The 27th Air Division was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

numbered

air division An air division is an air force or naval air formation that is roughly equivalent to an army division. An air division is usually commanded by a major general and it is composed of multiple wings, groups, air brigades, or equivalently-sized air for ...

and the geographic

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

region controlled by the 27th AD. Its last assignment was with

(ADC)'s

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, at

Luke Air Force Base Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major traini ...

, Arizona. It was inactivated on 19 November 1969. 27thAD - Map - 1950-1959

Norton AFB

Activated as the 27 Air Division (Defense) on 7 September 1950, the unit was assigned to ADC for most of its existence,until 1 December 1950, its parent Western Air Defense Force was part of

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...

the division's initial

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

area was southern California and later southern Nevada (and a small portion of Arizona by 1953). The 4705th Defense Wing was a temporary unit that absorbed the

1st Fighter-Interceptor Wing The 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, VA. where it is a tenant unit, being supported by the 633d Air Base Wing. Its 1st ...

's personnel and equipment five days after it was organized in early 1952 at

Norton Air Force Base Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California. Overview For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-l ...

. These units included, for example, the

94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 94th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force 1st Operations Group located at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia. The 94th is equipped with the F-22 Raptor. The 94 FS is one of the oldest units in the United States Air ...

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

). The wing was discontinued and the 94th FIS reassigned directly to 27th Air Division, which had reorganized at Norton in February, one month later.Cornett & Johnson, p. 66 In May 1958, the 27th AD directed a hostile intercept of a "declared unknown" aircraft (without proper IFF), but the "interceptor pilot remembered...that opening bomb bay doors was to be considered a hostile act only after declaration of an Air Defense Emergency or Warning Yellow or Red" (the SAC

B-47 The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. ...

was on a

Radar Bomb Scoring Radar Bomb Scoring is a combat aviation ground support operation used to evaluate Cold War aircrews' effectiveness with simulated unguided bomb drops near radar stations of the United States Navy, the USAF Strategic Air Command, and Army Project ...

bomb run near the Los Angeles Bomb Plot.) The 27th AD was designated 1 of 23 NORAD divisions effective 10 June 1958 by NORAD General Order 6. "''In May 1958, Western CONAD Region pointed out a weak area in the definitions of a hostile act uncovered in an incident in the 27th Air Division. A B-47 was declared unknown and intercepted, and then was observed opening its bomb bay doors prior to crossing Los Angeles. By the provisions of 55–6, the B-47 should have been declared hostile and destroyed. Fortunately, however, the interceptor pilot remembered the provisions of CONAD 55-3 which provided that opening bomb bay doors was to be considered a hostile act only after declaration of an Air Defense Emergency or Warning Yellow or Red. The actions of the bomber, CFWCR continued, were standard practice for SAC aircraft on radar bomb scoring runs. And when the aircraft was known to be friendly, the practice was not dangerous. However, in cases such as the one in the 27th, the aircraft could possibly be declared hostile and shot down.''" 1959 NORAD sectors

Rocky Mountain Division

The "27th Air Division (Rocky Mountain)" was to transfer to the midwest with command of 2 NORAD sectors (

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

and Denver Air Defense Sectors) during deployment of SAGE. In addition to a hardened

Air Defense Direction Center An Air Defense Direction Center (ADDC) was a type of United States command post for assessing Cold War radar tracks, assigning height requests to available height-finder radars, and for "Weapons Direction": coordinating command guidance of aircra ...

at Stead Air Force Base for the Reno sector; NORAD's 25 July 1958 SAGE Geographic Reorganization Plan identified the Super Combat Center/Direction Center (SCC/DC) nuclear bunker for the division was to be at

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

(

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

the bunkers later planned for the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which hosts the activities o ...

and in a Cripple Creek mine). The division's general area was west-to-east from the western Nevada state meridian (near the Sierra Escarpment) to the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...

near

Oakley, Kansas Oakley is a city in Gove, Logan, and Thomas counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is the county seat of Logan County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,046. History The area that would later become Oakley was settled ...

; and north-south from mid-Wyoming to just south of the

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

latitude. Existing

Permanent System radar stations The Permanent System ("P system") was a 1950s radar network ("P radar net") used for the CONUS "manual air defense system" and which had a USAF aircraft control and warning (AC&W) organization of personnel and military installations with radars ...

in the planned Rocky Mountain Division included the Fallon, Tonopah, and Winnemucca Air Force Stations (the atomic-powered "SAGE feeder station" in the Black Hills NF became operational in 1962); and facilities and cities to be protected by the division included the

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

military installations west of the Rockies and planned

Titan missile Titan was a family of United States expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. The Titan I and Titan II were part of the US Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fleet until 1987. The space launch vehicle versions contribute ...

launch complexes and an Air Force Plant at the Colorado Front Range. The Reno sector was activated 15 February 1959 and the

AN/FSQ-7 The AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, referred to as the Q7 for short, was a computerized command and control system for Cold War ground-controlled interception used in the USAF Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense network. The ...

at Stead Air Force Base was replaced by

Backup Interceptor Control Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC, ) was the Electronic Systems Division 416M System to backup the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment, SAGE 416L System in the United States and Canada. BUIC deployed Cold War command, control, and coordination systems ...

(BUIC) at Fallon Naval Air Station by 1970. In February 1959, the Los Angeles Air Defense Sector was activated during the deployment of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment#Deployment (SAGE) as a subordinate unit of the 27th AD. However, the Denver SCC/CC was cancelled in March 1959; so instead of moving from the Southwest United States to the interior (and the

28th Air Division The 28th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Tactical Air Command at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 29 May 1992. History Established in December ...

then taking over as the Southwestern Air Division), the 27th Air Division was inactivated on 1 October 1959 (command transferred to the subordinate Los Angeles Air Defense Sector).

Luke AFB

Reactivated in January 1966 at

, the 27th Air Division consolidation the Los Angeles and

Phoenix Air Defense Sector The Phoenix Air Defense Sector (PhADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 28th Air Division, being stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 1 Apri ...

s, and the division assumed the additional designation of 27th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at the

, Colorado. The Norton SAGE Direction Center closed in June 1966 (the Luke Direction Center was 1 of 6 still open in 1970). When the 27th AD was inactivated in 1969, its mission, personnel and operations center at Luke were transferred to the

26th Air Division The 26th Air Division (26th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Tactical Air Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactiv ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 27 Air Division (Defense) in September 1950 : Activated on 20 September 1950 : Inactivated on 1 February 1952The simultaneous inactivation and organization in February 1952 represents only a change in the type of organization of the division between Table of Distribution and Table of Organization and had no practical effect on the unit. * Organized on 1 February 1952 : Inactivated on 1 October 1959 * Redesignated as the 27th Air Division and activated on 20 January 1966 : Organized on 1 April 1966 : Inactivated on 19 November 1969 Assignments *

Western Air Defense Force The Western Air Defense Force (WADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History WADF ...

, 20 September 1950 – 1 October 1959 * Air Defense Command, 20 January 1966 :

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...

, 1 April 1966 :

, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969 Stations * Norton Air Force Base, California, 20 September 1950 – 1 October 1959 * Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969

Components

Sector * Los Angeles Air Defense Sector, 15 February 1959 – 1 October 1959 Wings *

(attached) : March Air Force Base, California 20 September 1950 – 1 February 1952 *

78th Fighter Wing The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th acts as the host unit at Robins. The wing was first activated as the 78th Fighter Wing in September 1948 as part of the wing ...

(Air Defense) :

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, California, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969 * 4705th Defense Wing : Norton Air Force Base, California, 1 February 1952 – 1 March 1952 Groups *

414th Fighter Group The 414th Fighter Group is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 944th Fighter Wing of Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Th ...

Oxnard Air Force Base Oxnard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in the city of Camarillo, California. History Camarillo Airport was originally established in 1942 when the California State Highway Department constructed an auxiliary la ...

, California, 18 August 1955 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1966 *

533d Air Defense Group The 533d Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 27th Air Division at Oxnard Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group was originally activated as ...

: Oxnard Air Force Base, California, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 *

544th Aircraft Control and Warning Group The 544th Aircraft Control and Warning Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was assigned to the 27th Air Division, and last stationed at Norton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 6 February 1952. This command and ...

: Norton Air Force Base, California, 1 March 1951 – 6 February 1952 * 4722d Defense Group : George Air Force Base, California, 1 December 1956 – 1 July 1958 Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron * 4758th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron :

Holloman Air Force Base Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...

, New Mexico, 15 November 1969 – 19 November 1959 Fighter Squadrons *

Factsheet, 94th Fighter Squadron
. Retrieved 11 March 2012 : George Air Force Base, California, 1 March 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 188th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Federalized

New Mexico Air National Guard The New Mexico Air National Guard (NM ANG) is the aerial militia of the New Mexico, State of New Mexico, United States, United States of America. It is, along with the New Mexico Army National Guard, an element of the New Mexico National Guard. As ...

Long Beach Municipal Airport Long Beach Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of downtown Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is also called Daugherty Field, named after local aviator Earl Daugherty. The airport was an operating base ...

, California, 1 March 1952 – 1 November 1952 *

327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 64th Air Division at Thule Air Base, Greenland, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1960. The squadron was first active dur ...

: George Air Force Base, California, 18 August 1955 – 1 December 1956 *

329th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 329th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Los Angeles Air Defense Sector at George Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1967. History World War ...

: George Air Force Base, California, 18 August 1955 – 1 December 1956; 1 September 1958 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 31 July 1967 *

354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 354th Fighter Squadron (354 FS) is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions. The squadron conducts Close Air Support, Air Int ...

: Oxnard Air Force Base, California, 15 December 1952 – 16 February 1953 *

456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command San Francisco Air Defense Sector stationed at Oxnard Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 18 J ...

(attached) :

Castle Air Force Base Castle Air Force Base (Castle AFB, 1941–1995) is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base in California, located northeast of Atwater, northwest of Merced, and about south of Sacramento. The Central Valley base in u ...

, California, 18 July 1968 *

518th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 518th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command's 408th Fighter Group at Klamath Falls Airport, Oregon, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1959. The squadron ...

: George Air Force Base, California, 8 January-18 August 1955 Radar squadrons * 659th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Kingman Air Force Station, AZ, 20 June 1953 – 15 August 1958 *

666th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Ground Equipment Facility J-33 is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar station of the Joint Surveillance System's Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) with an Air Route Surveillance Radar (ARSR-4). The facility was previously a USAF gen ...

: Mill Valley Air Force Station, California, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969 *

669th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 669th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 27th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for co ...

: Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 October 1959 :

Lompoc Air Force Station Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-15, NORAD ID: Z-15) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south-southwest of Lompoc, California. It was closed in 1968 by the Air Force, and turned ...

, California, 1 April 1966 – 18 June 1968 * 670th Radar Squadron : San Pedro Hill Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 1 April 1976 * 682d Radar Squadron : Almaden Air Force Station, California, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969 * 684th Radar Squadron : Mount Lemmon Air Force Station, Arizona, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969 * 750th Radar Squadron : Boron Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 October 1959; 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1975 * 751st Radar Squadron : Mount Laguna Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 775th Radar Squadron : Cambria Air Force Station, California, 1 October 1954 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 *

776th Radar Squadron The 776th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Northeast Air Defense Sector, Air Combat Command, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 6 September 199 ...

: Point Arena Air Force Station, California, 15 September-19 November 1969 * 827th Radar Squadron : Keno Air Force Station, Oregon, 15 September-19 November 1969 *

858th Radar Squadron The 858th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 26th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Fallon Air Force Station ( Naval Air Station Fallon), Nevada. It was inactivated on 30 Jun ...

: Fallon Air Force Station, Nevada, 15 September-19 November 1969 * 859th Radar Squadron : Red Bluff Air Force Station, California, 15 September-19 November 1969 *

864th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 864th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Phoenix Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Yuma Air Force Station, Arizona. It was inactivated on 1 August ...

Vincent Air Force Base Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

, Arizona, 8 August 1955 – 1 October 1959 * 865th Radar Squadron : Las Vegas Air Force Station, Nevada, 1 April 1956 – 1 October 1959; 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969 * 866th Radar Squadron : Tonopah Air Force Station, Nevada, 15 September-19 November 1969

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Aerospace Defense Command units 027 Military units and formations established in 1950 Military units and formations in California Military units and formations in Arizona 1950 establishments in California 1969 disestablishments in Arizona