START-1

The START-1 is an S-band radar station for detecting and tracking low-flying aircraft, the first Romanian radar for the territory’s air defence [1]. It answered a 1978 research theme of the radio-technical troops and was developed at Baza radar Pipera: the experimental model was built and approved in 1978–1980 and prototype I, with 22 subassemblies and an antenna height of 27 m, was built and approved there in 1980–1983 [1]. Prototype II, the industrial version, was built at IEI in 1984–1986 and approved in 1989; IEI had put the radar into manufacturing preparation in 1986 [1]. Pipera also built its large parabolic antenna, a first in Romania, and set up a radar manufacturing section for it in 1986, dissolved in 1988 when IEI took over the product [1]. IEI (from 1991 SC ELPROF SA) made 12 series units in 1990–1993 for the radio-technical troops and a school laboratory for the Air Force Academy in Brașov [1]. The indicator compartment of prototype II held the IOC-1 indication installation, the ICS-1 command and synchronisation installation and the INSTM START moving-target selector; a 1993 photograph of a series unit shows its IRC-1 receiving installation [1]. The ATR-1 ground recognition equipment was made for it, and the SRR-1 airborne responder was approved together with it [1]. The modernised version was the START-1M [1]. One passage of the book dates the realisation of the radar to 1978–1979, while the detailed account gives 1978–1980 for the experimental model alone [1].