wallfesh@drcvax.af.mil (Sande Wallfesh) (05/02/91)
From: Sande Wallfesh <wallfesh@drcvax.af.mil>
>[DIVAD was an utter disaster, wasn't it? --CDR]
Not quite; the ill-fated Sgt. York program actually bore fruit. See the
February 1990 issue of _Armed Forces Journal International_ for the
Weapons/Research column entitled ``New Owners Tell Army Command: "Not
with *My* DIVAD, You Don't"'', which reveals the fate of the DIVADs. An
Army fact sheet said that, while there are no full-up Sgt. York systems,
some are being used by the Army, Navy, and university and government labs.
AFJI wondered "Was the Army actually saying it had found takers...? Had
the Air Force and Navy run out of air-to-ground targets? Had a handful of
university and research labs stumbled onto the truth behind those UFO
stories?"
The Sgt. York is worthy of museum display. Anniston Army Depot's museum
is the proud owner of production model #1, with #2 is slated for the
museum at Rock Island Arsenal. #14 will go to Aberdeen, which really
wanted #2 but decided to settle for #14 "to avoid charges for shipping
and handling." (... makes one wonder just how much shipping and handling
costs for a 70-ton object.)
At least two DIVADs have appeared at Patuxent River NAS and one at Point
Mugu. Some of the DIVADs, electronics and radar now simulating signatures
of Warsaw Pact (!!!) air defenses, are busy tracking friendly aircraft.
"Scattered to the wind like so much refuse," notes AFJI author John Roos,
"they have risen, Edsel-like, to serve in electronic warfare training and
simulation exercises." In addition, the Coast Guard wages the war on drugs
assisted by its new, "free", mobile radar stations.
New owners of DIVAD systems love its high performance radar, a derivative
of that found in the F-16. According to an Army Materiel Command spokesman,
they have banded together to establish a barter service for parts. However,
there should be ample spare parts for a while because a recent inventory
tallied 70 million replacement items.
The AFJI article concludes that:
As happened with the Edsel, DIVAD's clique of staunch
supporters undoubtedly plan to keep their systems running
long beyond their intended lives. For decades, perhaps, they
will serve the US, ultimately outlasting many of the detrators
who rejoiced on hearing permature reports of DIVAD's demise.
A final thought for those whose air travel takes them
within range of DIVAD radars: Don't worry. Most of the 40-mm
guns have been removed. .....
(Not bad for $1.8 billion, eh?)
Saundra K. Wallfesh | "If it's stupid but works, it isn't
Dynamics Research | stupid." -- Amphibious Warfare
wallfesh@drcvax.af.mil | Review, Spring '89