The Sioux City Air Defense Sector (SCADS) 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

Sioux City Air Force Station Sioux City Air National Guard Base is an Iowa Air National Guard base, located at Sioux Gateway Airport It is located south-southeast of Sioux City, Iowa. On , the airport was named "Colonel Bud Day Field" in honor of United States Air For ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

History

SCADS was established in October 1958 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 in western

, most of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

along with southern

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 ...

. Also provided air defense over parts of

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 ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. 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 1 December 1961, 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-22) became operational. DC-22 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; and its units were reassigned to the

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 ...

Lineage

* Established as Sioux City Air Defense Sector on 1 October 1959 : Inactivated on 1 April 1966

Assignments

20th Air Division The 20th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida where it was inactivated on 1 March 1983. During most of the division's history it ...

, 1 October 1959 *

33d Air Division The 33rd Air Division (33d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at Fort Lee Air Force Station, Virginia. It was inactivated on ...

, 1 January 1960 *

, 1 July 1961 – 1 April 1966

Stations

, 1 October 1959 – 1 April 1966

Components

Wing

* 328th Fighter Wing (Air Defense) :

Richards-Gebaur AFB Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport is a former airport that operated alongside Richards-Gebaur Air Reserve Station (also Richards-Gebaur Air Force Station) until the base's closure in 1994, and until it was closed in 1999. Formerly, it was oper ...

, Missouri, 1 July 1961-1 April 1966

Radar Squadrons

625th Radar Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

Hastings AFS Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west at ...

, Nebraska, 1 January 1962-1 April 1966 * 695th Radar Squadron :

Pickstown AFS Pickstown Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-134, NORAD ID: Z-134) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east-northeast of Pickstown, South Dakota. It was closed in 1968. History Pickstown Air For ...

, South Dakota, 16 April 1961-1 April 1966 * 731st Radar Squadron : Sundance AFS, Wyoming, 25 June 1963-1 April 1966 * 738th Radar Squadron : Olathe AFS, Kansas, 1 July 1961-1 April 1966 * 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, 4 September 1963-1 April 1966 * 789th Radar Squadron :

Omaha AFS Omaha Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-71, NORAD ID: Z-71) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north of Omaha, Nebraska. It was closed in 1968. History Omaha Air Force Station was one of twenty- ...

, Nebraska, 1 July 1961-1 April 1966 * 793d Radar Squadron : Hutchinson AFS, Kansas, 1 July 1961-1 April 1966 * 903d Radar Squadron : Gettysburg AFS, South Dakota, 4 September 1963-1 April 1966

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 Sioux City Air Defense Sector
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Air Defense Military units and formations disestablished in 1966 1951 establishments in Iowa 1966 disestablishments in Iowa