The 80 foot high truncated pyramid "turret" of the MSR gave the radar its ability to see in all directions and is the only visible part of the MSCB. The MSCB underground areas held additional radar equipment and the data processing and command/control systems. The adjacent underground power plant provided the generating capacity to operate the MSR's battle management systems.
Like the PAR and RSL's, the three foot thick reinforced concrete walls of the MSCB were hardened against nuclear blast effects and shielded to neutralize the electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) produced by nuclear detonations. All critical equipment was shock mounted so that operations could continue while "buttoned up" during a nuclear attack. Each of the four phased array antennas was 13 feet in diameter and contained more than 5,000 antenna elements. Raytheon was primary contractor for the MSR radar system.