The 4731st Air Defense Group is a discontinued

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

organization. Its last assignment was with the

64th Air Division The 64th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 1 July 1963. History World War II The organiz ...

of Air Defense Command (ADC) at

Ernest Harmon Air Force Base Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Ki ...

, Newfoundland, Canada, where it was inactivated in 1960. The

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

was formed in 1957 when ADC assumed responsibility for air defense of Newfoundland from

Northeast Air Command The Northeast Air Command (NEAC) was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United St ...

and controlled a fighter-interceptor squadron at Harmon and two

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

operating

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

s at dispersed locations. It was discontinued when

Goose Air Defense Sector The Goose Air Defense Sector (GADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division, being stationed at Goose Air Force Base, Labrador, Canada. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966 and repla ...

assumed responsibility for air defense of Newfoundland.

History

The

was formed in 1957 when Air Defense Command (ADC) assumed responsibility for air defense of Newfoundland from

(NEAC). It was a tenant organization at Ernest Harmon AFB, a Strategic Air Command base, and whose 4081st Air Base Group assumed host base duties from NEAC. The group controlled both

and fighter

s in Canada. Assigned the 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying

Northrop F-89 Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its per ...

aircraft, which was already stationed at Harmon, and two remote Aircraft Control & Warning Squadrons as its operational elements.Cornett & Johnson, p. 97 These units were transferred from NEAC. In October 1957, the 61st FIS moved to Wisconsin to replace the 323d FIS, which moved from Wisconsin in a swap of stations. The 323d FIS, however, flew newer F-102 Delta Daggers, rather than Scorpions. The 4731st provided air defense of northeast North America. The group was discontinued in 1960 and subordinate units assigned to

Lineage

* Organized as 4731st Air Defense Group on 1 April 1957 : Discontinued on 1 July 1960 Assignments * 64th Air Division, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1960 Components * 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 April-15 October 1957 * 323d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 15 October 1957 – 6 June 1960 * 640th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 1 April 1957 – 6 June 1960, Stephenville AS *

642d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 64 or sixty-four or ''variation'', may refer to: * 64 (number) Dates * one of the years 64 BC, AD 64, 1864, 1964, 2064, etc. * June 4th (6/4) ** the date of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre * April 6th (6/4) * April 6 AD (6/4) * ...

, 1 April 1957 – 6 June 1960, Red Cliff AS Stations * Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, Canada, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1960

Aircraft

* F-89D 1957 * F-102A 1957-1959

Commanders

* Col. John F. Daye, Jr., 1958 - ''ca''. 31 Dec 1959 * Maj. Ray E. Arnold, ''ca''. 1 Jan 1960 - 1960 Abstract, History of 4731st Air Def Gp. Jan 1960-Mar 1960
(accessed 19 Jan 2012)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * Further Reading * *

External links

{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=autocollapse Four digit groups of the United States Air Force Air defense groups of the United States Air Force Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations established in 1957