Grand Forks Air Force Base
Grand Forks Air Force Base | |||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: RDR, ICAO: KRDR, FAA LID: RDR) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and 16 miles (26 km) west of Grand Forks.
The host unit is the
History
Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year. It was occupied for use on 28 January 1957, and was named after the neighboring city of Grand Forks.
Air Defense Command
Due to the continuance of the
On 18 February 1957, the
In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a
SAGE operations were extremely expansive and GFADS was inactivated on 1 December 1963, when it was merged with the Minot Air Defense Sector at Minot AFB to the west. With the inactivation of DC-11, Grand Forks AFB was reassigned from the Air Defense mission to Strategic Air Command (SAC).
In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit. Although the 460th FIS won first place at the William Tell air-to-air competition at Tyndall AFB, Florida, it was inactivated in 1974 due to the restructuring of the air defense system, and ended the activities of ADCOM at Grand Forks.
The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC
Safeguard Anti-Ballistic Missile
On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) site. With president Richard Nixon's announcement of 14 March 1969, constructing a "Safeguard" installation at Grand Forks became a top priority. Construction was stalled throughout mid-1969, as Congress debated the merits of BMD. After the Senate defeated amendments to kill Safeguard deployment, the U.S. Army proceeded under the assumption that appropriations would be forthcoming.
Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest of Grand Forks. Twenty-five miles (40 km) separated the 113-hectare (279-acre) Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR) and the 175-hectare (433-acre) Missile Site Radar (MSR) sites. Four remote launch sites of 36 to 45 acres (15 to 18 ha) each were to be situated in a circle with a 20-mile (32 km) radius surrounding the MSR. Groundbreaking occurred at the PAR and MSR sites on 6 April 1970. Excavation proceeded rapidly, and the foundation holes for the PAR and MSR were in place by mid-May.
On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary
On 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S. Army Safeguard Command. Named the "Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex" 48°35′21″N 098°21′24″W / 48.58917°N 98.35667°W (62.3 miles (100 km) northwest of the base), the North Dakota ABM site received its complement of nuclear-tipped LIM-49 Spartan and Sprint Missiles during the following spring. The site was declared operational on 1 April 1975. Due to Congressional action, the Army operated the site for less than a year. With the exception of the PAR, the complex was abandoned in February 1976.
In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the
Strategic Air Command
On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. Many of these bases were near the U.S. border with Canada; those close to GFAFB in the north central U.S. were Minot and Glasgow to the west, and three in Michigan to the east (Sawyer, Kinchloe, and Wurtsmith).
The 4133d SW was redesignated as the 319th Bombardment Wing (319th BW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesignation and was assigned to SAC's
In 1973, the 319th Bomb Wing acquired the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM), replacing the older AGM-28 Hound Dog air-to-ground missile aboard its B-52H aircraft. As the activities in Southeast Asia decreased, the 319th BW focused its full efforts on training crews to fly strategic strike missions.
On 1 November 1964, 321st
During 1965, the wing's three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at
The 319th transitioned from B-52H to B-52G aircraft in 1983 adding the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) in 1984.[2][3] In December 1986, the last B-52G permanently departed GFAFB, replaced by the B-1B Lancer in 1987. The tanker aircraft were also changed, from KC-135A to KC-135R. A change in the host unit occurred again in 1988, when the 42d Air Division was assigned for base support in place of the 321st SMW.[2]
Cold War aircraft incidents
- On 2 November 1967, a Grand Forks B-52H (61-0030)[4] crashed near Griffiss AFB in central New York, killing six of the eight aboard.[5] It had engine difficulties and was attempting an emergency landing.[6]
- On 15 September 1980, a B-52H on alert status experienced a wing fire that burned for three hours, fanned by evening winds of 26 mph (42 km/h). The wind direction was parallel to the fuselage, which likely had SRAMs in the main bay. Eight years later, a weapons expert testified to a closed U.S. Senate hearing that a change of wind direction could have led to a conventional explosion and a widespread scattering of radioactive plutonium.[7]
- Mid-morning on 27 January 1983, a B-52G (57-6507)[8] exploded on the maintenance ramp, killing five maintenance personnel and injuring eight.[9][10][11] A faulty fuel pump in a wing tank was being attended to prior to the accident.[12]
The 1990s
With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to
On 1 February 1993, ACC dropped the 319th Bomb Wing's primary nuclear mission and gave the wing the primary mission of B-1B conventional bombardment operations. The 319th BW began planning and training to support such a mission to counter worldwide regional threats.
Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new
In March 1995, the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation; it was first downgraded to group status, then inactivated on 30 September 1998. GFAFB's Minuteman ICBM silos were imploded in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II), commencing in 1999 and completed in 2001.[13] The Minuteman III missiles were transferred to Malmstrom AFB in at Great Falls, Montana, to replace retired Minuteman II models. Minuteman III ICBMs remain at three USAF bases: Malmstrom, Minot, and F.E. Warren at Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Twenty-first century
In May 2005, DoD's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Grand Forks be realigned. The base's KC-135 tanker mission was lost, with a significant reduction of personnel, but it was not closed.
The
On 11 May 2019 Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson announced that the 319th Air Base Wing would be re-designated the 319th Reconnaissance Wing in a ceremony on 28 June 2019.[16]
On 28 June 2019 the 319th Air Base Wing was re-designated the 319th Reconnaissance Wing and the 69th Reconnaissance Group inactivated transferring the RQ-4 mission.
Major commands to which assigned
- Air Defense Command, 25 July 1956
- Strategic Air Command, 1 July 1963
- Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992
- Air Mobility Command, 1 October 1993
- Air Combat Command, 13 June 2017 – present[17]
Major units assigned
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References for history introduction, major commands and major units[18]
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Grand Forks Air Force Base:[19][20][21][22][23]
United States Air ForceAir Combat Command (ACC)
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Air Education and Training Command (AETC)
Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
United States Customs and Border Protection
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Demographics
Grand Forks is also a United States Census Bureau designated place.
Timeline
- 1954 The Department of Defense chose Grand Forks as the site for a new installation.
- 5 February 1956 Contractors begin construction of the base.
- 8 February 1957 478th Fighter Groupat Grand Forks AFB as the host unit for the base.
- 1 September 1958 Strategic Air Command (SAC) activated the 4133d Strategic Wing (Provisional) as a tenant unit at Grand Forks AFB.
- 15 December 1959 The Grand Forks Air Defense Sector of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment(SAGE) System.
- 1 May 1960 The F-101B Voodoos.
- 6 May 1960 The KC-135A Stratotanker.
- 28 December 1960 The 478th Fighter Wingwas activated under the ADC and became the host unit for the base.
- 29 April 1962 The B-52H Stratofortress.
- 1 February 1963 Strategic Air Command organized the 319th Bombardment Wing (Heavy)at Grand Forks AFB. The 319 BMW became the host wing as the 4133d Strategic Wing inactivated and command of the base transferred from the ADC to SAC.
- 19 August 1964 Strategic Air Command activated the 804th Combat Support Group (CSG) as the host unit at Grand Forks AFB.
- 1 September 1964 Strategic Air Command stationed the 4th Air Division, later named 4th Strategic Aerospace Division, at Grand Fork AFB.
- 1 November 1964 The Minuteman IImissile complex.
- December 1966 The 321 SMWbecame operational with the Minuteman II missile.
- 15 April 1971 Air Defense Command inactivated 18 FIS.
- 30 June 1971 The 4th Strategic Air Division transferred to Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.
- 1 July 1971 The 321 SMWassumed host unit duties from the 804 CSG.
- 30 July 1971 Air Defense Command stationed the F-106 Delta Darts, at Grand Forks AFB.
- 8 March 1973 The 321st Strategic Missile Wing completed an upgrade to Minuteman IIImissiles.
- 1974 The ADC inactivated the 460 FIS.
- 1986–1987 The 319th Bombardment Wing converted from the B-52G Stratofortress and KC-135A Stratotanker to the B-1B Lancerand KC-135R Stratotanker.
- 16 June 1988 Strategic Air Command transferred the 42d Air Division(AD) to Grand Forks as the host support unit for the base.
- 9 July 1991 Strategic Air Command inactivated the 42 AD and appointed the 319th Bombardment Wing as the host unit for the base.
- 1 September 1991 The 319th Bombardment Wing was redesignated as the 319th Wing. The 321st Missile Wing(MW).
- 1 June 1992 The Air Force inactivated the Strategic Air Command and reassigned Grand Forks AFB to the Grissom AFB, Indiana, although it continued to operate from Grand Forks AFB.
- 1 July 1993 The Air Force Space Command.
- 1 October 1993 The Air Force redesignated the 319th Bomb Wing as the 319th Air Refueling Wing, reassigned it to Air Mobility Command, and reassigned the 905th Air Refueling Squadron to the wing.
- 1994 As part of restructuring at Grand Forks the Air Force reassigned the 906th, 911th, and 912th Air Refueling Squadrons to Grand Forks AFB.
- 26 May 1994 The last B-1B Lancer departed from Grand Forks AFB, marking the end of over 30 years of bombers at Grand Forks.
- 1 July 1994 Air Force Space Command redesignated the 321st Missile Group(MG).
- 1 October 1995 The 321st Missile Group.
- April 1997 After a long, harsh winter, the Grand Forks area suffered a devastating flood due to snowmelt and spring rain. Members of the Grand Forks Air Force Base were called into action, first to help protect the town from the rising waters and later to house the victims of the disaster.
- 2 July 1998 The 321st Missile Groupinactivated after 34 years of service at Grand Forks AFB.
- 6 October 1999 The first missile silo was demolished in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
- 4 December 2010 The last KC-135 tail number 00319 piloted by Lt Gen Vern "Rusty" Findley, the AMC Vice Commander and former 319 ARW commander, departed Grand Forks AFB for its new home at McConnell AFB Kansas, marking the end of the 50-year-long refueling mission at Grand Forks.
- 26 May 2011 The wing received its first RQ-4 Global Hawk.[24]
See also
References
- ^ "Airport Diagram – Grand Forks AFB (KRDR)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d "History of Grand Forks AFB" (PDF). U.S. Air Force. 21 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "Canadian judge refuses to block test flight of U.S. cruise missiles". The Hour. Norwalk, CT. 6 March 1984. p. 2.
- ^ "1961 USAF serial numbers". Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "61-0030". Aviation Safety. ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48280. 2 November 1967. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "B52 crashes at Griffiss, 6 crewman dead, 2 hurt". Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. 3 November 1967. p. 1.
- ^ Karaim, Reed (13 August 1991). "A Brush With Nuclear Catastrophe". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "1957 USAF serial numbers". Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "Five killed as bomber explodes at air base; $38 million damage". Spokane Chronicle. Associated Press. 27 January 1983. p. 1.
- ^ "B-52 fire brings call for safety probe". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, VA. Associated Press. 28 January 1983. p. 3.
- ^ "Explosion, fire rip AF bomber; kill 5 injure 8". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 28 September 1983. p. 1.
- ^ "57-6507". Aviation Safety. ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48377. 27 January 1983. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ 321st Air Expeditionary Wing
- Military Times, 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Air Force realigns Grand Forks AFB under ACC". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ Allen, Emily (11 May 2019). "It's official: Air Force intends to redesignate Grand Forks Air..." www.grandforksherald.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ No byline, staff author (13 June 2017). "Air Force realigns Grand Forks AFB under ACC". Air Combat Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
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has generic name (help) - ISBN 0-16-002261-4
- ^ "319th Reconnaissance Wing". Sixteenth Air Force. US Air Force. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Air and Marine Operations Operating Locations | U.S. Customs and Border Protection". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "319th Air Base Wing re-designates as 319th Reconnaissance Wing". Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber). US Air Force. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "Grand Forks Composite Squadron". Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol North Dakota Wing. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "372nd TRS, Det 27: making great maintainers and communicators even better". Sheppard AFB. US Air Force. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ "First Global Hawk Arrives at Its New Home in Grand Forks". Retrieved 27 March 2020.
Other sources
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- This article incorporates public domain material from Grand Forks Air Force Base. United States Air Force.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, 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.
- Grand Forks AFB, ND
External links
- Official website
- Historic American Engineering Recorddocumentation filed under Cooperstown, Griggs County, ND:
- HAER No. ND-11, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Launch Facility November-33", 11 photos, 45 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-11-A, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Launch Facility November-33, Launcher", 26 photos, 4 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-11-B, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Launch Facility November-33, Launch Facility Equipment Building", 9 photos, 3 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-12, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero", 13 photos, 45 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-12-A, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero, Launch Control Support Building", 28 photos, 5 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-12-B, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero, Launch Control Center", 40 photos, 5 data pages, 5 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-12-C, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero, Launch Control Equipment Building", 10 photos, 3 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-12-D, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero, Vehicle Storage Building", 3 photos, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- Historic American Engineering Record documentation filed under Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, ND:
- HAER No. ND-13, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals", 5 data pages
- HAER No. ND-13-A, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Building 306", 29 photos, 8 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-B, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Building 313", 3 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-C, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Building 513", 6 photos, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-D, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Building 714", 2 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-E, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Alpha-Zero", 5 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-F, "Grand Forks Air Force Base, Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Bravo-Zero", 10 photos, 5 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-G, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Charlie-Zero", 10 photos, 5 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-H, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Delta-Zero", 7 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-I, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Echo-Zero", 4 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-J, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Foxtrot-Zero", 5 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-K, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Golf-Zero", 6 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-L, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Hotel-Zero", 5 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-M, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility India-Zero", 4 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-N, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Juliet-Zero", 5 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-O, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Kilo-Zero", 2 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-P, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Lima-Zero", 3 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-Q, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Mike-Zero", 4 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. ND-13-R, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility November-Zero", 6 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. ND-13-S, "Grand Forks Air Force Base Painted Murals, Missile Alert Facility Oscar-Zero", 6 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective March 21, 2024
- FAA Terminal Procedures for RDR, effective March 21, 2024
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- FAA airport information for RDR
- AirNav airport information for KRDR
- ASN accident history for RDR
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KRDR