Aiken Air Force Station

Aiken Air Force Station
Air Defense Command (ADC)
Aiken Air Force Station Air Defense Command (ADC)
	1964 USAF Photo
	Aiken AFS
Coordinates	33°38′46″N 081°40′36″W / 33.64611°N 81.67667°W
Type	Air Force Station
Code	ADC ID: SM-159, NORAD ID: Z-159
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1955
In use	1955-1975
Garrison information
Garrison	861st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

Aiken Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 6.4 miles (10.3 km) north-northeast of Aiken, South Carolina. It was closed in 1975.

During World War II, the site was originally constructed by the United States Army Air Forces as Aiken Army Air Field.

History

Aiken Army Air Field

The facility was originally constructed during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces and named Aiken Army Air Field. The airfield was constructed with three 5'000 foot bituminous runways in an "A" pattern. No known auxiliary airfields were constructed. The airfield and station opened on 24 December 1942^[1] as a satellite airfield of Morris Army Airfield, North Carolina.^{[citation needed]}

On 23 June 1943 the airfield was formally activated and the

Warner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC) established a service group training center at the field in the fall of 1943. The training was conducted under the auspices of the 387th Air Service Group, Daniel Field, Georgia.^[5]

In May 1944 the 359th Army Air Force Base Unit was assigned host unit. It was assigned to

Air Technical Service Command for disposition on 31 March 1945.^[7]

It is also known that Aiken AAF held a branch prisoner of war camp holding about 300 POWs who worked in the local forests. The dates of the POW camp are uncertain.

Aiken Municipal Airport.^{[citation needed}

]

Aiken Air Force Station

In 1955 the United States Air Force exercised a return right to Aiken Municipal Airport and established Aiken Air Force Station as an

Air Defense Command (ADC) general surveillance radar

station. This site was initially part of Phase II of the Mobile Radar program. Radars in this network were designated "SM."

Designated as SM-159 Aiken AFS was the first Phase II Mobile Radar system to achieve operational status. During December 1955 the 861st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron began activating

AN/TPS-10

D radars. Initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.

In 1958 an

861st Radar Squadron

(SAGE) on 1 November 1961. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.

On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-159. In addition, Aiken AFS was incorporated into BUIC I, a manual back-up interceptor control system. BUIC I provided limited command and control capability in the event the SAGE system was disabled. Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars. The 861st was inactivated in June 1975.

The

ARSR-3

search radar. The prison was shut down in the mid / late 1990s, and the entire site has since been dismantled.

Air Force units and assignments

Units

Aiken Army Air Field

66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group

Moved from

Camp Campbell

, Ky on 22 June 1943 departed for Lebanon, TN ca. 25 October 1943

19th Liaison Squadron

Moved from Camp Campbell, KY on 23 June 1943, departed for India on 26 February 1944

97th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

Moved from Camp Campbell, KY on 23 Jun 1943, departed for Morris Field, NC on 29 August 1943

118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

Moved from

Key Field

, MS on 25 October 1943

25th Service Group

Moved from

Greenville AAB

, SC in September 1943, departed for India on 13 January 1944

35th Service Squadron

Moved from Greenville AAB, SC in September 1943, departed for India on 13 January 1944

349th Service Squadron

Moved from Greenville AAB, SC in September 1943, departed for India on 13 January 1944

1332d Guard Squadron

Activated on 25 June 1943, disbanded ca. 1 April 1944

127th Liaison Squadron
(Commando)/2d Air Commando Group

Moved from Statesboro Army Air Field, GA on 18 May 1944, moved to

Dunnellon Army Air Field

, FL on 10 June 1944

155th Liaison Squadron (Commando)/2d Air Commando Group

Activated on 10 June 1944, moved to Dunnellon Army Air Field, FL on 12 June 1944

156th Liaison Squadron (Commando)/2d Air Commando Group

Moved from Statesboro Army Air Field, GA on 18 May 1944, moved to Dunnellon Army Air Field, FL on 12 June 1944

162d Liaison Squadron/III Tactical Air Division

Activated on 15 May 1944, moved to

Lafayette Airport

, LA on 13 July 1944

349th Army Air Forces Base Unit

Organized ca. 1 April 1944, discontinued ca. 28 February 1945

4184th Army Air Forces Base Unit

Organized ca. 28 February 1945, discontinued ca. 31 March 1945

Aiken Air Force Station

Constituted as the 861st Aircraft Warning and Control Squadron

Activated at

Dobbins AFB

(M-87), GA on 8 April 1955 (not manned or equipped)

Assigned to Aiken Air Force Station, SC, 1 December 1955

Redesignated as 861st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 November 1961

Inactivated on 30 June 1975

Assignments

Third Air Force, 24 December 1942
First Air Force, 1 May 1944
Air Technical Service Command
, 28 February 1945 – 31 March 1945
35th Air Division, 1 December 1955
32d Air Division
, 15 November 1958
Montgomery Air Defense Sector
, 1 July 1961
32d Air Division, 1 April 1966
33d Air Division
, 14 November 1969
20th Air Division, 19 November 1959 – 30 June 1975

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

^ AFHRA Document 00169020
^ AFHRA Document 00169021, and Maurer, Maurer (ed.), ‘’Air Force Combat Units of World War II’’, Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1961 (reprint 1983)
^ Maurer, Maurer. (ed.), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1969 (reprint 1982), pp. 103, 324
^ Ibid. pp. 324, 346
^
ISBN 0962832413

^ AFHRA Document 00169022
^ AFHRA Document 00188116

Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980 Archived 2016-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO (1980).
Maurer, Maurer (ed.), "Air Force Combat Units of World War II", Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1961 (reprint 1983)
ISBN 0-912799-02-1
.

Maurer, Maurer. (ed.), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1969 (reprint 1982)
ISBN 0-405-12194-6
.

Winkler, David F. & Webster, Julie L., Searching the Skies^{[dead link]}, The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, Champaign, IL (1997).

External links

Information for Aiken AFS, SC
FAA Terminal Procedures for AIK, effective April 18, 2024
Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for AIK
- AirNav airport information for KAIK
- ASN accident history for AIK
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures

[1] AFHRA Document 00169020

[2] AFHRA Document 00169021, and Maurer, Maurer (ed.), ‘’Air Force Combat Units of World War II’’, Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1961 (reprint 1983)

[3] Maurer, Maurer. (ed.), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, Office of Air Force History, Washington, DC, 1969 (reprint 1982), pp. 103, 324

[4] Ibid. pp. 324, 346

[Osbourne-5] 
ISBN 0962832413

[6] AFHRA Document 00169022

[7] AFHRA Document 00188116

[1]

[5]

[7]

History

Aiken Army Air Field

Aiken Air Force Station

Air Force units and assignments

Units

Assignments

See also

References

External links