Thomasville Air Force Station
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2012) |
Thomasville Air Force Station Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
---|---|
Thomasville, Alabama | |
Coordinates | 31°56′14″N 087°45′03″W / 31.93722°N 87.75083°W |
Type | Long Range Radar Site |
Site information | |
Owner | National Park Service |
Controlled by | United States Air Force |
Open to the public | Yes |
Site history | |
Built | 1959 |
Built by | U.S. Air Force |
In use | 1959-1969 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | Thomasville, Alabama |
Thomasville Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-197, NORAD ID: Z-197) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) north-northwest of Thomasville, Alabama. It was closed in 1969.
History
Thomasville Air Force Station came into existence as part of Phase III of the
The 698th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron moved to Thomasville on 1 September 1958 when a test model of the
The Ground Air Transmitting Receiving (GATR) Site for communications was located at 31°56′27″N 087°44′18″W / 31.94083°N 87.73833°W, approximately 0.8 miles east-northeast from the main site. Normally the GATR site was connected by a pair of buried telephone cables, with a backup connection of dual telephone cables overhead. The Coordinate Data Transmitting Set (CDTS) (AN/FST-2) at the main site converted each radar return into a digital word which was transmitted by the GATR via microwave to the Control Center.
In 1959, Thomasville joined the
During the
The 698th Radar Squadron was inactivated on 30 September 1969 and Thomasville AFS was closed due to a draw-down of ADC and budget constraints. After its closure, the site was the location of the Thomasville Mental Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Alabama Department of Youth Services. However, the former closed completely by November 2003.
Today the former radar site is used by the
Air Force units and assignments
Units
- 698th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, assigned 1 September 1958
- Activated 1 December 1957 at Dobbins AFB, GA (not equipped or manned)
- Redesignated 698th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 1959
- Inactivated 31 December 1969[2]
Assignments
- 35th Air Division, 1 December 1957
- 32d Air Division, 15 November 1958
- Montgomery Air Defense Sector, 1 November 1959
- 32d Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969
See also
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
References
Notes
- ^ NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996)
- ^ Cornett, Lloyd H.; Johnson, Mildred W. (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. p. 161.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cornett, Lloyd H.; Johnson, Mildred W. (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
- NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996)
Further reading
- Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense (PDF). Vol. II, 1955–1972. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-43792-131-1.
- 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).
- Information for Thomasville AFS, AL