Eufaula Air Force Station

 (1958-1968) - A Cold War Air Force Radar Station first established in 1958 near Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama. Named Eufaula Air Force Station after the location. Initially assigned a Permanent ID of TM-199, later a Sage ID of Z-199. Abandoned in 1968.

History
Established in 1958 and became operational in early 1959 as Eufaula Air Force Station manned by the 609th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. The early warning mission involved tracking and identifying all aircraft entering their airspace while the GCI mission involved guiding Air Force interceptors to any identified enemy aircraft. Controllers at the station vectored fighter aircraft at the correct course and speed to intercept enemy aircraft using voice commands via ground-to-air radio.

Initial equipment included the prototype FPS-24 search radar and the prototype FPS-26A height-finder radar along with a standard FPS-90 height-finder.

SAGE System Operation


The site began operation as a SAGE site in 1959 initially feeding the Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09. On 1 Oct 1959, the squadron designation was changed from the 609th AC&W Squadron to 609th Radar Squadron (SAGE) indicating the new SAGE System role.

Gap Fillers
Eufaula AFS was responsible for the maintenance of two remote unattended gap-filler radar sites. The Eufaula AFS gap-filler radars were located at Davenport, Alabama and Bridgeboro, Georgia.

Closure
Eufaula AFS and the 609th Radar Squadron were deactivated on 8 September 1968 and the Air Force Station was closed on 30 Sep 1968. The closure was the result of a catastrophic failure of the large main bearing on the AN/FPS-24 search radar set that not only damaged the radar antenna but also twisted steel tower that held it.

Physical Plant
The physical plant of the site was divided into the main site, a cantonment area, a housing area and a radio site. The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, and the backup generators. The cantonment area housed the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool and other support buildings. Apart from the main site was a small housing area for critical married personnel. A separate Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) radio site housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts.

Current Status
Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama.

See Also:
 * SAGE System
 * BUIC System
 * Permanent System Radar Sites
 * US Radar Sets
 * Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09

Sources:
 * , page 154.
 * , page 94.

Links:
 * Radomes - Eufaula Air Force Station
 * Wikipedia - Eufaula Air Force Station