Roslyn Air Force Station

 (1948-1960) - A Cold War Air Force Station first established in 1948 near East Hills, Nassau County, New York. Named Roslyn Air Force Station after the location. Became the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) 26th Air Division (AD) and the site of the 26th AD Manual Air Defense Control Center (ADCC). Later, as a part of the Permanent radar system, it was assigned a Permanent ID of P-3. Deactivated in 1960.

History
The mission of the 26th AD was the air defense of much of the northeast United States including, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. To accomplish this mission potential enemy aircraft had to be detected, tracked and intercepted.

The 26th AD was transferred to Roslyn AFS on 18 Apr 1949. Initially, enemy aircraft detection was accomplished by early Lashup Radar sites and the Ground Observer Corps. Potential targets were called into the direction center and tracked on plexiglass plotting boards. As the system evolved into Permanent System Radar Sites, the radar sites assumed the detection, tracking and interception roles under the command of the direction center. The Lashup radar sites at Twin Lights, New Jersey (L-12, LP-9, P-9) and Camp Hero, New York (L-10, LP-45) fed this primitive control center before the Permanent Radar System came into use.

In the late 1950s, the SAGE System was deployed to automate the whole process. The radar sites automated the detection process while the SAGE Direction Center computers handled the tracking and interception processes. The SAGE system reduced the need for weapons controllers at each of the radar sites and eliminated the need for the manual direction centers

Closure
Roslyn AFS was deactivated in 1960.

Current Status
Overbuilt by civilian development and a park in East Hills, Nassau County, New York.

See Also:
 * Lashup System
 * Permanent System Radar Sites
 * US Radar Sets

Sources:
 * , page 19, 29, 54, 81, 97, 131, 156.
 * , page 137, 141.

Links:
 * Radomes - Roslyn Air Force Station
 * Wikipedia - Roslyn Air Force Station
 * New York State Military Museum - Roslyn Air Force Station