Orange Debuts New Radome Design

? Members of the Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Air Control Squadron helped install a new radome on the unit’s radar tower near the state’s shoreline at Orange ANG Station, according to a mid-November release. “This is the first radome of its kind,” said MSgt. Bruce Przygocki, the squadron’s noncommissioned officer in charge of ground radar systems maintenance. The radome, a protective shield that encompasses a radar antenna, is 32 feet in diameter and 27 feet high, states the release. Ebert Composites Corp. of San Diego built the radome. The rigid design will require no maintenance for the next 25 to 30 years and will protect the radar’s antenna from extreme weather conditions like high winds, said Przygocki. He said it would save the squadron more than 300 man-hours of maintenance per year. Orange was selected in 2013 to host the prototype radome design. The installation took place on Oct. 25, with nine air guardsmen and three Ebert Composites employees participating, along with support from a local crane company. The squadron is a component of the 103rd Airlift Wing at Bradley ANG Base.