Aiken Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
Aiken Army Air Field | |
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
 1964 USAF Photo | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Code | ADC ID: SM-159, NORAD ID: Z-159 |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Location | |
  Aiken AFS | |
| Coordinates | 33°38′46″N081°40′36″W / 33.64611°N 81.67667°W /33.64611; -81.67667 (Aiken AFS SM-159) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1955 |
| In use | 1955-1975 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 861st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Aiken Air Force Station is a closedUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 6.4 miles (10.3 km) north-northeast ofAiken, South Carolina. It was closed in 1975.
During World War II, the site was originally constructed by theUnited States Army Air Forces asAiken Army Air Field.
The facility was originally constructed duringWorld War II by theUnited States Army Air Forces and namedAiken Army Air Field. The airfield was constructed with three 5'000 foot bituminous runways in an "A" pattern. No known auxiliary airfields were constructed. The airfield and station opened on 24 December 1942[1] as a satellite airfield ofMorris Army Airfield,North Carolina.[citation needed]
On 23 June 1943 the airfield was formally activated and the66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group arrived.[2] Two subordinate units, the97th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and19th Liaison Squadron arrived the previous day.[3] The118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron replaced the 97th on 29 August 1943.[4] TheWarner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC) established a service group training center at the field in the fall of 1943. The training was conducted under the auspices of the 387th Air Service Group,Daniel Field, Georgia.[5]
In May 1944 the 359th Army Air Force Base Unit was assigned host unit. It was assigned toThird Air Force,III Tactical Air Command 13 September 1944 as a group training airfield for reconnaissance units.[6] The airfield became a replacement training airfield for single-engine fighter pilots, training onP-40 Warhawk andP-51 Mustang aircraft, beginning on 19 October 1944. Active flying at the airfield ended on 28 February 1945, and jurisdiction of the base was transferred from Third Air Force toAir Technical Service Command for disposition on 31 March 1945.[7]
It is also known that Aiken AAF held a branch prisoner of war camp holding about 300 POWs who worked in the local forests. The dates of the POW camp are uncertain.[5] The airfield was turned over to local government authorities afterward and was converted intoAiken Municipal Airport.[citation needed]
In 1955 the United States Air Force exercised a return right to Aiken Municipal Airport and establishedAiken Air Force Station as anAir Defense Command (ADC) general surveillanceradar station. This site was initially part of Phase II of the Mobile Radar program. Radars in this network were designated "SM."
Designated asSM-159 Aiken AFS was the first Phase II Mobile Radar system to achieve operational status. During December 1955 the 861st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron began activatingAN/FPS-3,AN/MPS-14, andAN/TPS-10D radars. Initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.
In 1958 anAN/FPS-20 and anAN/MPS-14 were operational. The site subsequently received anAN/FPS-7C search radar and anAN/FPS-26 heightfinder radar. During 1961 Aiken AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-09 atGunter AFB, Alabama. After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the861st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 November 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 IDZ-159. In addition, Aiken AFS was incorporated into BUIC I, a manual back-up interceptor control system. BUIC I provided limited command and control capability in the event the SAGE system was disabled. 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 861st was inactivated in June 1975.
TheFAA continued to operate the AN/FPS-7C search radar for a few years, while the cantonment area was converted into a minimum-security prison. Dissatisfied with the prison setting, the FAA relocated toLincolnton, Georgia, where today they continue to operate anARSR-3 search radar. The prison was shut down in the mid / late 1990s, and the entire site has since been dismantled.
Aiken Army Air Field
Aiken Air Force Station
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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