Keno Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
 Circa 1975 historical photograph | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Location | |
  Keno AFS Location of Keno AFS, Oregon | |
| Coordinates | 42°04′08″N121°58′20″W / 42.06889°N 121.97222°W /42.06889; -121.97222 (Keno AFS TM-180) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1957 |
| In use | 1958-1979 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 827th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Download coordinates as:
Keno Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-180, NORAD ID: Z-180) is a closedUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 4.6 miles (7.4 km) south-southwest ofKeno, Oregon. It was closed in 1979 by the Air Force, and turned over to theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Today the site is part of theJoint Surveillance System (JSS), designated byNORAD asWestern Air Defense Sector (WADS) Ground Equipment Facility J-82.
Keno Air Force Station came into existence as part of Phase III of theAir Defense Command Mobile Radar program. On October 20, 1953 ADC requested a third phase of twenty-five radar sites be constructed. The site was located east of the Cascade mountains to provide coverage of the air refueling tracks in Northern California. In 1957, 306 acres of land were acquired for DoD use at the new site.
The 827th Aircraft Warning and Control Squadron was assigned to the new station on 1 February 1958.[2] Logistical support and housing for personnel was provided byKingsley Field inKlamath Falls, thirteen miles to the east. The squadron initially began operations with anAN/FPS-20A search radar and a pair ofAN/FPS-6A height-finder radars (one east hemisphere coverage, and one west). A Ground-Air Transmit/Receive site (GATR) was co-located on the site, with antennas favoring the south toward the air refueling tracks in California.
Initially the station functioned as aGround Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, thesquadron's role was to guideinterceptor aircraft toward unidentifiedintruders picked up on the unit'sradar scopes. In 1960 Keno became a joint-use facility with theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA), performing air-traffic-control duties. In 1961 the search radar was upgraded and redesignated as anAN/FPS-67.
During 1962 Keno AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-13 atAdair AFS, Oregon. After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the 827th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 December 1962.[2] 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. In 1963 anAN/FPS-90 replaced the east hemisphere coverage AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar, and the search radar was further upgraded to theAN/FPS-67B version. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-180.
In addition to the main facility, Keno operated severalAN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
Routine operations continued until 1 March 1970 when the 827th Radar Squadron was inactivated and replaced by the 827th Air Defense Group, operating the BUIC installation.[2][3] The upgrade to group status was done because of Kingsley Field's status as aBackup Interceptor Control (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 827th Radar Squadron[3] as defenses against crewed bombers were reduced. The group was disbanded in 1984.[4] 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 Radar Squadron was inactivated 1 October 1979[2] when operations reverted to an Operating Location of the25th Air Division atMcChord AFB. At the time of its BUIC III inactivation in 1976, the 827th staffed the last operating BUIC III in the western United States.
In 1976 the AN/FPS-90 was removed and sent to the newJoint Surveillance System (JSS) site J-81 which is 12 miles west of Dallas, Oregon on Laurel Mountain, where it became operational in 1980 until replaced by a 3D ARSR-4 FAA radar.
The remaining height-finder radar, upgraded to an AN/FPS-116, was retired c. 1988 and the station closed, and property transferred to the FAA.
In the early 1990s, the abandoned station buildings at the former Keno AFS were removed (including the sewage lagoon) and most of the site has been returned to its natural state. Today, only the FAA unattended search radar is functional.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
