AN/MSQ-18 Battalion Missile Operations System

The Raytheon AN/MSQ-18 Battalion Missile Operations System[1] (AN/TSQ-38 for the helicopter-transportable variant)[2] was a Project Nike command, control, and coordination system for "each associated missile battery" to control a Nike missile as directed from a Raytheon AN/MSQ-28 at the Army Air Defense Command Post.[3] Raytheon Company[4] constructed the AN/MSQ-18 as 2 separate subsystems:

  • the AN/MSQ-18's operations central in a trailer van with 2 "Surveillance and Entry Consoles"USAREUR Partial Photos - 2-56th Arty and serving as "the tactical command post of the air defense battalion … capable of either monitoring the engagement or actually making assignments of targets to its batteries",[5] and
  • the AN/MSQ-18's coder-decoder group (CDG) as the trailer van at each battery to "decode the digital data coming to the battery [for use] by the guided missile system."[5][6]
Control console
Test panel in CDG
Digital computer of CDG (TSQ-38)

References

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  1. ^ "Battalion Missile Operations System AN/MSQ-18" (youtube video of Army film). United States Army Research and Development - Progress Report Number Two. 1961. Retrieved 2012-06-30. minutes7:15-10:00 for AN/TSQ-18
  2. ^ "Chapter 3: Army Air Defense Control Systems" (PDF). U. S. Army Air Defense Digest (PDF). Hillman Hall, Fort Bliss, Texas: U. S. Army Air Defense School. January 1965. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  3. ^ FM 44-1: U. S. Army Air Defense Employment (PDF). Headquarters, Department of the Army. 11 October 1965. Archived from the original (field manual) on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 2011-09-06. The FDS AN/MSG-4 (Missile Monitor) (fig. 3) utilizes standard military vehicles. It is composed of the AADCP AN/MSQ-28 and up to four FDS's AN/MSQ-18. … The FDS AN/MSQ-18 is that portion of Missile Monitor consisting of a battalion fire distribution center (BFDC) and battery terminal equipment (BTE) for each associated missile battery. The electronic search central AN/GSS-1 provides local radar data at the battalion level.
  4. ^ "Miscellaneous Communication Equipment". NSNLookup.com.
  5. ^ a b US Army Air Defense School, Student Outline, March 1966
  6. ^ Organizational, DS, GS, and depot maintenance system manual : operations central AN/MSQ-18 and coder-decoder group OA-1593/MSQ-18, Department of the Army, 1994, OCLC 30691342 (link to WorldCat page)