The Spokane Air Defense Sector (SPADS) is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Si ...

organization. Its last assignment was with the

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major 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 established in 1946, briefly inac ...

25th Air Division The 25th 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 McChord A ...

(25th AD) at

Larson Air Force Base Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...

Grant County, Washington Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,123. The county seat is Ephrata, and the largest city is Moses Lake. The county was formed out of Douglas County in February 1909 ...

History

SAGE Air Defense Sector

SPADS was established in September 1958, assuming responsibility for

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanf ...

, North Idaho, and

Western Montana Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east ...

. The organization eventually also provided command and control over several

interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are ...

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, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

squadrons. On 8 September 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-15) became operational. DC-15 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 The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpo ...

;

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. However, until March 1960, SPADS did not have operational command over the radar and interceptor aircraft it directed. Instead, they were assigned to the 4700th Air Defense Wing until March 1960. The 4700th was transferred from direct assignment to 25th AD to SPADS briefly before being discontinued in July. The Sector was inactivated on 1 September 1963 and its units were assigned to the 25th AD.

4700th Air Defense Wing

The Sector's only

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

was designated and organized as 4700th Air Defense Wing at

Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes are ...

Washington to provide

of the northwestern United States on 1 September 1958. It was assigned two fighter

groups 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 ...

flying fighter

(

F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the " Century Series" of ...

, and

) and ten

squadrons to accomplish its mission. When its

498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 September 1968. History World Wa ...

(part of the 84th Fighter Group) converted to F-106As, it became the first combat ready squadron flying Delta Darts. In May 1959, the wing's 4721st Air Defense Group at Larson was discontinued and its 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron transferred directly to the wing On 15 March 1960, the wing's 636th,Cornett & Johnson, p. 155 637th, 822dCornett & Johnson, p. 171 and 823d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons and 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron were transferred to SPADS. Other radar units assigned to the wing, however, were transferred to other ADC organizations. The 634th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at

Burns AFS Burns Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-southwest of Burns, Oregon. It was closed in 1974. Burns Air Force Station was established as part of the planned deployment b ...

, Oregon, in May 1960; the 638th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Curlew AFS, Washington in December 1959, the 680th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Yaak AFS, Montana in July 1960; the

716th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Kalispell Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-179, NORAD ID: Z-179) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south of Kalispell, Montana near the community of Lakeside, Montana, Lakeside. It was closed i ...

at Geiger Field, Washington in May 1959 and the 821st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at

Baker AFS A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

, Oregon in May 1960. In May, the wing and its

84th Fighter Group Area codes 084 and 086 are Nigerian telephone area codes serving the cities of Port Harcourt and Ahoada in Rivers State. They fall under the Southeast Zone in the National Numbering Plan (NNP) restructured in 2003. When in Port Harcourt or Ahoad ...

Cornett & Johnson, p. 74 were also transferred, leaving the wing without an operational mission, and it was discontinued on 30 June 1960.

Lineage

* Established as Spokane Air Defense Sector on 8 September 1958 : Inactivated on 1 September 1963

Assignments

, 8 September 1958 – 1 September 1963

Stations

* Larson AFB,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 8 September 1958 – 1 September 1963

Components

Wing

* 4700th Air Defense Wing :

, Washington, 15 May 1960 – 1 July 1960

Group

(Air Defense) : Geiger Field, Washington, 1 July 1960 – 15 July 1963

Interceptor squadron

* 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Larson AFB, Washington, 15 May 1960 – 1 July 1960

Radar squadrons

* 636th Radar Squadron : Condon AFS, Oregon, 15 March 1960 – 1 June 1963 * 637th Radar Squadron : Othello AFS, Washington, 15 March 1960 – 1 June 1963 * 760th Radar Squadron :

Colville AFS Colville Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east-northeast of Colville, Washington. It was closed in 1961. History Colville Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight station ...

, Washington, 15 March 1960 – 1 June 1961 *

822d Radar Squadron 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of ...

: Cottonwood AFS, Idaho, 1 June 1963 – 25 June 1965 * 823d Radar Squadron : Mica Peak AFS, Washington, 15 March 1960 – 1 June 1963 *

825th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 825th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Spokane Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Kamloops Air Station, British Columbia, Canada. It was inactivat ...

: Kamloops AS, British Columbia, 15 March 1960 – 1 April 1962 * 919th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Saskatoon Mountain AS, Alberta, 15 March 1960 – 1 April 1963

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * Further Reading * * *
Radomes.org Spokane Air Defense Sector
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Spok 1958 establishments in Washington (state) Military units and formations in Washington (state) 1963 disestablishments in Washington (state) Military units and formations established in 1958