CFS Falconbridge

CFS Falconbridge (1952-1993) - A Cold War Pinetree Line Canadian Forces Radar Station first established in 1952 near Falconbridge, Ontario as RCAF Station Falconbridge. Initially manned by the 33 AC&W Squadron and assigned a site ID of C-9. On 10 Aug 1967 the base was renamed Canadian Forces Station Falconbridge. Closed in 1985. Canadian Forces Station Falconbridge Falconbridge was established in 1952 as a Pinetree Line radar site and became operational on 15 Aug 1952 manned by the 33 AC&W Squadron reporting to the No. 3 Air Defence Control Centre (ADCC), located at RCAF Station Edgar. No. 3 ADCC also coordinated the operations of: 32 AC&W Squadron at RCAF Station Foymount 33 AC&W Squadron at RCAF Station Falconbridge 34 AC&W Squadron at RCAF Station Senneterre 912 AC&W Squadron at USAF Ramore Air Station The search radar equipment included the FPS-3 and FPS-20. Height finder radar equipment included the TPS-501 and the FPS-6. SAGE System In 1962 a SAGE Annex building was constructed at the rear of the main operations building and the FST-2B was installed in preparation for SAGE operation. In 1963 Falconbridge was declared SAGE System ready and the unit designation was changed to 33 Radar Squadron in 1964. As a SAGE radar site the unit reported to the 23 NORAD Region in Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10, but their data was also fed to the North Bay SAGE Direction Center DC-32. In March 1972, a detachment of the Air Weapons Control and Countermeasures School (AWC&CS) located in North Bay was established at Falconbridge CFS. The school taught the TQ-3 level Air Defence Technicians Course. With the SAGE System deactivation in 1983 Falconbridge became part of the Canada East ROCC, which was declared fully operational in August 1984. The Squadron was deactivated in December 1985 and the site closed 1 Nov 1986. Falconbridge Major Equipment List Search Radar HF Radar Data Systems FPS-3 FPS-20 TPS-501 FPS-6 FST-2/A/B FYQ-47 Unit Designations 1 Oct 1952 - 33 Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron 1964 - 33 Radar Squadron 33 AC&W Squadron Assignments 15 Aug 1952 - Assigned No. 209 RCAF Radio Station Falconbridge. 1 Oct 1952 - Designated as 33 Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron, RCAF Station Falconbridge. 1964 - Designated 33 Radar Squadron assigned to 23 NORAD Region, Duluth, Minnesota. Aug 1984 - Assigned to Canada East ROCC. Dec 1985 - Ceased operations. 1 Nov 1986 - Falconbridge closed. Physical Plant The physical plant of the site was divided into a main site, a cantonment area, a housing area and a radio site. The main site was located on a hill and housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, and the backup generators. The cantonment area below housed the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool and other support buildings. Apart from the main site but adjacent to the cantoment area was a 101 unit housing area for married personnel. A separate Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) radio site near the airport housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts. Current Status Private property. Main site demolished and leveled. Cantonment site has some buildings in use by a development company but the remaineder are boarded up. The housing area in in use with some units upgraded. The road to the main site is chained and locked. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada. Maps & Images Lat: 46.62611 Long: -80.84333 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: ...' See Also: Permanent System Radar Sites US Radar Sets Pinetree Line SAGE System Sources: Pinetree Line - Falconbridge Buss, Lydus H., US Air Defense in the Northeast 1940-1957, Historical Reference Paper No. 1, Office of Information Services, HQ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), Ent AFB, 1 Apr 1957. Links: Radomes - Falconbridge Air Station Wikipedia - CFS Falconbridge Military Bruce - RCAF Station Edgar] Visited: 29 Jun 2016