The Grand Forks Air Defense Sector (GFADS) is an inactive

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 Air Defense Command

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 ...

, being stationed at

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. It was inactivated on 1 December 1963

History

Established in December 1957 assuming control of former ADC

Central Air Defense Force The Central Air Defense Force (CADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History ...

units with a mission to provide air defense of most of

along with western

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and northern

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. The organization provided command and control over several aircraft and

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 ...

squadrons. On 15 November 1959, the new

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. SA ...

(SAGE) Direction Center (DC-11) became operational. DC-11 was equipped with dual AN/FSQ-7 Computers. The day-to-day operations of the command was to train and maintain tactical flying units flying jet interceptor aircraft (

F-94 Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...

; F-102 Delta Dagger;

F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the United States Air Force from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it proved to be the last specialist interceptor ...

) in a state of readiness with training missions and series of exercises with SAC and other units simulating interceptions of incoming enemy aircraft. Consolidated on 1 May 1963 with

Minot Air Defense Sector The Minot Air Defense Sector (MADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 1 De ...

. Inactivated on 1 December 1963 as part of ADC reorganization and consolidation, most units being reassigned to the

Lineage

* Established as Grand Forks Air Defense Sector on 8 December 1957 : Inactivated on 1 December 1963

Assignments

31st Air Division The 31st Air Division (31st 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 31 ...

, 8 December 1957 *

, 1 January 1959 – 1 December 1963

Stations

Grand Forks AFB Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

, 8 December 1957 – 1 December 1963

Components

Wing

* 478th Fighter Wing (Air Defense) :

, North Dakota, 1 February 1961-1 July 1963

Wing

478th Fighter Group 478th may refer to: *478th Aeronautical Systems Wing (478 ASW), wing of the United States Air Force based out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio *478th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *478th Tactical Fighter Squadr ...

(Air Defense) :

, North Dakota, 1 April 1959-1 February 1961

Interceptor Squadrons

18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 18th Aggressor Squadron (18 AGRS) is a subordinate unit of the 354th Fighter Wing based at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, and flies the Block 30 General Dynamics F-16C/D aircraft. Mission The 18th Aggressor Squadron prepares combat Air ...

, North Dakota, 1 July-4 September 1963

Radar Squadrons

* 721st Radar Squadron : Willmar AFS, Minnesota, 1 April 1959-1 June 1961 * 739th Radar Squadron : Wadena AFS, Minnesota, 1 April 1959-4 September 1963 * 785th Radar Squadron :

Finley AFS Finley Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-northwest of Finley, North Dakota. It was closed in 1979 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administ ...

, Minnesota, 1 April 1959-4 September 1963 * 787th Radar Squadron :

Chandler AFS Chandler Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is south of Chandler, Minnesota, on the Buffalo Ridge in section 13 of Moulton Township, Murray County, Minnesota, Murray County. It was clo ...

, Minnesota, 1 March 1961-4 September 1963 * 903d Radar Squadron : Gettysburg AFS, South Dakota, 4 September 1963-1 April 1966 * 916th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Beausejour AS, Manitoba, 1 April 1959-1 October 1961

References

* A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado * Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. * Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
Radomes.org Grand Forks Air Defense Sector
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Air Defense 1957 establishments in North Dakota 1966 disestablishments in North Dakota Military units and formations disestablished in 1966

History

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Components

Wing

Wing

Interceptor Squadrons

Radar Squadrons

See also

References