Havre Air Force Station (site designator P-25, Z-25 after 31 July 1963) is a

Formerly Used Defense Site Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS or FDS) are properties that were owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the United States Secretary of Defense. The term also refers to the U.S. military pro ...

that was used as a

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

general surveillance radar station. In addition to radar facilities and a NORAD Control Center the site had support services: NCO club, bowling alley, hobby shops, library, movie theater, barber shop, exchange, commissary, grade school, and housing for officers and senior NCOs.Winkler & Webster

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 air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

selected Simpson,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

as a site for one of twenty-eight

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent radar surveillance network. Prompted by the start of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, on 11 July 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 21 July, the Air Force directed the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

to proceed with construction. On 1 March 1951 the 778th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated at SimpsonCornett & Johnson, p. 167 and began operating

AN/FPS-3 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 State ...

and AN/FPS-4 radars. Initially, the station functioned as a

ground control intercept Ground-controlled interception (GCI) is an air defence tactic whereby one or more radar stations or other observational stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic was ...

(GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide

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 c ...

toward unidentified

intruder Intruder may refer to: Film and television Film * The Intruder (1914 film), ''The Intruder'' (1914 film), Wallace Reid filmography, directed by Wallace Reid * The Intruder (1933 film), ''The Intruder'' (1933 film), an American film by Albert ...

s picked up on the unit's radar scopes.

Havre Air Force Station

The site was renamed Havre Air Force Station on 1 December 1953. The Air Force added an

AN/GPS-3 The AN/FPS-8 Radar was a Medium-Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. The radar was a medium power D-Band search radar designed for aircraft control and early warning, and was installed at commercial airport ...

radar c. late 1958 that stayed until 1965. During 1961 Havre AFS joined the

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...

(SAGE) system, when a Burroughs AN/FST-2 Coordinate Data Transmitting Set was installed to transfer radar track data to

Air Defense Direction Center An Air Defense Direction Center (ADDC) was a type of United States command post for assessing Cold War radar tracks, assigning height requests to available height-finder radars, and for "Weapons Direction": coordinating command guidance of aircra ...

DC-20 at

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. It is the home of the 341st Mis ...

, Montana. After joining SAGE, the squadron was redesignated as the 778th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 March 1961. 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 NORAD ID Z-25. In the early 1960s

AN/FPS-6 The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United S ...

and AN/FPS-6B radars took over height-finder duties. The AN/FPS-6B was upgraded to an

AN/FPS-90 The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United S ...

in 1964; it was deactivated in 1969. In 1965 an

AN/FPS-27 The AN/FPS-27 Radar was a long-range early warning radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. Westinghouse Electric Corporation built a frequency diverse (FD) search radar designed to operate in the S-band from 2322 to 2670&n ...

replaced the AN/GPS-3 as the search radar. In addition to the main facility, Havre operated two

AN/FPS-18 The AN/FPS-18 was a medium-range search radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. This medium-range search radar was designed and built by Bendix as a SAGE system gap-filler radar to provide low-altitude coverage. Operating in ...

Gap Filler sites: * Galata, Montana (P-25A) * Hogeland, Montana (P-25B)

Backup Interceptor Control

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. The 778th Radar Sq was inactivated and replaced by the 778th Air Defense Group in March 1970.Cornett & Johnson, p.86 The upgrade to

group 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 iden ...

status was done because of Havre AFS' status as a

Backup Interceptor Control Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC, ) was the Electronic Systems Division 416M System to backup the SAGE 416L System in the United States and Canada. BUIC deployed Cold War command, control, and coordination systems to SAGE radar stations to create ...

(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 778th Radar Squadron as defenses against crewed

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

s were reduced. Havre AFS was assigned to Malmstrom Air Force Base on 17 June 1974. Prior to the December 1979 breakup of

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was establishe ...

, the Department of Defense announced the proposed closure of "40 obsolete air defense radar stations", 95 military and 25 civilian positions were lost and Havre AFS closed on 1 July 1979. The 778th Radar Squadron did not inactivate until September.

Anchor Academy

The Anchor Academy, a school for troubled teenage boys, operated at the station in 2001, and a few homes in the former military housing area are private residences.

Air Force units and assignments

Units

Squadron * Constituted as the 778th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Activated 1 March 1951 at Simpson, Montana : Redesignated 778th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 March 1961 : Inactivated on 1 March 1970 : Redesignated 778th Radar Squadron on 1 January 1974 : Activated on 17 January 1974 : Inactivated on 29 September 1979 Group * Constituted as the 778th Air Defense Group on 13 February 1970 : Activated on 1 March 1970 : Inactivated on 17 January 1974 : Disbanded on 21 September 1984Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units

Assignments

545th Aircraft Control and Warning Group The 545th Aircraft Control and Warning Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was assigned to the 29th Air Division, stationed at Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivated on 6 February 1952. This command and contr ...

, 1 March 1951 :

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 ...

, 6 February 1952 :

Great Falls Air Defense Sector The Great Falls Air Defense Sector (GFADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivate ...

, 1 July 1960 :

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 1 ...

, 1 April 1966 :

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 ...

, 19 November 1969 – 29 September 1979

Commanders

* 778th Radar Squadron : Maj. Lowell D. Covington, unknown – 1 Mar 1970 * 778th Air Defense Group : Maj. Lowell D. Covington, 1 Mar 1970 – unknown

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * Further reading * , * *
Information for Havre AFS, MT
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Installations of the United States Air Force in Montana Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites Aerospace Defense Command military installations Buildings and structures in Hill County, Montana 1951 establishments in Montana 1979 disestablishments in Montana Formerly Used Defense Sites in Montana Permanent System radar stations Military installations established in 1951 Military installations closed in 1979