research Committee; Navy Aegis; Project 3; Radlab Projects 2; computer; fire-control predictions; fuses; gunlaying system; navigation system; radar; shells; target acquisition; tracking; Aerospace electronics; Airborne radar; Aircraft navigation; Laboratories; Magnetic separation; Microwave devices; Microwave theory and techniques; Optical reflection; Pulse measurements; Space technology;
