Mount Hebo Air Force Station: Difference between revisions
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== SLBM Detection Operations == | == SLBM Detection Operations == | ||
In July 1965, the Air Force selected Avco Corporation to modify seven [[FPS-26|FPS-26A]] height-finder radars to detect sea launched ballistic missiles (SLBM)s. The FPS-26 was modified and redesignated the [[FSS-7]] at the seven sites including Mount Hebo. The system became fully operational in 1971 after years of testing. Each of the FSS-7s was manned by a detachment of the 14th Missile Warning Squadron. Detachment 2 was located at Mount Hebo. The detachments operated somewhat independently from the radar squadrons and continued to operate the [[FSS-7]] even after the radar squadron was inactivated. The Mount Hebo detachment was active between July 1967 and September 1980. | In July 1965, the Air Force selected Avco Corporation to modify seven [[FPS-26|FPS-26A]] height-finder radars to detect sea launched ballistic missiles (SLBM)s. The [[FPS-26]] was modified and redesignated the [[FSS-7]] at the seven sites including Mount Hebo. The system became fully operational in 1971 after years of testing. Each of the FSS-7s was manned by a detachment of the 14th Missile Warning Squadron. Detachment 2 was located at Mount Hebo. The detachments operated somewhat independently from the radar squadrons and continued to operate the [[FSS-7]] even after the radar squadron was inactivated. The Mount Hebo detachment was active between July 1967 and September 1980. | ||
== Gap Fillers == | == Gap Fillers == | ||
Revision as of 15:52, 18 February 2016
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History of Mount Hebo Air Force StationEstablished in 1956 and became operational on 16 Oct 1956 as Mount Hebo Air Force Station manned by the 689th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning misssion. The early warnng mission involved tracking and identifing 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 MPS-11 search radar, FPS-4 height finder radar and a FPS-6 height finder radar. The transition of the manual GCI system to the automated SAGE system began with the installation of the FST-2 coordinate data transmitter and search radar upgrades. The FST-2 equipment digitized the radar returns and transmitted the digital returns to the SAGE direction center. Under the SAGE System, interceptor aircraft were directed to their targets by the direction center computers and controllers, greatly reducing the need for local controllers and equipment at every radar station. The FST-2 was a very large digital system using vacuum tube technology. Over 6900 vacuum tubes were used in each FST-2 requiring 21 air-conditioned cabinets, 40 tons of air conditioning, 43.5 kva of prime power, and usually a large new addition to the operations building. The FST-2B modification added two more cabinets but with newer solid-state (transistor) technology to process coded responses from aircraft transponders. The FST-2 at Mount Hebo AFS was installed in late 1959 and early 1960. The site began operation as a SAGE site on 15 Jul 1960 initially feeding the Adair SAGE Direction Center DC-13. The search radar was upgraded to an FPS-24 and the height finders were upgraded to a FPS-26A and a FPS-90. An early SAGE reorganization switched control from the Adair SAGE Direction Center DC-13 to the McChord SAGE Direction Center DC-12 on 1 Apr 1966. In the late 1960s the FPS-26A height finder radar was modified to become a FSS-7 SLBM detection radar. Early in the 1970s the FST-2 was replaced with a FYQ-47 solid state coordinate data transmitter. After a spate of radome and other problems the FPS-24 search radar was replaced with a smaller FPS-27. Mount Hebo AFS and the 689th were deactivated on 30 Jun 1979. Detachment 2, 14th MWS continued to operate the FSS-7 until September 1980. Radome ProblemsThe massive FPS-24 radar antenna was a problem from the start. The rotating antenna was not normally meant to be enclosed in a radome but it was determined that the antenna needed to be enclosed because of fears that high winds and/or ice and snow at the top of Mount Hebo would damage the antenna itself. Enclosing the antenna in a rigid radome began on 30 Sep 1962 as the first of three attempts to enclose the FPS-24.
The decision was made to replace the FPS-24 radar with the much smaller (and less capable) FPS-27 radar. The removal of the massive FPS-24 and the installation of the FPS-27 was completed on 30 Sep 1969. The same set of storms that destroyed the first FPS-24 radome also destroyed the inflatable radomes of the MPS-11 and FPS-6 on 12 Oct 1962 with winds of 170 mph. SLBM Detection OperationsIn July 1965, the Air Force selected Avco Corporation to modify seven FPS-26A height-finder radars to detect sea launched ballistic missiles (SLBM)s. The FPS-26 was modified and redesignated the FSS-7 at the seven sites including Mount Hebo. The system became fully operational in 1971 after years of testing. Each of the FSS-7s was manned by a detachment of the 14th Missile Warning Squadron. Detachment 2 was located at Mount Hebo. The detachments operated somewhat independently from the radar squadrons and continued to operate the FSS-7 even after the radar squadron was inactivated. The Mount Hebo detachment was active between July 1967 and September 1980. Gap FillersMount Hebo AFS was responsible for the maintenance of two remote unattended gap filler radar sites. The gap filler sites were placed in locations where the main search radar lacked coverage. These sites sent digitized radar target data directly to a direction center. Maintenance teams were dispatched from Mount Hebo AFS for regularly scheduled maintenance or when fault indicators on the FSW-1 remote monitoring equipment suggested the site had problems. The Mount Hebo AFS gap filler radars were located at Washougal, WA and Philomath, OR. The Philomath site was located on the 4000' Mary's Peak. It was probably never fully operational and was deactivated after an ice storm dislodged the antenna sail. The site was shut down on 30 Apr 1960 and deactivated on 30 Jun 1961. The Washougal site was inactivated on 31 Mar 1961 and the antenna lowered. On 31 Aug 1963 a rigid radome was installed and the site was made operational. On 31 Dec 1963 it was connected into the SAGE system but it was then declared excess on 15 Apr 1964 and deactivated.
Physical Plant  The physical plant of the site was divided into a upper main site, a cantonment area, a lower 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. At a lower level from the cantonment area was a small housing area for married personnel. A separate Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) radio site housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts. The cantonment area was initially constructed with quonset hut style buildings anchored to the mountain and further lashed down with cables to prevent them from being carried off by the extreme winds experienced on Mount Hebo. Many of the buildings were connected by tunnels constructed with culvert style metal tubes to enable the troops to move between buildings during high winds and/or deep snows without having to go outside. The barracks as first constructed were four long quonset hut style buildings which proved unsuitable in a number of ways. On 1 Mar 1965 construction started on a modern 89 man barracks that was completed on 31 Dec 1965.
Current StatusAbandoned, all sites leveled and returned to nature (almost). Memorial plaque on upper site.
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