Tyndall Air Force Base Radar Site

Tyndall Air Force Base Radar Site (1957-1983) - A Cold War Air Force Radar Station first established in 1957 on Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County, Florida. The radar site was initially assigned a Permanent ID of TM-198 and later a Sage ID of Z-198. Replaced by JSS site J-11 in 1983. History Established in 1957 and became operational in 1957 at Tyndall Air Force Base manned by the 678th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. The early warning mission involved tracking and identifying 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. An additional mission of supporting the BOMARC surface to air missile system test launch program was conducted during the life of that program. Initial equipment included the FPS-20 search radar and a pair of FPS-6 height-finder radars. SAGE System Transition 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. SAGE System Operation File:.jpg Former qqqqq SAGE Direction Center DC-vvvvv fffff SAGE Direction Centers & Sectors Assigned Direction Center Sector fffff SAGE Direction Centers & Sectors Assigned Direction Center Sector ...... - ..... qqqqq SAGE Direction Center DC-vvvvv ...... Air Defense Sector 1956 - Apr 1957 qqqqq SAGE Direction Center DC-vvvvv 35th Air Division Apr 1957 - 1 Nov 1959 qqqqq SAGE Direction Center DC-vvvvv 4756th AD Group (Weapons) 1 Nov 1959 - 1 Apr 1966 Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09 Montgomery Air Defense Sector 1 Apr 1966 - 14 Nov 1969 Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09 32nd Air Division 14 Nov 1969 - 14 Nov 1969 Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 33rd Air Division 14 Nov 1969 - 19 Nov 1969 Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 20th Air Division 19 Nov 1969 - 1 Oct 1979 Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 20th Air Division 1 Oct 1979 - 1 Mar 1983 Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 TAC The site began operation as a SAGE site in 1960 initially feeding the Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09. The search radar was upgraded to an FPS-64. Gap Filler Radars Tyndall AFS was responsible for the maintenance of two remote unattended gap-filler radar sites. The unattended gap filler sites were placed in locations where the main search radar lacked coverage. These sites were equipped with short range FPS-14 or FPS-18 search radars and FST-1 Coordinate Data transmitters that sent digitized radar target data to a SAGE direction center and to the main radar site. Both the radar set and the FST-1 were dual channel to increase site up time. Maintenance teams were dispatched for regularly scheduled maintenance or when fault indicators on the FSW-1 remote monitoring equipment suggested the site had problems. The FSW-1 also allowed remote operation of specific functions such as channel changes for the radar and for the FST-1, it also allowed remote operation of the diesel generators at the gap filler site. The Tyndall AFS gap-filler radars were located at Carrabelle, FL and Eglin AFB, FL. Tyndall AFS Gap Filler Radar Sites (edit list) ADC NORAD Location State Type From To GPS Notes TM-198A Z-198A Carrabelle FL FPS-14, FST-1 FPS-18, FST-1 1959 1970 29.865833, -84.631389 TM-198B Z-198B Eglin AFB FL FPS-14, FST-1 FPS-18, FST-1 1959 1970 30.553889, -86.760 BUIC System Tyndall AFS became a BUIC I NCC site in 1962 and went operational as a BUIC II site in 1965. It was selected as a BUIC III site and went operational with BUIC III on 7 Mar 1968. The site first served as a BUIC III training site before going operational in 1969. In 1970 the 678th Radar Squadron (SAGE) became the 678th Air Defense Group (BUIC). The BUIC III system provided a backup for a SAGE direction center with the GSA-51 computer system and provided the ability to display sector-wide radar data on consoles for local weapons controllers. The system duplicated the functionality of the vacuum tube direction center computers with the more up-to-date GSA-51 computer system and replaced the FST-2 with a more up-to-date coordinate data transmitter, the FYQ-47. About 1965 the Tyndall radar site became a joint-use FAA/ADC facility. The radar site provided support for the BOMARC System through the 1970s, first in support of some 150 test launches and later for U.S. and Canadian crew training exercises. These launches took place from the test site on Santa Rosa Island over the Gulf of Mexico and were later controlled from the Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09 and the BUIC System at Tyndall. Closure As the threat from a Soviet bomber fleet lessened the decision came to mothball the BUIC system in 1974. Tyndall was the only BUIC site that remained active. The 678th Air Defense Group and the BUIC site at Tyndall were deactivated on 1 Mar 1983. Tyndall AFB FAA Radar Site The Tyndall radar site has been replaced by JSS Site J-11 which now operates an FAA ARSR-4 radar. See hurricane update below. Tyndall AFS Major Equipment List Search Radar HF Radar Data Systems FPS-20 FPS-64A ARSR-4 FPS-6 FPS-6A FPS-116 FST-2/A/B FYQ-47 GSA-51/A Unit Designations 678th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron (1956-1965) 678th Radar Squadron (SAGE) (1965-1970) 678th Air Defense Group (1970-1979) 678th Air Defense Group (TAC) (1979-1983) 678th Assignments Feb 1956 - Activated as 678th AC&W Squadron at Dobbins AFB, GA Feb 1956 - Assigned to 35th AD Summer 1956 - Moved to Tyndall AFB, FL Apr 1957 - Assigned to 4756th AD Group (Weapons) 1 Nov 1959 - Assigned to Montgomery ADS (Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09) 15 Jun 1965 - Redesignated 678th Radar Squadron (SAGE) 1 Apr 1966 - Assigned to 32nd AD (Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09) 14 Nov 1969 - Assigned to 33rd AD (Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04) 19 Nov 1969 - Assigned to 20th AD (Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04) 1 Mar 1970 - Redesignated 678th Air Defense Group 1 Oct 1979 - Redesignated 678th Air Defense Group (TAC) 1 Oct 1979 - 1983 Assigned to TAC (Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04) 1 Mar 1983 - Deactivated Current Status FAA JSS site on Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County, Florida. Hurricane Michael Update Tyndall AFB FAA Radar Site after Hurricane Michael. The ARSR-4 radome appears to have been swept away by Hurricane Michael on 10 Oct 2018. The antenna and the pedestal also appear to be gone with some remains at the base of the tower which is still in place. This view of the site is not clear enough to identify specific parts and locations. The FAA Public Affairs Office confirms that the radar was severely damaged and is not operational. Restoration will take months. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County, Florida. Maps & Images Lat: 30.0760296 Long: -85.61064 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' See Also: SAGE System BUIC System BOMARC System Permanent System Radar Sites US Radar Sets Gunter SAGE Direction Center DC-09 Fort Lee SAGE Direction Center DC-04 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 85, 159-160. 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 108. NORAD/CONAD Historical Summary Jan-Dec 1966, dated 1 May 1967, Command History Division, HQ NORAD/CONAD, Unclassified (originally classified Secret), pdf, pages 28-31, Backup Intercept Control Systems Links: Radomes - Tyndall Air Force Base Wikipedia - Tyndall Air Force Base Visited: No