Evening star., 1953-10-02
New Robot Device
To Bolster Radar's
Defense Developed
By GeroId Worine
Special Correspondent of The Star

McGlll F'ence"-a new aircraft
detection system which may
answer the riddle of this CONT
nent's Arctic defenses-began to-
day to emerge from the secrecy
wraps which have enshrouded it.
Assessed tentatively as the
greatest advance in aircraft
warning since radar Itself, this
self-watching ''robot-eye" can be
installed comparatively cheaply
in depth across the wide Arctic
front facing Northern Russia.
1t would signal the presence
of aircraft three or four hours
before the fastest hostile bomber
would come within range of the
radar screen which will cover
the approaches to the Canadian
and American heartlandS.
With such early warning,
speedy jet interceptors could be
in the air waiting to pounce on
the intruder when he was pin
pointed by radar. And cities
which are likely targets for Rus
sian bombers would have hours
Of warning instead of perhaps
only minutes.
Developed Quickly.
The device was developed in
18 months by physicists of Nc
Gill University at Montreal and
of the Defense Research Board
of Canada in Ottawa. known
collectively as the "McGill Fence, "
1t had been under tighteSt Sc
curity wraps until Monday, when
a Canadian newspaper gave the
public the first inkling of it's ex-
iStence.
DR.. o. M. Solandt, chairman
of the Defense Research Board
who ranks as one of the Cana
dian chiefs of staff, confirmed
the story.
"The indications are that this
IS likely to constitute a con-
siderable advance in our capacity
for protection against air at
tack" DR.. Solandt said.
Prototypes of the device and
communications equipment with
which it signals the presence of
planes have been manufactured
by RCA Victor Co. of Montreal.
"a number of these stations
have been installed expert
mentally to determine their
operational capabilities" DR..
Solandt said. Trials have been
going along all summer and have
shown that this equipment can
be used to provide a warning
system that can be installed at
comparatively low expense in
terms of money, materials and
manpower. Both development
work and further trails are still
proceeding" he stated.
DR.. Soldandt added that
UNITED States authorities have
been in on this from the begin
ming and have shown great in
tereSt in the results achieved" :"
The equipment was described
by other sources as a compara-
lively small electronic device
which will send out a microwave
radio signal when it's beam
strikes an aircraft. The micro
wave signal is relayed southwark
by automatic microWave relay
stations to radar control points.
What It Does.
An informant likened the new
device to an infantry ''perimeter
defense" When a military force
makes camp in hostile territory,
the commander stations pickets
around the camp to raise the
alarm if the enemy tried a sneak
attack. Similarly the McGill
fence would be the picket line of
the radar screen, giving the radar
stations three to four hours ad-
vance warning that unidentified
airplanes we're in the picket area.
The radar stations and the
fighter plane bases would thus
have all the warning they need
to get ready to receive unWelcome
guests.
All a single robot eye" does
Is reveal the presence of an air.
craft. Unlike its parent, radar,
it doesn't tell the height or
identity of the plane, and it
takes signals from two or more
of the new devices to disclose
the aircraft'S speed and direc-
ton of flight.
But on the other hand, it's far
less costly than radar. 1t would
be fantastically expensive, ex-
perts here say, to establish a
radar station every 800 miles
across the Arctic. Each station
would have to be manned by 800
to 400 people, who would have to
be recruited, trained. transported
to the station and maintained
there with adequate living quar-
terS, food, fuel and at least some