Development of the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) radar

In 1962 both the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and the Air Defense Command (ADC) defined new systems for airborne surveillance. These were similar in basic concept but considerably different in their specific target requirements. Because of the Continental U.S. (CONUS) defense requirements for long-range target detection and tracking of large numbers of targets, the ADC version was the more demanding. Joint meetings of Air Force Systems Command (AFSC), TAC, and ADC resulted in a compromise joint Specific Operational Requirement (SOR). In 1963 the joint TAC/ADC SOR 206 entitled "Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)" was issued.