The Phoenix Air Defense Sector (PhADS) 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

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 ...

, being stationed 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 Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966

History

PhADS was established in June 1959 assuming control of former ADC

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 ...

units in

; southwestern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

; southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

and southwestern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. 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 June 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-21) became operational. DC-21 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. The Sector was inactivated on 1 April 1966 as part of an ADC consolidation and reorganization; then redesignated as 27th Air Division.

Lineage

* Established as Phoenix Air Defense Sector on 15 June 1959 : Inactivated on 1 April 1966

Assignments

, 15 June 1959 *

, 1 July 1960 – 1 April 1966

Stations

Luke AFB 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 trainin ...

, 15 February 1959 – 1 April 1966

Components

Interceptor units

15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious n ...

: Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 1 May 1961-4 December 1964

Radar stations

612th Radar Squadron 61 may refer to: * 61 (number) * one of the years 61 BC, AD 61, 1961, 2061 * In some countries, a slang name for the Cyrillic letter Ы * '' 61*'', a 2001 American sports drama film * "Sixty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Mountain ...

Ajo AFS Ajo Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located northwest of Ajo, Arizona. It was closed in 1969 by the Air Force, and the radar site turned over to the Federal Aviation Administrat ...

, Arizona, 1 May 1961-1 April 1966 * 684th Radar Squadron :

Mount Lemmon AFS Mount Lemmon Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-92, NORAD ID: Z-92) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north-northeast of Tucson, Arizona. It was closed in 1969. History Mount Lemmon Air Force S ...

, Arizona, 1 May 1961-1 April 1966 * 864th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron :

Vincent AFS 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 Augus ...

, Arizona, 1 May 1961-1 August 1963 * 865th Radar Squadron :

Las Vegas AFS Las Vegas Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-163, NORAD ID: Z-163) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was closed by the Air Force in 1969 and turned over t ...

, Nevada, 1 May 1961-1 April 1966 * 904th Radar Squadron :

Winslow AFS Winslow Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-93) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located in Coconino County, Arizona, west-northwest of Winslow, Arizona. It was closed in 1963. History Winslow Air For ...

, Arizona, 1 May 1961-1 August 1963

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 Phoenix Air Defense Sector
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed 1960 establishments in Arizona 1966 disestablishments in Arizona Air Defense