Cavalier Air Force Station
Cavalier Air Force Station (1977-Present) - A Cold War Air Force Radar Station first established in 1977 near Cavalier, Pembina County, North Dakota. Named Cavalier Air Force Station after the location. Active military installation.
History of Cavalier Air Force Station
Initially part of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC) under the US Army Ballistic Missile Defense Command and transferred to the USAF Aerospace Defense Command on 1 Oct 1977. Established on 1 Oct 1977 as Concrete Missile Early Warning Station. Renamed Cavalier Air Force Station in 1983. Manned by the 10th Space Warning Squadron.
The General Electric FPQ-16 solid state phased array radar system is housed in a cube like building, 204' by 213' at the base, 120' tall with a sloped front for the phased array radar face. The building is designed to weather a nuclear attack and is said to be one of the most solidly built structures in the world and includes inner and outer blast doors. The face of the antenna incorporates 6,888 elements and the system had a maximum range of some 1,780 nautical miles. A separate underground power plant housed five, 16 cylinder dual-fuel (diesel/natural gas) generator sets generating 14 megawatts of power for the radar.
The physical plant of the Air Force Station was divided into a limited access site, a cantonment area and a small housing area. The limited access site housed the radar building and the underground power plant. The cantonment area housed the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool, a helicopter pad and other support buildings. A very small housing area extends on the west side of the station with 8 housing units most of which are duplexes.
Current Status
Active military installation near Cavalier in Pembina County, North Dakota.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2512079
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Location: Near Cavalier in Pembina County, North Dakota. Maps & Images Lat: 48.724576 Long: -97.8999424 |
See Also:
Sources:
- 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 52.
Links:
- Radomes - Cavalier Air Force Station
- Wikipedia - Cavalier Air Force Station
- Peterson AFB - 10th Space Warning Squadron
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