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GPA-37 Course Directing Group - A Weapons Directing Analog Computer system built by General Electric Corporation, Heavy Military Electronic Equipment Department. Established at ten Air Force long-range radar sites in the late 1950s to automate the manual Ground Control Intercept (GCI) mission against Soviet Manned Bomber attacks. An eleventh system was established at Keesler, Air Force Base for training. The GPA-37 was meant as an interim system at most radar sites and was removed soon after the FST-2 went operational on a site.
GPA-37 Partial Site List (edit list)
| No
|
Site
|
State
|
Unit
|
ID
|
Function
|
From
|
To
|
GPS
|
Notes
|
| 1
|
Fort Lawton AFS
|
WA
|
635th
|
RP-01
|
NCC-MM
|
1960
|
1960
|
47.6575,
-122.41306
|
|
| 2
|
Gibbsboro AFS
|
NJ
|
772nd
|
RP-63
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
39.82417,
-74.95444
|
|
| 3
|
Fort Heath RS
|
MA
|
820th
|
MM-1
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
42.38889,
-70.96944
|
MM-1
|
| 4
|
Arlington Heights AFS
|
IL
|
755th
|
RP-31
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
42.06431,
-87.99556
|
MM-4
Originally at Williams Bay
|
| 5
|
San Pedro Hill AFS
|
CA
|
670th
|
RP-39
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
33.74611,
-118.33611
|
|
| 6
|
Oakdale AFS
|
PA
|
662nd
|
RP-62
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
40.39722,
-80.16111
|
|
| 7
|
Fort Meade RS
|
MD
|
770th
|
RP-54
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
39.11634,
-76.72728
|
|
| 8
|
Highlands AFS
|
NJ
|
646th
|
P-09
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
40.39139,
-73.99389
|
Installed before 1 Jul 1958
|
| 9
|
Lockport AFS
|
NY
|
763st
|
P-21
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
43.14028,
-78.83472
|
Installed before 1 Jul 1958
|
| 10
|
Selfridge AFB
|
MI
|
661st
|
P-20
|
NCC-MM
|
|
|
42.62694,
-82.82972
|
Installed before 1 Jul 1958
|
| 11
|
Othello AFS
|
WA
|
637th
|
P-40
|
|
1959
|
1960
|
46.72139,
-119.18
|
John Stanton 1959-1960
|
| 12
|
Tyndall AFB
|
FL
|
678th
|
TM-189
|
Training
|
|
|
30.07603,
-85.61064
|
Weapons Director Training Set
Wayne Setzer 1958-1959
|
| 13
|
Thule AFB
|
GL
|
931st
|
G-32
|
|
|
|
76.40296,
-68.72689
|
|
| 14
|
Saratoga Springs
|
NY
|
656th
|
P-50
|
|
|
|
43.01139,
-73.6825
|
Richard Ryan 1958-1959
Arthur D Sampson 1958
Jim Mackin 1958-1961
James A. Engelmann 1958-1961
|
| 15
|
Fortuna AFS
|
ND
|
780th
|
P-27
|
|
|
|
48.90389,
-103.86667
|
Russell
|
| 16
|
Lac St. Denis
|
QC
|
11 AC&W
|
C-2
|
|
1957-11
|
|
45.9375,
-74.31139
|
GPA-23s
Site History
|
| 17
|
Dauphin Island
|
AL
|
693rd
|
TM-196
|
|
|
|
30.25028,
-88.07833
|
Pete J. O'Brien Sep 1958-Jun 1960
|
| 18
|
Texas Tower 2
|
MA
|
762nd
4604th
|
TT-2
|
|
|
|
41.75,
-67.76666
|
|
| 19
|
Murphy Dome AFS
|
AK
|
744th
|
F-02
|
NCC-MM
(FSQ-34)
|
1960
|
1961
|
64.95194,
-148.35681
|
Levi B. Norman Jr
GPA-23 Console at Murphy Dome
|
| 20
|
Keesler AFB
|
MS
|
|
|
Training
|
|
|
30.40574,
-88.9185
|
Maintenance Training Set
John Stanton 1959
Course ATS 30372-10 AN/GPA-37 14 weeks
|
| 21
|
Jacksonville NAS RS
|
FL
|
679th
|
M-114
|
|
|
|
30.22861,
-81.66778
|
Gary Heath
|
| 22
|
North Charleston
|
SC
|
962nd
|
M-113
|
|
1961
|
1964?
|
32.89556,
-80.02222
|
Charles Jones
|
| 23
|
Lake Charles
|
LA
|
812th
|
TM-194
|
|
1960
|
|
30.18417,
-93.17583
|
AIC Robert J.W. Powles
|
| 24
|
Rockport
|
TX
|
813th
|
TN-191
|
|
1959
|
1963
|
28.09167,
-97.04583
|
A2C Leslie Nicholson 1-7/1963
AIC Harold G Seaman 12/1959-9/1961
Picture in paper May 1959
|
| 25
|
Naselle
|
WA
|
759th
|
P-57
|
|
1958
|
1959
|
46.42194,
-123.79806
|
|
Note:
* NCC-MM Indicates a GPA-37 within a NORAD Control Center co-located with U.S. Army Missile Master Center (NIKE).
* Name in notes indicates person who worked on GPA-37 on this site.
|
GPA-37 Course Directing Weapons Directing
| Element
|
Value
|
Notes
|
| Nomenclature |
GPA-37 |
|
| Manufacturer |
General Electric Corporation, Heavy Military Electronic Equipment Department |
|
| Type |
Course Directing |
|
| Number Made |
|
|
| Introduced |
|
|
|
|
GPA-37 Components (edit list)
| Component
|
Model
|
Quantity
|
Height
|
Width
|
Deep
|
Weight
|
Notes
|
| Computing Tracking Group
|
GPA-23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Converter Group
|
GPA-34
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Flight Control Group
|
GKA-1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See Also:
Sources:
- 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
- MIL-HDBK-162A, 15 Dec 1965.
Links:
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