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00:07The End
00:39Near the center of modern-day Fort Bliss, Texas, stands a small frontier army post,
00:45a recreation of the fort as it was over 100 years ago.
00:49During those years, Fort Bliss has been the home of the infantrymen,
00:55the horse cavalrymen,
00:58the anti-aircraft artillerymen,
01:01and today, the air defense missilemen.
01:07The simple army outpost of 100 years ago and the imposing facilities of modern Fort Bliss
01:12would seem to have little in common.
01:15Yet through the decades, the army's basic mission in the Fort Bliss area has remained the same,
01:21defense of the United States.
01:34The army's role in this southwest area began during the Mexican War,
01:39when Colonel Alexander Donovan led troops into the Paso del Norte, or Pass of the North.
01:45Not long afterwards, with expanding national boundaries,
01:49soldiers surveyed the first wagon road from San Antonio to what is now El Paso.
01:57Then came the wagon trains pushing westward.
02:00They had to be protected, as did lonely frontier settlements.
02:07Protection was also needed by those solitary wanderers of the west,
02:10the trappers and prospectors, as well as the isolated cattlemen.
02:17The lone stagecoach constantly faced Indian attack.
02:24Yes, for the army, the years on the frontier before the Civil War were active ones indeed.
02:31When the Civil War began, Fort Bliss was occupied by the Confederacy.
02:38Later, in the 1870s, no troops were assigned to the border area,
02:42and the lawless element terrorized the settlers.
02:47In 1878, the troops returned to restore order.
02:55In 1914, Brigadier General John J. Pershing assumed command of Fort Bliss.
03:04Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, posed a threat to border communities.
03:10To maintain peace, more troops were needed.
03:13So state militia was called to duty.
03:15And by 1916, some 60,000 troops were at Fort Bliss.
03:23Later that year, with permission of the Mexican government,
03:26Pershing led the punitive expedition into Mexico.
03:32This expedition marked the first occasion that American troops used aircraft,
03:37a development that would mean much to Fort Bliss in the future.
03:43Came World War I, and the fort was garrisoned by the 15th Cavalry.
03:48Men were trained here for the front lines in France.
03:51Many outstanding leaders in World War I saw duty at Fort Bliss.
03:58In the period between the two great wars,
04:01the famed First Cavalry was stationed here.
04:05In 1940, on the eve of World War II,
04:08a new branch of the service was brought to Fort Bliss,
04:11the anti-aircraft artillery.
04:15Gun crews trained here served throughout the world.
04:22In 1945, when captured V-2 missiles were brought to this country,
04:27a brand new kind of unit was activated at Fort Bliss.
04:30The first anti-aircraft and guided missile battalion,
04:34organized specifically for missile research and development.
04:37As early as 1944,
04:39the first American air defense missile
04:41had been conceived by Fort Bliss anti-aircraft artillery officers.
04:49Nine years later, in 1953,
04:52an extensive development effort paid off
04:54when the Nike Ajax air defense missile
04:57was placed in the hands of the troops.
04:59The Army air defense artillery had entered the missile age.
05:02But why missiles?
05:05Here's why.
05:06With the speed of modern aircraft,
05:08conventional artillery, even using radar and computers,
05:11must be aimed at intercept points
05:14over five miles ahead of the oncoming target,
05:16too long a distance to be practical.
05:21Besides, evasive action by the target
05:24would make a hit next to impossible,
05:25since the projectile cannot maneuver.
05:29Guided missiles were the only answer.
05:34In a few years, Fort Bliss assumed its modern role
05:37as home of the U.S. Army Air Defense Center.
05:40Here, the Air Defense School teaches today's missile men
05:43all the complex skills needed to defend
05:46either the 50 states or our field armies against air attack.
05:51Advanced individual training for troops
05:53assigned to the air defense artillery is also provided.
05:59Among auxiliary and tenant organizations
06:02are the U.S. Army Combat Developments Command
06:05Air Defense Agency,
06:07the U.S. Army Air Defense Board,
06:10the Army Air Defense Human Research Unit,
06:13the Combat Development Command's
06:15Institute of Nuclear Studies,
06:17the Defense Language Institute,
06:19the Allied Student Battalion,
06:23the Federal Republic of Germany's Air Defense School,
06:27and several artillery groups
06:29who support training in the operation
06:31of air defense weapons.
06:35Now let's take a look at how
06:36the Air Defense Center fits into the big picture.
06:39First, protection of the North American continent
06:42against air attack
06:43is the mission of the North American
06:45Air Defense Command,
06:46a combined Canadian-American command
06:49controlling land, sea, and air forces
06:51from a combat operations center
06:53under Cheyenne Mountain
06:55near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
06:57The Army's role in this joint operation
06:59is carried out by the U.S. Army Air Defense Command.
07:03Specifically, the Army's job
07:05is to defend the skies
07:07over more than 100 key population
07:09and industrial centers of the United States.
07:15To do this, the Mobile Hawk,
07:18primarily a field weapon
07:19for defense against low-flying aircraft,
07:21can be made available
07:22to protect any location
07:24in the United States proper
07:25when necessary.
07:27Permanently on guard
07:28stands the reliable Nike Hercules,
07:31ready to defend
07:32against high-altitude threats.
07:36This is how a Nike site would operate
07:38should an enemy threaten our country.
07:41Upon detection
07:42by the North American
07:43Air Defense Command's warning system,
07:46the enemy's number and location,
07:48direction of flight,
07:49and speed of travel
07:50are flashed to headquarters.
07:52Instantly, this information
07:53is passed on
07:54through division direction centers
07:55to Army, Navy,
07:57and Air Force Air Defense Commands.
08:04Assume that this Nike Hercules site
08:06is in the flight path
08:07of the enemy aircraft.
08:09Alerted to the enemy's approach,
08:11the Nike Hercules search radar
08:13detects the intruders
08:14and determines their location.
08:18Target tracking radar
08:19is assigned to track the enemy
08:21and feed position information
08:22into a computer.
08:26The particular missile
08:28selected to fire
08:29is guided toward the target
08:30by a missile tracking radar
08:31which sends steering orders
08:33to the supersonic missile.
08:38The computer produces
08:40the steering orders
08:41by continuously comparing
08:42target and missile positions.
08:50Search radar continues
08:52to scan the sky
08:53for enemy targets.
08:54Additional missiles
08:56are ready to fire immediately.
08:57To meet the second big challenge
08:59to Army Air Defense Forces,
09:01protection of the field army,
09:03Army Air Defense weapons
09:04will be deployed
09:05as represented on this painting.
09:07Of course, distances
09:08will be greater.
09:12Automatic artillery weapons
09:14will be placed well
09:14to the front of the battle area.
09:18They will defend air corridors
09:20where radar cannot reach
09:22due to such terrain features
09:23as narrow valleys.
09:26Farther back,
09:27Hawk units will wait
09:28for unfriendly aircraft.
09:31Still farther back,
09:33the Nike Hercules
09:34will be ready to attack
09:35any intruder
09:36getting past
09:36the forward defenses.
09:40Though our largely automatic
09:42air defense system
09:43is truly a technical marvel,
09:45highly trained men
09:46are vital to its maintenance
09:47and operation.
09:49Training these men
09:50is the job
09:51of the center's
09:52U.S. Army Air Defense School.
09:54The students,
09:55most of whom are volunteers,
09:57are carefully selected
09:58by means of aptitude
09:59and intelligence tests.
10:00The jobs these men
10:02are being trained for
10:02require a high degree
10:04of technical competence.
10:06The school conducts
10:07over 60 courses at once,
10:09ranging from a few days
10:10to more than a full year.
10:11The specialties taught
10:13are many.
10:17For instance,
10:19electronics,
10:19as applied to complex radar,
10:21missile guidance,
10:22and computer systems,
10:23are a major field of study.
10:28Military tactics
10:29and leadership
10:30are also of paramount interest.
10:33Graduates of the school
10:34join the ranks
10:35as line and staff
10:36air defense officers,
10:39electronic warfare specialists,
10:42Hawk and Nike Hercules
10:44missile technicians,
10:47automatic weapons specialists,
10:50and fire distribution system operators
10:53and maintenance technicians.
11:00It is obvious
11:02that the control
11:03and coordination
11:03of widely separated
11:05air defense weapons
11:06demand reliable
11:07communication systems.
11:10To teach maintenance
11:12and operation
11:13of such systems
11:13is a major mission
11:15of the air defense school.
11:17Here students watch
11:19a diorama
11:20demonstrating operations
11:21of the ANG-5,
11:23or BIRDEE,
11:24fire distribution system.
11:27BIRDEE,
11:28an acronym
11:29for battery integration
11:30and radar display equipment,
11:32coordinates operations
11:34of missile fire units
11:35by conducting
11:35a continuous
11:36high-speed exchange
11:38of tactical information
11:39among all fire units
11:41and higher air defense commands.
11:45This information
11:46includes position
11:47and identity
11:48of all aircraft
11:49within the defense area,
11:50the status of each fire unit,
11:52and commands,
11:53such as assignment
11:55of specific targets
11:56to specific fire units.
11:59To see how BIRDEE
12:00maintains effective control
12:01of a tactical situation,
12:03let's assume
12:04that an intruding aircraft
12:05has been detected
12:06by the radar net
12:07of the North American
12:08Air Defense Command,
12:09NORAD.
12:13Information on the hostile
12:15aircraft's position
12:16and identity
12:16is flashed to BIRDEE.
12:18This information,
12:19along with that supplied
12:20by local surveillance radar,
12:22is displayed
12:22on BIRDEE consoles
12:23in the form of symbols.
12:25The console operator
12:26monitors the progress
12:27of the enemy aircraft
12:28and corrects or updates
12:30the data as necessary.
12:32All target information
12:33displayed on the BIRDEE console
12:34is also displayed
12:36at each fire unit.
12:37Thus, each fire unit commander
12:39has an accurate picture
12:40of the overall air situation.
12:42The BIRDEE console operator
12:44decides which fire unit
12:45is best situated
12:46to engage a hostile aircraft
12:47and assigns the target
12:49to that fire unit.
12:56At this time,
12:57the battery commander
12:58of the fire unit
12:59starts tracking the target
13:01by radar
13:01in preparation
13:02for firing a missile.
13:16Now that the enemy aircraft
13:17has been destroyed,
13:19the fire unit
13:20transmits a message
13:21to BIRDEE
13:21indicating that it is ready
13:22to engage additional targets.
13:24Also, the kill information
13:26is relayed by BIRDEE
13:27to higher command
13:28and the tracking information
13:30on the destroyed aircraft
13:31is cleared from the system.
13:36Now let's visit a class
13:38engaged in study
13:39of actual hardware.
13:42Gentlemen,
13:43this is the general purpose
13:45console for the missile
13:47mentor fire distribution system.
13:49This console automatically
13:51exchanges data
13:52with all other elements
13:53within the area
13:54to be defended.
13:56Information displayed
13:57gives the Army Air Defense Commander
13:59an instant picture
14:00of the air battle.
14:01As the battle takes place
14:03by watching the console,
14:04he can immediately determine
14:06such things
14:07as the number
14:07of enemy aircraft present
14:08or when a kill
14:09has been made.
14:11Which firing unit
14:12should fire its missiles
14:13and the time of firing?
14:16So began a class
14:17of future fire distribution
14:19system maintenance men.
14:20But a fire distribution system
14:22includes many items
14:24besides the consoles.
14:25For instance,
14:27classes are held
14:27on radar data processing equipment,
14:31memory storing units,
14:34several types
14:35of surveillance radar,
14:38computing equipment,
14:41and automatic data
14:43transmission systems.
14:47Another major part
14:49of the Air Defense School
14:50is the low-altitude
14:51Air Defense Department.
14:54Here, a new class
14:56get their first lesson
14:57in maintenance
14:57of the twin 40-millimeter
14:59self-propelled gun.
15:00This lightly armored
15:02automatic artillery weapon
15:04was designed
15:05for air defense
15:06at the division level.
15:08But because
15:09of its rapid rate
15:10of fire,
15:11it has proved itself
15:12a valuable support weapon
15:14against ground targets.
15:16You men
15:17are about to receive
15:18training
15:19in the operation
15:20of a weapon
15:20made famous
15:21as the Quad 50
15:22in World War II.
15:24As you can see,
15:25four caliber 50 machine guns
15:27are supported
15:28by a power-driven mount.
15:29Now, everybody,
15:31take your stations
15:32and we will run
15:33through a dry run
15:34to familiarize you
15:35with this weapon.
15:36This is the Red Eye.
15:38It is a man-transportable,
15:40shoulder-fired,
15:42air defense missile.
15:44It will be used
15:45to protect
15:45front-line troops
15:46against such targets
15:48as jets,
15:49helicopters,
15:49and reconnaissance aircraft.
15:51This is the Vulcan,
15:53an automatic 20-millimeter gun
15:55with an extremely
15:55high rate of fire.
15:57It can be used
15:58against both aerial
15:59and ground targets.
16:00This linkless feed system
16:02stores 1,200 rounds
16:03in ready-to-fire condition.
16:06Against aircraft,
16:073,000 rounds
16:08are fired per minute.
16:09Against ground targets,
16:11the Vulcan is set
16:12for 1,000 rounds per minute.
16:14When deployed in the field,
16:16the Vulcan will be used
16:17in conjunction
16:18with the Chaparral system.
16:19The Chaparral system
16:21uses an infrared
16:23guidance system
16:24to defend
16:24the forward battle area
16:26against low-flying aircraft.
16:28The system is fully mobile,
16:29has a top speed
16:31of 40 miles per hour,
16:32and can cruise
16:34for about 300 miles.
16:36The Air Defense School
16:38devotes a large part
16:39of its effort
16:40to training officers
16:41and men
16:41in the operation
16:42and maintenance
16:43of the Hawk missile system.
16:44The Hawk,
16:45designed for defense
16:46against sneak attack
16:47by low-flying aircraft,
16:49works like this.
16:51two acquisition radars,
16:54one for higher altitude
16:55and one for extreme
16:56low-level search,
16:57detect the intruder,
16:59a jet-drone aircraft.
17:03In the battery-controlled
17:05central van,
17:06the tactical control officer
17:07watches the radar display
17:09of target speed
17:10and direction.
17:12At the proper time,
17:14he assigns the target
17:15to a Hawk fire unit.
17:18The illuminator radar,
17:20facing in the direction
17:21from which the threat
17:22is approaching,
17:23searches a small area
17:24of sky.
17:29Now its beam
17:30finds the target,
17:32locks on,
17:32and automatically tracks.
17:40Next,
17:41a specific launcher
17:42is selected,
17:43slave to the radar.
17:47And the firing button
17:48pushed.
17:51The missile is guided
17:53by signals directly
17:54from the illuminator radar
17:55and homes on signals
17:57reflected from the target.
18:11The Hawk missile
18:12has proved so reliable
18:13and accurate
18:14that it has been adopted
18:16as a primary air defense weapon
18:17by the Marine Corps
18:18and several NATO nations
18:20whose maintenance
18:21and operational personnel
18:23are trained at Fort Bliss.
18:31But successful as the Hawk
18:32has proved to be,
18:33improvements are being made
18:35to enable the system
18:36to meet battlefield requirements
18:38with even more effectiveness.
18:43Another major part
18:44of the air defense school
18:45is the high altitude
18:46missile department.
18:49Here,
18:50an officer's class
18:51is instructed
18:52on operation
18:52of the Nike Hercules
18:53guided missile system.
18:55Nike Hercules
18:56is a long-range weapon
18:58capable of destroying
18:59an entire formation
19:00of hostile aircraft.
19:02It is reliable
19:03and extremely accurate,
19:05having hit targets
19:06traveling at supersonic speeds
19:07at distances greater
19:09than 75 miles
19:10and at altitudes
19:12up to 150,000 feet.
19:14As you can now see,
19:16we have our target
19:17presented on our scopes.
19:20Now it is the job
19:21of our operators
19:22to go and place this target
19:24into a track condition.
19:26It will do this by...
19:27Some of these officer students
19:29may attend the school's
19:30guided missile systems
19:31officer course
19:32to study science
19:34and engineering fields
19:35relating to missillery
19:36and space technology.
19:38The purpose
19:39is to train staff officers
19:40capable of analyzing
19:42past, present,
19:43and future scientific developments
19:45as they relate
19:46to concepts
19:46of modern warfare.
19:48Officers with such training
19:50are essential
19:50to effective development
19:51and use
19:52of highly complex
19:54missile systems.
19:55This range,
19:55chasmus,
19:56and elevation information
19:57to our computer.
20:01The Nike Hercules
20:03was originally designed
20:04for installation
20:05at permanent sites,
20:06but to provide
20:07a high-altitude defense
20:08for our army
20:09in the field,
20:10the system
20:10was made mobile.
20:11For a brief look
20:12to the future,
20:13the Spartan missile
20:14is being developed
20:15to defend
20:16our strategic
20:16retaliatory forces
20:18such as
20:18intercontinental
20:19ballistic missile sites
20:20against enemy warheads.
20:25This is Sprint,
20:26Spartan's smaller partner.
20:28Sprint and Spartan
20:29are the two missiles
20:30of the Army's
20:31safeguard ballistic missile
20:32defense system.
20:39To assure that enough
20:40highly trained technicians
20:41will be ready
20:42to man the complex system,
20:44the Safeguard
20:45Central Training Facility
20:46has been set up
20:47at the Air Defense School.
20:50Another air defense system
20:52currently under development
20:53is the SAM-D,
20:55designed for both
20:56battlefield
20:56and continental deployment
20:58against low,
20:59medium,
21:00and high-altitude
21:01aircraft
21:01and short-range missiles.
21:03The SAM-D missile
21:05is expected to replace
21:06eventually the Nike Hercules
21:08and a portion
21:09of the Hawk systems
21:10both at home
21:11and overseas.
21:16To be fully trained,
21:18the military missile man
21:19must actually fire
21:20his weapon.
21:21For this purpose,
21:22the Air Defense Center
21:23operates McGregor Range,
21:25the largest air defense
21:26missile training range
21:27in the free world.
21:30Here, the Army Training Center
21:32gives advanced
21:33individual training
21:34in firing the various
21:36air defense weapons
21:37against a variety
21:37of targets.
21:44For instance,
21:45the twin 40s
21:46are put through
21:46their paces.
21:56Here, the Quad 50s
21:58go into action.
22:21As an instructor looks on,
22:23red-eye,
22:24one-man defense system
22:25goes against an aerial target.
22:33The Army's old reliable
22:35Gatling gun
22:36has been reincarnated,
22:37so to speak,
22:38by a modern weapon,
22:39the Vulcan.
23:05Chaparral, companion weapon
23:07to the Vulcan,
23:08seeks a flying target.
23:09seeks a flying target.
23:12A fast-moving drone
23:14The fast-moving drone
23:14is greatly slowed
23:15by the camera.
23:21Since 1960,
23:23the range has supported
23:24annual practice
23:25as well as advanced
23:27training firings
23:28of air defense missiles
23:29by U.S. and NATO units
23:30from throughout the free world.
23:32The Hawk's search radars
23:34look for the target,
23:35but there's no target
23:36in the sky.
23:38Instead,
23:39the equipment
23:40in this radar signal
23:41simulator station
23:42supplies the target
23:44electronically.
23:48The signals generated here
23:50cause the radar displays
23:51watched by Hawk firing
23:52unit personnel
23:53to appear exactly
23:55as they would
23:55if actual aircraft,
23:57either hostile or friendly,
23:58were in the area.
23:59The simulator
24:00is not nearly as costly
24:01as actual targets would be
24:03and provides training
24:04that would be difficult
24:05to give otherwise.
24:11Now,
24:11signals simulating
24:12approaching hostile aircraft
24:14are beamed
24:15to battery control central.
24:17Inside,
24:19battery control personnel
24:20select a target
24:21and assign it
24:22to a specific launcher.
24:26The Hawk radars
24:27operate just as if
24:28actual aircraft
24:29were approaching.
24:42The Hawk swoops
24:43toward its imaginary prey.
24:48Battery control central personnel
24:50watch for the simulated intercepts.
24:52As usual,
24:53the fateful Hawk scores
24:54what would be a direct hit.
24:58Here,
24:58personnel from a missile site
25:00defending a faraway city
25:01prepare for their annual
25:03practice firing
25:04of the Nike Hercules.
25:30As with the Hawk,
25:31a radar signal simulation station
25:33provides targets
25:34electronically.
25:41The search radars
25:43receive the simulated signals
25:45and react as they would
25:46to a real threat.
25:50In the director's station,
25:52the radar displays
25:53show an enemy
25:54to be approaching.
25:55Based on the predicted
25:56kill point
25:57provided by the computer,
25:58a missile is selected
25:59for firing.
26:00Five,
26:01four,
26:02three,
26:03two,
26:04one,
26:05fire.
26:12As with the Hawk,
26:13the score is kept
26:14electronically
26:15and operators
26:16are effectively trained
26:17at minimum cost.
26:20Thus,
26:21the highlights
26:22of the Fort Bliss story.
26:23A story that ends
26:24with a traditional ceremony
26:26held in honor
26:27of the graduating
26:28air defense artillery man.
26:39These men
26:40are now ready
26:41to follow
26:41in the footsteps
26:42of the 200,000 graduates
26:44that have gone before.
26:46Whether they are called
26:47to serve
26:48in the frozen wastes
26:49of the Arctic,
26:49the barren stretches
26:50of the desert,
26:51or the devastating heat
26:53of the jungle,
26:54these men
26:55will maintain
26:55the perpetual vigilance
26:57demanded
26:57by our unsettled times.
26:59For they know
27:00that not only
27:01our national survival,
27:03but the survival
27:04of human freedom itself
27:05may largely depend
27:06upon the skillful use
27:08of our arsenal
27:09of air defense weapons.
27:41of the wings
27:42can bend
27:50THE END
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