665th Air Defense Group
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Calumet Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east-northeast of
Phoenix, Michigan Phoenix is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County, Michigan, United States. Phoenix lies at the junction of M-26 and US 41, about two miles south of Eagle River, Michigan, near the shores of Lake Superior. Copper Phoenix was the site of ...
. It was closed in 1988 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The property was purchased by Open Skies Project, LLC in 2021. The Open Skies Project is a group of friends and family who purchased the former Calumet Air Force Station with the goal of restoring the property and making it a site that is accessible to the entire public. For more information, please visit www.openskiesproject.org.


History

In late 1951
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...
selected the Keweenaw, Michigan site as one of twenty-eight radar stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent radar surveillance network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary's approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction. On 1 May 1951 the 665th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronCornett & Johnson, p. 158 began operating AN/FPS-3 and
AN/FPS-5 The AN/FPS-5 was a nodding height-finding radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. It was unique in that it used a fixed reflector and a moving feed in order to steer the beam. It was produced in the early 1950s by Hazeltine, ...
radars at this northern Michigan site in early 1953, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. On 1 December 1953 the site was re-designated as Calumet Air Force Station. In 1956 an AN/FPS-6 replaced the AN/FPS-5 height-finder radar. In 1958 an AN/FPS-20 search radar was deployed at Calumet. By 1961 this radar was upgraded and redesignated as an
AN/FPS-64 The AN/FPS-20 was a widely used L band early warning and ground-controlled interception radar system employed by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command, the NORAD Pinetree Line in Canada, the USAF CONAD in the continental United States, a ...
. During 1960 Calumet AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-14 at
K. I. Sawyer AFB K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. Near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the base operated for nearly forty years ...
, Michigan. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 665th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 15 July 1960. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as the NORAD ID Z-16. A turn-over of equipment in 1963 left the site with an AN/FPS-27 search radar along with
AN/FPS-26 The Avco AN/FPS-26 Radar was an Air Defense Command height finder radar developed in the Frequency Diversity Program with a tunable 3-cavity power klystron for electronic counter-countermeasures (e.g. to counter jamming). Accepted by the Rome Ai ...
A and AN/FPS-90 height-finder radars. The AN/FPS-90 was removed in the late 1970s. In addition to the main facility, Calumet operated the following AN/FPS-18 Gap Filler sites: * Painesdale, MI (P-16A) * Upson, WI (P-16B) The 665th Radar Sq was inactivated and replaced by the 665th Air Defense Group in March 1970.Cornett, & Johnson, p.86 The upgrade to group status was done because of Calumet AFS' status as a Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC) site. BUIC sites were alternate control sites in the event that SAGE Direction Centers became disabled and unable to control interceptor aircraft. The group was inactivated and replaced by the 655th Radar Squadron as defenses against manned bombers were reduced. The group was disbanded in 1984.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars. Calumet came under
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
jurisdiction in October 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the formation of ADTAC. The station then underwent cease-operations about that time, and the AN/FPS-26A height-finder radar was removed, but the site closing was soon reversed (Allegedly due to Calumet AFS being the only station to pick up a simulated air incursion). On 30 September 1988, the site finally closed permanently. Calumet was then reconfigured as an Air Force
Joint Surveillance System The Joint Surveillance System (JSS) is a joint United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It replaced the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system in 1983. Overvie ...
(JSS) site, initially with only the AN/FPS-27. An AN/MPS-11 Search Radar was installed as a gap-filler during the decommissioning of the AN/FPS-27 and the commissioning of the AN/FPS-91A. An AN/FPS-91A replaced the AN/FPS-27, and later an AN/FPS-116 height-finder radar was installed. After closure in 1988 ownership of the station was transferred to Keweenaw County, with a portion being used by the Keweenaw Academy reform school, with some facilities being used for cellular, amateur and other radio communications. As with many other closed bases, some of the facilities have become degraded due to lack of use and maintenance. In August 2021 a group of
Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...
alumni purchased the facility and surrounding land with plans to remediate environmental issues and development into a tourist destination.


Air Force units and assignments


Units

; 665th Radar Squadron * Constituted as the 665th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Activated on 27 November 1950 : Redesignated 665th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 15 July 1960 : Inactivated on 1 March 1970 : Redesignated 665th Radar Squadron on 1 January 1974 : Activated on 17 January 1974 : Inactivated on 30 September 1988 ; 665th Air Defense Group * Constituted as the 665th Air Defense Group on 13 February 1970 : Activated on 1 March 1970 : Inactivated on 17 January 1974 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984


Commanders

* Major Ira E. Mason 1962?–1963 * Major Fred L. McPherson 1963–1965 * Major Roger W. Gottschall 1965–? * Major David P. Lentz, 1 March 1970 – 1970 * Maj. James H. Bentley, 1970–unknown * Col. John Morgan Fear 1971– * Maj David Hershberger 1979–1981 * Capt/Maj Jeff Mogilewicz 1981–1983 * Lt Col Larry Dobbs, 1983–1985 * Lt Col Scott Meyer, 1985–1987 – The men and women of the base earned the Outstanding Unit Award during this time. * Lt Col Michael Yon, 1987–1988


Assignments

*
541st Aircraft Control and Warning Group The 541st Aircraft Control and Warning Group (AC&WG) is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 30th Air Division, stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan. It was inactivated on 6 February 1952 and disbanded o ...
, 27 November 1950 *
30th Air Division The 30th Air Division (30th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on ...
, 6 February 1952 *
4706th Defense Wing The 4706th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the 37th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at O'Hare International Airport (IAP), Illinois where it was discontinued i ...
, 16 February 1953 *
37th Air Division The 37th Air Division (37th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Goose Air Force Base, Labrador, Canada It was inactivated on 30 June 1970. History Strategic Air Command Es ...
, 8 July 1956 *
30th Air Division The 30th Air Division (30th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on ...
, 1 April 1959 * Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector, 1 April 1960 * Duluth Air Defense Sector, 1 October 1963 *
29th Air Division The 29th Air Division (29th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Duluth International Airport, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 15 November 1969. History ...
, 1 April 1966 *
23d Air Division 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...
, 19 November 1969 *
24th Air Division The 24th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force intermediate echelon command and control organization. It was last assigned to First Air Force, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). It was inactivated on 30 September 1990 at Griffiss Air ...
, 1 Apr 1982 – 30 September 1988


See also

* List of United States Air Force aircraft control and warning squadrons * United States general surveillance radar stations


References


Notes


Bibliography

* Further reading * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
* * * *


External links


Information for Calumet AFS, MI

{{Authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in Michigan Buildings and structures in Keweenaw County, Michigan Military installations closed in 1988 Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites Aerospace Defense Command military installations 1951 establishments in Michigan 1988 disestablishments in Michigan Military installations established in 1951