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== History ==
== History ==
Established on 1 May 1951 as Oklahoma City Air Force Station manned by the 746th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. 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 two [[FPS-10]] search radars and added an [[FPS-6]] height finder radar in 1958.  
Established on 1 May 1951 as Oklahoma City Air Force Station manned by the 746th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. 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. Initial equipment included two [[FPS-10]] search radars and added an [[FPS-6]] height finder radar in 1958.  




Revision as of 08:18, 25 February 2018

Oklahoma City Air Force Station (1951-1983) - A Cold War Air Force Station first established in 1951 near Tinker AFB, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. Named Oklahoma City Air Force Station after the location. Several air defense facilites were built at the Air Force Station including radar site P-52 and a Manual Air-Defense Control Center P-86. The radar site was initially assigned a Permanent ID of P-52 and later a Sage ID of Z-52. The Manual Air-Defense Control Center was initially assigned a Permanent ID of P-86 and later MCC-11. A series of air defense sector headquarters occupied the air force station along with the Manual Air-Defense Control Center.

The Air Force Station was merged into nearby Tinker Air Force Base in 1983.

History

Established on 1 May 1951 as Oklahoma City Air Force Station manned by the 746th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. 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. Initial equipment included two FPS-10 search radars and added an FPS-6 height finder radar in 1958.


The 33rd Air Division Headquarters moved to Oklahoma City AFS on 8 May 1956 and activated a Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC), P-86. The ADCC controlled Air Defense Command (ADC) interceptor aircraft in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector (OCADS) was established on 1 Jan 1960 as a manual ADS, without a SAGE blockhouse. OCADS continued the Manual Air-Defense Control Center role and added additional AC&W radar sites as did the successor headquarters, all at Oklahoma City AFS. This operation of the P-52 radar site and the manual control center (P-86 and MCC-11) continued until discontinued in 1968.

Headquarters at Oklahoma City Air Force Station
  • 1 Feb 1953 - 33rd Air Division.
  • 1 Jan 1960 - Oklahoma City ADS.
  • 1 Sep 1961 - 4752nd Air Defense Wing.
  • 25 Jun 1963 - Oklahoma City ADS.
  • 1 Apr 1966 - 31st Air Division.
  • 8 Sep 1968 - Discontinued.

Physical Plant

The physical plant of the site was divided into a main site and a cantonment area. 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.


Oklahoma City AFS Major Equipment List
Search Radar HF Radar Data Systems
Unit Designations
  • 746th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron (1951-1968)
746th Assignments
  • 1 Feb 1953 - Activated at Tinker AFB, OK, as the 33rd Air Division.
  • Summer 1956 - Moved to Oklahoma City AFS, OK.
  • 1 Jan 1960 - Transferred to Oklahoma City ADS.
  • 1 Sep 1961 - Transferred to 4752nd Air Defense Wing.
  • 25 Jun 1963 - Transferred to Oklahoma City ADS.
  • 1 Apr 1966 - Reassigned to 31st Air Division.
  • 8 Sep 1968 - Discontinued.


Oklahoma City Manual Direction Center (P-86 and MCC-11) Radar Sites (edit list)
Location Type State Unit ADC NORAD JSS From To GPS Notes
Oklahoma City AFS OK 646th P-52 1960-01-01 1968-09-08 35.4024,
-97.35874
Eagle Pass AFS TX 733rd TM-188 1960-01-01 1963-08-01 28.86,
-100.52694
Moriarty AFS NM 768th P-51 1960-09-05 1961-06-01 35.02917,
-105.81667
Walker AFB NM 686th M-90 1960-09-15 1963-08-01 33.30919,
-104.54809
Las Cruces AFS NM 685th M-95 1960-09-15 1963-08-01 32.25944,
-106.97667
West Mesa AFS NM 687th M-94 1960-09-15 1968-09-08 35.0717,
-106.86972
Ozona AFS TX 732nd TM-187 1960-09-15 1963-08-01 30.70417,
-101.11667
Zapata AFS TX 742nd TM-189 1960-01-01 1961-06-01 26.95222,
-99.27528
Pyote AFS TX 697th TM-186 1960-09-15 1963-08-01 31.47778,
-103.16833
Lackland AFB TX 741st P-75 Z-75 1960-01-01 1969-12-31 29.38803,
-98.63332
Sweetwater AFS TX 683rd M-89 Z-89 1960-09-15 1969-09-30 32.46333,
-100.47333
Amarillo AFB TX 688th M-88 Z-88 1960-09-15 1968-09-08 35.24611,
-101.65694
Duncanville AFS TX 745th P-78 1960-01-01 1964-00-00 32.64861,
-96.90694 		Transferred to
Perrin 1962-1964
Perrin AFS TX 745th RP-78 Z-78 1962-00-00 1969-09-30 33.70472,
-96.64833 		Transferred from
Duncanville 1962-1964
Continental Divide AFS NM 769th P-07 1960-09-15 1961-07-01 35.38917,
-108.35333
Rockport AFS TX 813th TM-191 1960-01-01 1963-08-01 28.09167,
-97.04583
Port Isabel AFS TX 811th TM-190 1960-01-01 1961-06-01 26.15556,
-108.35333
Killeen AFS TX 814th TM-192 1958-11-01 1961-02-01 31.05111,
-97.8625
Lufkin AFS TX 815th TM-193 1959-11 1961-06-01 31.42139,
-94.80278
Texarkana AFS AR 703rd M-091 Z-091 1955 1968-09-08 33.45556,
-93.99806
Lake Charles AFS LA 812th TM-194 1958 1961-09-01 30.18417,
-93.17583
England AFB LA 653rd M-125 1955-12-00 1963-05-01 31.31442,
-92.53069

Current Status

Active military installation now part of Tinker AFB, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. The FAA still operates a Common Air-Route Surveillance Radar (CARSR) radar at this location data tied to the JSS system. Other tenant organizations occupy parts of the site. Most, if not all, the cantonment buildings appear to have been removed.

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Location: Tinker AFB in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.

Maps & Images

Lat: 35.40333 Long: -97.35778

  • Multi Maps from ACME
  • Maps from Bing
  • Maps from Google
  • Elevation: 1,322'

See Also:

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, page 98.
  • 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, page 148.
  • USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2089738


Links:

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