Key West NAS Radar Site: Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.missilesofkeywest.bravepages.com/aadcp.htm AADCP] | * [http://www.missilesofkeywest.bravepages.com/aadcp.htm AADCP] | ||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/671st_Radar_Squadron Wikipedia - 671st Radar Squadron] | * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/671st_Radar_Squadron Wikipedia - 671st Radar Squadron] | ||
* [https://shoestringweekends.wordpress.com/2015/12/19/launching-pads/] | |||
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Revision as of 19:41, 4 January 2018
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Key West NAS Radar Site (1962-Active) - A Cold War Air Force Radar Station first established in 1962 near Key West, Monroe County, Florida. Named Key West NAS Radar Site after the location. Initially assigned a Sage ID of Z-209 and later a JSS ID of J-07. Active FAA Radar Site.
History of Key West NAS Radar SiteEstablished in 1962 and became operational in 1962 as Key West NAS Radar Site manned by the 671st AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning misssion. The early warning 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. The site was incorporated into the BUIC I system as a NORAD Control Center in 1962. This was a manual back-up interceptor control system that provided limited command and control capability in the event the SAGE System was disabled. This allowed the site to operate independently should it become isolated. Initial equipment included an in-place Navy FPS-37 search radar (which shares many components with the FPS-8 radar). This radar was considered a pre SAGE System radar and by 1966 it had been replaced by a SAGE compatible FPS-67B SAGE System TransitionThe transition of the manual GCI system to the automated SAGE system began with the installation of the FST-2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 Key West radar site began operation as a SAGE System site on 1 Jun 1962 initially feeding the Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09. It is unclear if this was with manual operation or if the FST-2 was installed and providing automatic operation. Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962)In October 1962 the Cuban Missile crisis began with the installation of Russian missiles on Cuban soil. A series of escalations put the United States and Russia at the edge of war with a U.S. embargo on shipping into Cuba. During this period all U.S. Radar sites were on high alert and the Key West NAS Radar Site provided surveillance over much of western Cuba and coverage of southern Florida. The missile crisis was averted but it had demonstrated the need for radar coverage of this critical area. A U.S. Army Hawk missile battery was deployed on the Key West NAS during the missile crisis and data was shared with them. The Army AADCP site was designated KW-18DC.
SAGE System Operation
It was not until the search radar was upgraded to an FPS-67B and two FPS-90 height finder radars were installed that the site had a normal SAGE site configuration. At this point the 761st AC&W Squadron was redesignated 671st Radar Sq (SAGE) on 15 Jun 1965. This is probably close after the date that full automatic operation was achieved. Prior to the closure of the Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09 on 31 Dec 1969 the site was switched to control by the Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 on 14 Nov 1969. The vacuum tube FST-2 coordinate data transmitter was replaced with the solid state FYQ-47 circa 1970. Radar Squadron Deactivation (1980)In 1979 Air Defense Command and all its remaining radar sites were transferred to the Tactical Air Command. A reorganization followed and the 671st Radar squadron was deactivated on 30 Jun 1980, replaced by the 20th Air Defense Squadron, Operating Location Alpha Juliet (OL-AJ). JSS SystemWith the shutdown of the remaining vacuum tube SAGE System direction centers in 1983 the SAGE System was deactivated and the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) replaced it with four state-of-the-art FYQ-93 computer Regional Operations Control Centers (ROCC). Key West NAS Radar Site came under the operational control of the South East ROCC at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The Key West FPS-67B search radar was phased out and replaced by a ARSR-4 about 1993. The 1983 FYQ-93 computer systems installed in the ROCCs remained in service until they were replaced in 2007 in a transition to the current Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F) Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F)With the upgrade to the BAS-F system, the number of control centers was reduced to two and control for the Key West NAS Radar Site came under the Eastern Air Defense Sector at Rome, ANGB, NY.
Current StatusTransitioned to civilian FAA maintenance in Key West, Monroe County, Florida.
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