Richards-Gebaur SAGE Direction Center DC-08

 (1962-1969) - A Cold War SAGE System Direction Center first established in 1962 on Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri. Named Richards-Gebaur SAGE Direction Center after the location. Assigned a Sage ID of DC-08. Deactivated in 1969.

History
The Richards-Gebaur SAGE complex was unique in the Sage System because it provided the training site for operations personnel in the initial cadre of each SAGE Direction center. The SAGE operators school trained almost 7000 operators in its six year history. The 4606th Air Defense Group (SAGE-Programming and Training) formed on 15 Sep 1958 and was discontinued on 25 Jun 1962.

The Richards-Gebaur SAGE complex was also selected to be the site of a separate SAGE blockhouse to house Sage Combat Center CC-6. This building was to house two FSQ-8 computers (essentially FSQ-7 computers without specific input/output equipment) that would be used as a regional combat center. The separate combat center building was never built and the FSQ-8s were never installed.

The 29th NORAD Region asked and received permission to collocate their Alternate Command Post (ALCOP) and the Regional Remote Combat Center (RCC) in what was formerly the SAGE direction center building at Richards-Gebaur. The Regional RCC was to be located in the weapons room, the ALCOP in the command post. The two activities were to operate separately, each with its own personnel and communications facilities. This was made effective 1 Aug 1962, the date that the 29th Region RCC achieved a SAGE capability as a remoted function of the modified AN/FSQ-7 at Sioux City AFS, Iowa. The direction center was then to be converted to a standard combat center and the FSQ-7 computer was to be modified to permit standard combat center operations by 1 Apr 1966.

The equipment removed from the Richards-Gebaur direction center may have been used in the FSQ-8 to FSQ-7 upgrade at Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22 but that is unknown. While the Richards-Gebaur direction center was built as a SAGE direction center it seems never to have functioned as one, no radar sites could be found that were connected to it as SAGE sites. It seems to have functioned as a Command Center as long as it was active. On 31 Dec 1969 SAGE operations ceased at Richards-Gebaur.

Current Status
The Sage Direction Center blockhouse has been repurposed and houses a commercial business.

See Also:
 * Permanent System Radar Sites
 * SAGE System
 * Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22

Sources:

Links:
 * Radomes - Richards-Gebaur SAGE Direction Center
 * Wikipedia - Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base