Walnut Ridge Air Force Station
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2012) |
Walnut Ridge Air Force Station Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°07′48″N 090°55′09″W / 36.13000°N 90.91917°W |
Type | Air Force Station |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Air Force |
Site history | |
Built | 1956 |
In use | 1956-1963 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | 725th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron |
Walnut Ridge Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-143) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-northeast of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. It was closed in 1963.
History
Walnut Ridge Air Force Station was initially part of Phase II of the
The
In 1958 an
In March 1963 the Air Force ordered this site to close. Operations ceased on 1 August 1963 and the 725th Radar Squadron was inactivated.
With its closure, Walnut Ridge was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use. Today, the Air Force radar site is part of the civil airport (formerly Marine Corps Air Facility Walnut Ridge), and the Williams Baptist College. Most of the USAF buildings are still in use, some by the college and some by Southwest Airlines, which has established a training facility at the site.
Air Force units and assignments
Units
- 725th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, 8 April 1955
- Moved to Walnut Ridge Air Force Station, 1 July 1956
- Redesignated 725th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 1 May 1962
- Discontinued, 1 August 1963
Assignments
- 33d Air Division, 8 April 1955
- 20th Air Division, 1 March 1956
- Kansas City Air Defense Sector, 1 January 1960
- Chicago Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1961 – 1 August 1963
See also
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
References
- ^ This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
- ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.
- 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 Walnut Ridge AFS, AR