Kalispell Air Force Station: Difference between revisions
edited and expanded |
edited and expanded |
||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
|caption=Location of Kalispell AFS, Montana}} |
|caption=Location of Kalispell AFS, Montana}} |
||
{{kml}} |
{{kml}} |
||
[[File:716th Radar Squadron - Emblem.png|thumb|250px|Emblem of the 716th Radar Squadron]] |
|||
'''Kalispell Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-179, NORAD ID: Z-179)''' is a closed [[United States Air Force]] General Surveillance Radar station. It is located {{convert|13.3|mi|km}} south of [[Kalispell, Montana]]. It was closed in 1978 by the Air Force, and turned over to the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA). It remains in operation by the FAA today as a [[Joint Surveillance System]] (JSS) radar site (J-78). |
'''Kalispell Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-179, NORAD ID: Z-179)''' is a closed [[United States Air Force]] General Surveillance Radar station. It is located {{convert|13.3|mi|km}} south of [[Kalispell, Montana]]. It was closed in 1978 by the Air Force, and turned over to the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA). It remains in operation by the FAA today as a [[Joint Surveillance System]] (JSS) radar site (J-78). |
||
| Line 50: | Line 51: | ||
==Air Force units and assignments == |
==Air Force units and assignments == |
||
'''Units:''' |
'''Units:''' |
||
* 716th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Assigned on 1 May 1959 |
|||
:: Activated by 4700th Air Defense Wing, [[Geiger Field]], Washington, 1 October 1958 |
|||
: Re-designated as 716th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 15 October 1960 |
|||
: Re-designated as 716th Radar Squadron, 1 February 1974 |
|||
: Inactivated on 1 April 1978 |
|||
'''Assignments:''' |
'''Assignments:''' |
||
* 4700th Air Defense Wing, 1 May 1958 |
|||
* 29th Air Division, 15 February 1960 |
|||
* Great Falls Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1960 |
|||
* 28th Air Division, 1 April 1966 |
|||
* 25th Air Division, 19 November 1969-1 April 1978 |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Revision as of 19:34, 27 January 2011
Kalispell Air Force Station
 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Coordinates | 48°00′41″N 114°21′53″W / 48.01139°N 114.36472°W |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1959 |
| In use | 1959-1978 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 716th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Kalispell Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-179, NORAD ID: Z-179) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 13.3 miles (21.4 km) south of Kalispell, Montana. It was closed in 1978 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It remains in operation by the FAA today as a Joint Surveillance System (JSS) radar site (J-78).
History
Kalispell Air Force Station came into existence as part of Phase III of the Air Defense Command Mobile Radar program. On October 20, 1953 ADC requested a third phase of twenty-five radar sites be constructed.
The 716th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was assigned to the new station on 1 May 1959 by the 4700th Air Defense Wing. The squadron started operations with an AN/FPS-7B search radar and a pair of AN/FPS-90 height-finder radars in 1961. Kalispell joined the SAGE system in October 1960 and the squadron was re-designated as the 716th Radar Squadron (SAGE). On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-179.
An AN/FPS-26 FD height-finder radar was to have replaced one of the height-finder radars, but was never installed. One AN/FPS-90 was decommissioned in 1969.
In addition to the main facility, Kalispell operated several AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
- Yaak AFS, MT (TM-179B/SM-151E) 48°51′42″N 115°43′21″W / 48.86167°N 115.72250°W
- Eureka, MT (TM-179C/P-11B/SM-151F) 48°51′53″N 115°07′32″W / 48.86472°N 115.12556°W
The 716th Radar Squadron (SAGE) was deactivated on 1 April 1978 as part of the draw down of Aerospace Defense Command, and the station turned over to the FAA, becoming a JSS site.
Circa 1977 the AN/FPS-90 was modified to an AN/FPS-116. In the early 1980s the AN/FPS-7B was replaced by an ARSR-3 search radar. The AN/FPS-116 was removed circa 1988. In the late 1990s, an ARSR-4 replaced the ARSR-3. The site remains in use as a JSS site today
Air Force units and assignments
Units:
- 716th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Assigned on 1 May 1959
- Activated by 4700th Air Defense Wing, Geiger Field, Washington, 1 October 1958
- Re-designated as 716th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 15 October 1960
- Re-designated as 716th Radar Squadron, 1 February 1974
- Inactivated on 1 April 1978
Assignments:
- 4700th Air Defense Wing, 1 May 1958
- 29th Air Division, 15 February 1960
- Great Falls Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1960
- 28th Air Division, 1 April 1966
- 25th Air Division, 19 November 1969-1 April 1978
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
- Information for Kalispell AFS, MT
