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File: Site 637th.jpg|Typical Permanent System Radar Site at Othello AFS, two FPS 6s on the left, FPS 3 in the bubble, and standard Operations building on the right, Type 2 Design. Note the overhead steam pipe heating system characteristic of most radar sites.
{| class="wikitable" width="800"
File:Minot AFS Ops-3.jpg|Former Minot Air Force Station Type 2 Operations Building. A small part of the SAGE Annex can be seen on the right.
|-
File:Norton Manual CP.jpg|Norton Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC) Type 4 Design.
| align="Center" | [[Radar Site List]]
</gallery>
|}
 
With the outbreak of the [[Korean War]] on 25 Jun 1950, a new emphasis on air defense made the Permanent System radar network a high priority and the network rapidly took shape, underwent several expansions, and by the end of 1958 it was essentially complete. The operational areas of the permanent system Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) radar sites typically contained a single long-range search radar and two height-finder radars feeding into a standardized operations building. Radarscope operators passed aircraft positions to personnel who plotted the path of aircraft on a plexiglass plotting board with grease pencils. For "unknown" aircraft, weapons controllers could scramble and direct fighter aircraft to identify unknown aircraft and shoot them down if necessary.
 
[[File: Site 637th.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Typical Permanent System Radar Site at Othello AFS, two FPS 6s on the left, FPS 3 in the bubble, and standard Operations building on the right, Type 2 Design. Note the overhead steam pipe heating system characteristic of most radar sites.]]
In October 1949 the Air Force commissioned the Chicago firm of Holabird Root & Burgee to design the entire command & control infrastructure system including the radar sites and command centers. Holabird Root & Burgee designed the Type 2 operations complex to be built at each of the AC&W radar sites. The Type 3 and 4 designs were the Manual Direction Center Operations buildings with the Type 4 being the most common. By August 1951, ADC had emplaced only one AC&W radar squadron with modern, permanent equipment along with the first Type 4 command and control Direction Center at McChord Air Force Base (P-4).
[[File:Minot AFS Ops-3.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Former Minot Air Force Station Type 2 Operations Building. A small part of the SAGE Annex can be seen on the right.]]
[[File:Norton Manual CP.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Norton Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC) Type 4 Design.]]
At the beginning of 1952, 14 more AC&W squadrons were operational, with the remaining AC&W squadrons and 10 of the 11 command and control Direction Centers nearly complete by the end of 1952. These centers were each assigned to an Air Defense Division. An ADC combat operations center at [[Ent Air Force Base]] in Colorado, built in 1954, coordinated the network.
 
Follow-on programs expanded the original 85 site program. It should be noted that some sources refer to the 75 original "P" designated sites and others indicate that there were 85 original "P" designated radar sites. The "P" designation numbers did go to 85 but only 75 of those applied to radar sites, the other 10 were applied to [[Permanent Radar System Direction Centers]].
 
By the end of 1957, just before the [[SAGE System]] implementation, there were 182 operational AC&W radar sites with 17 operational manual Direction centers. The breakdown included 17 Direction centers, 75 permanent system sites, 47 gap filler sites, 39 semi-mobile sites, 19 [[Pinetree Line]] sites, and one lone Lashup site.
 
Each of the AC&W radar sites was connected to a [[Permanent Radar System Direction Centers|Manual Direction Center]] by voice and teletype lines. Each direction center coordinated the activities of a larger geographic area and could manage a battle situation. The direction centers connected to one of three (East, Central, West) command centers, and the three command centers were connected to the Headquarters command center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This system was a manual system dependent on human interactions at every level from detection to intercept.
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{| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"
|+ Manual Radar System Implementation
|-
!Radar System
!Phase
!Sites
!Sequence
!Approval
!Notes
|-
| Permanent || align="center" | I || align="center" | 24 || align="center" | P 1-35 || align="center" | 2 Dec 1948 ||
|-
| Permanent || align="center" | II || align="center" | 28 || align="center" | P 36-60 || align="center" | 21 Jul 1950 ||
|-
| Permanent || align="center" | III || align="center" | 23 || align="center" | P 61-85 || align="center" |  ||
|-
| Mobile Radar<br>Augmentation || align="center" | I || align="center" | 29 || align="center" | M 87-131 || align="center" |  ||
|-
| Mobile Radar<br>Augmentation || align="center" | II || align="center" | 20 || align="center" | SM 132-165 || align="center" | 18 Oct 1952. ||
|-
| Mobile Radar<br>Augmentation || align="center" | III || align="center" | 21 || align="center" | TM 177-201 || align="center" | January 1954 ||
|-
| Texas Towers || align="center" | || align="center" | 3  || align="center" | TT 2-4 || align="center" |  ||
|-
| Missile Master || align="center" | || align="center" | 1 || align="center" | MM 1 || align="center" |  ||
|-
| National Guard || align="center" | || align="center" | 1 || align="center" | CW 59 || align="center" |  ||
<!--| Mobile Radar<br>Augmentation || align="center" | I || align="center" | 24 || align="center" | P 1-35 || align="center" | 2 Dec 1948 || -->
|}


== [[SAGE System]] and the Permanent Radar System ==
== [[SAGE System]] and the Permanent Radar System ==
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The expectation in 1960 was that there would be 194 prime radar sites, 207 gap-filler sites and that 99 of the prime sites would have Frequency Diversity (FD) radar sets. Both the gap-filler program and the FD radar programs were problematic. Virtually all of the gap-fillers were closed by the mid-1960s and the very expensive FD radars hung on until the antenna problems became so costly that they were shut down and replaced with smaller sets or the sites were simply closed. One example of the FD radar troubles was the [[Mount Hebo Air Force Station]] [[FPS-24]] that had to be replaced with a smaller [[FPS-27]].
The expectation in 1960 was that there would be 194 prime radar sites, 207 gap-filler sites and that 99 of the prime sites would have Frequency Diversity (FD) radar sets. Both the gap-filler program and the FD radar programs were problematic. Virtually all of the gap-fillers were closed by the mid-1960s and the very expensive FD radars hung on until the antenna problems became so costly that they were shut down and replaced with smaller sets or the sites were simply closed. One example of the FD radar troubles was the [[Mount Hebo Air Force Station]] [[FPS-24]] that had to be replaced with a smaller [[FPS-27]].
----
 
==Context==
'''Sources:'''  
'''Sources:'''  
* {{Cornett}}.  <!--ADC Organization-->
* {{Cornett}}.  <!--ADC Organization-->
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* '''''Cold War Infrastructure For Air Defense: The Fighter And Command Missions''''', Headquarters, Air Combat Command Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, 1999, [http://www.mobileradar.org/Documents/1999-11-02132.pdf Pdf].
* '''''Cold War Infrastructure For Air Defense: The Fighter And Command Missions''''', Headquarters, Air Combat Command Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, 1999, [http://www.mobileradar.org/Documents/1999-11-02132.pdf Pdf].


[[Category:Radar Sites]]
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[[Category:All]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Radar Sites]]

Latest revision as of 13:00, 20 August 2026


  • Typical Permanent System Radar Site at Othello AFS, two FPS 6s on the left, FPS 3 in the bubble, and standard Operations building on the right, Type 2 Design. Note the overhead steam pipe heating system characteristic of most radar sites.
    Typical Permanent System Radar Site at Othello AFS, two FPS 6s on the left, FPS 3 in the bubble, and standard Operations building on the right, Type 2 Design. Note the overhead steam pipe heating system characteristic of most radar sites.
  • Former Minot Air Force Station Type 2 Operations Building. A small part of the SAGE Annex can be seen on the right.
    Former Minot Air Force Station Type 2 Operations Building. A small part of the SAGE Annex can be seen on the right.
  • Norton Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC) Type 4 Design.
    Norton Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC) Type 4 Design.

SAGE System and the Permanent Radar System

As the Permanent System came to maturity between 1958 and 1960, it was converted to the SAGE System site by site. This was done by adding a large SAGE Annex to the existing operations buildings and as a follow-on, converting one of the existing radio buildings (usually the transmitter building) into a new Ground-Air Transmit-Receive (GATR) radio building. Within the SAGE Annex, an FST-2 was installed to process and send radar data to the FSQ-7 direction center computer over communication circuits. Most permanent System radar sites converted to SAGE operation were designated with a "Z" number like Z-100 for the prime site and Z-100A for an associated gap-filler.

The expectation in 1960 was that there would be 194 prime radar sites, 207 gap-filler sites and that 99 of the prime sites would have Frequency Diversity (FD) radar sets. Both the gap-filler program and the FD radar programs were problematic. Virtually all of the gap-fillers were closed by the mid-1960s and the very expensive FD radars hung on until the antenna problems became so costly that they were shut down and replaced with smaller sets or the sites were simply closed. One example of the FD radar troubles was the Mount Hebo Air Force Station FPS-24 that had to be replaced with a smaller FPS-27.

Context

Sources:

  • Cornett, Lloyd H. & Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization (1946-1980), Office of History ADC, Peterson AFB, Colorado, 31 Dec 1980, 179 pages, Pdf.
  • Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf.
  • Cold War Infrastructure For Air Defense: The Fighter And Command Missions, Headquarters, Air Combat Command Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, 1999, Pdf.

Related:
Adair SAGE Direction Center DC-13, Aiken Air Force Station, Ajo Air Force Station, Almaden Air Force Station, Amarillo Air Force Base Radar Site, Antigo Air Force Station, Arlington Heights Air Force Station, Arlington Heights Army Air Defense Command Post C-80DC, Ashburn FAA Radar Site, BMEWS System, BUIC System, Baker Air Force Station, Baldy Hughes Air Station, Ballistic Missile Defense System, Barrington Air Station, Bartlesville Air Force Station, Baudette Air Force Station, Beale AFB Pave Paws Radar Site, Beausejour Air Station, Bedford Air Force Station, Bellefontaine Air Force Station, Belleville Air Force Station, Benton Air Force Station, Bethel Air Force Station, Blaine Air Force Station, Bootlegger Ridge FAA Radar Site, Boron Air Force Station, Brookfield Air Force Station, Brunswick Air Force Station, Bucks Harbor Air Force Station, Burns Air Force Station, CFS Beaverlodge, CFS Gander, CFS Holberg, Calumet Air Force Station, Cambria Air Force Station, Campion Air Force Station, Cape Charles Air Force Station, Cape Cod Air Force Station, Cape Lisburne Air Force Station, Cape Newenham Air Force Station, Cape Romanzof Air Force Station, Cartwright Air Station, Caswell Air Force Station, Cavalier Air Force Station, Chandler Air Force Station, Charleston Air Force Station, Cherry Point MCAS Radar Site, Citronelle FAA Radar Site, Claysburg Air Force Station, Colville Air Force Station, Condon Air Force Station, Continental Divide Air Force Station, Cottonwood Air Force Station, Cross City Air Force Station, Crystal Springs Air Force Station, Cudjoe Key Air Force Station, Curlew Air Force Station, Custer Air Force Station, Custer SAGE Direction Center DC-06, Cut Bank Air Force Station, Dallas Center Air Force Station, Dauphin Island Air Force Station, Defense Installations Portal, Dickinson Air Force Station, Duncanville Air Force Station, Eagle Pass Air Force Station, Eareckson Air Station, Ellington Air Force Base Radar Site, Ellsworth Air Force Station, Elmendorf JSS ROCC, Empire Air Force Station, England Air Force Base Radar Site, Eufaula Air Force Station, FPS-24, FPS-27, FPS-35, FST-2, Fallon Air Force Station, Finland Air Force Station, Finley Air Force Station, Finley FAA Radar Site, Fire Island Air Force Station, Flintstone Air Force Station, Fordland Air Force Station, Fort Ethan Allen, Fort Fisher Air Force Station, Fort Heath Radar Site, Fort Lawton Air Force Station, Fort Meade Radar Site, Fort Stevens Lashup Radar Site, Fort Williams, Fort Yukon Air Force Station, Fortuna Air Force Station, GPA-37, Gettysburg Air Force Station, Gibbsboro Air Force Station, Grand Rapids Air Force Station, Griffiss JSS ROCC, Guthrie Air Force Station, Hanna City Air Force Station, Hanna City FAA Radar Site, Hastings Air Force Station, Havre Air Force Station, Highlands Air Force Station, Hopedale Air Station, Houma Air Force Station, Hutchinson Air Force Station, Indian Mountain Air Force Station, JSS System, Jacksonville NAS Radar Site, Joelton Air Force Station, K.I. Sawyer SAGE Direction Center DC-14, Kaala Air Force Station, Kalispell Air Force Station, Kamloops Air Station, Keno Air Force Station, Key West NAS Radar Site, Killeen Air Force Station, King Salmon Air Force Station, Kingman Air Force Station, Kirksville Air Force Station, Kirtland Manual Direction Center P-41, Klamath Air Force Station, Kokee Air Force Station, Korean War, Kotzebue Air Force Station, Lackland Air Force Base Radar Site, Lake Charles Air Force Station, Lake City Air Force Station, Laredo Air Force Station, Larson SAGE Direction Center DC-15, Las Cruces Air Force Station, Las Vegas Air Force Station, Lashup System, Lewistown Air Force Station, Lockport Air Force Station, Lompoc Air Force Station, Lufkin Air Force Station, Luke SAGE Direction Center DC-21, MacDill Air Force Base Radar Site, Madera Air Force Station, Makah Air Force Station, Malmstrom Air Force Base Radar Site, Manassas Air Force Station, Map Western Sites, Marietta Air Force Station, Mather Air Force Base Radar Site, McChord AFB Lashup Radar Site, McChord Air Force Base Radar Site, McChord SAGE Combat Center CC-3, McChord SAGE Direction Center DC-12, Melville Air Station, Mica Peak Air Force Station, Mica Peak FAA Radar Site, Middleton Island Air Force Station, Miles City Air Force Station, Mill Valley Air Force Station, Minot Air Force Station, Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19, Montauk Air Force Station, Moriarty Air Force Station, Mount Hebo Air Force Station, Mount Laguna Air Force Station, Mount Lemmon Air Force Station, Murphy Dome Air Force Station, NIKE System, Naselle Air Force Station, North Bend Air Force Station, North Charleston Air Force Station, North Truro Air Force Station, North Warning System, Northeast Cape Air Force Station, OTH-B System, Oakdale Air Force Station, Ohlson Mountain Air Force Station, Oklahoma City Air Force Station, Olathe Air Force Station, Omaha Air Force Station, Opheim Air Force Station, Osceola Air Force Station, Oskaloosa FAA Radar Site, Othello Air Force Station, Owingsville Air Force Station, Ozona Air Force Station, PARCS System, Pacific Beach Lashup Radar Site, Palermo Air Force Station, Patrick Air Force Base Radar Site, Permanent Radar System Direction Centers, Perrin Air Force Station, Pickstown Air Force Station, Pinetree Line, Point Arena Air Force Station, Port Austin Air Force Station, Port Isabel Air Force Station, Poston Air Force Station, Puntzi Mountain Air Station, Pyote Air Force Station, RCAF Station Alsask, RCAF Station Edgar, RCAF Station Falconbridge, RCAF Station Foymount, RCAF Station Saint Margarets, RCAF Station Senneterre, RCAF Station Sydney, Radar Site List, Ramore Air Station, Red Bluff Air Force Station, Red Cliff Air Station, Remsen FAA Radar Site, Richards-Gebaur Manual Direction Center SM-169, Richmond Air Force Station, Roanoke Rapids Air Force Station, Rochester Air Force Station, Rockport Air Force Station, Rockville Air Force Station, Roslyn Air Force Station, Rye Air Force Station, SAGE System, SLBM Detection Systems, Saglek Air Station, Saint Albans Air Force Station, San Clemente Air Force Station, San Pedro Hill Air Force Station, Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station, Saratoga Springs Air Force Station, Sault Ste Marie Air Force Station, Savannah Air Force Station, Selfridge Air Force Base Radar Site, Selfridge Army Air Defense Command Post D-15DC, Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22, Snow Mountain Air Force Station, Sparrevohn Air Force Station, St. Anthony Air Station, Stephenville Air Station, Stewart SAGE Direction Center DC-02, Sundance Air Force Station, Sweetwater Air Force Station, Tatalina Air Force Station, Texarkana Air Force Station, Texas Tower 2, Thomasville Air Force Station, Tierra Amarilla Air Force Station, Tin City Air Force Station, Tonopah Air Force Station, Tyndall Air Force Base Radar Site, Unalakleet Air Force Station, Wadena Air Force Station, Walker Air Force Base Radar Site, Walnut Ridge Air Force Station, Watertown Air Force Station, Waverly Air Force Station, Williams Bay Air Force Station, Willmar Air Force Station, Winnemucca Air Force Station, Winslow Air Force Station, Winston-Salem Air Force Station, Yaak Air Force Station, Yuma Air Force Station, Zapata Air Force Station, Alaska White Alice Communication Sites, Battle Control System-Fixed, Beale SAGE Direction Center DC-18, Boston Army Air Defense Command Post B-21DC, Boston Army Air-Defense Command Post B-21DC, Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10, Ent Air Force Base, FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers, Geiger Manual Direction Center SM-172, Grand Forks SAGE Direction Center DC-11, Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09, Hamilton Manual Direction Center P-48, Hancock SAGE Direction Center DC-03, Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04, Malmstrom Manual Direction Center P-83, Malmstrom SAGE Direction Center DC-20, March JSS ROCC, McChord Manual Direction Center P-4, McGuire SAGE Direction Center DC-01, North Bay SAGE Direction Center DC-31, Norton Manual Direction Center P-84, Norton SAGE Direction Center DC-17, Richards-Gebaur SAGE Direction Center DC-08, SAGE Combat Centers, SAGE Direction Centers, Silver Lake Air Warning Station, Stead SAGE Direction Center DC-16, Topsham SAGE Direction Center DC-05, Truax SAGE Direction Center DC-07, Tyndall JSS ROCC, West Mesa Air Force Station, Wheeler JSS ROCC, Willow Run Manual Direction Center P-23,

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