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Finland Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Code | ADC ID: P-69, NORAD ID: Z-69 |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Location | |
  Finland AFS Location of Finland AFS, Minnesota | |
| Coordinates | 47°27′13″N091°14′15″W / 47.45361°N 91.23750°W /47.45361; -91.23750 (Finland AFS P-69) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1950 |
| In use | 1950–1989 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 756th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Finland Air Force Station is a closedUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 2.8 miles (4.5 km) north ofFinland, Minnesota. It was closed in 1980.
In 1950Air Defense Command selected Finland, Minnesota site as one of twenty-eight radar stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent radarsurveillance network. Prompted by the start of theKorean War, on 11 July 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked theSecretary 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 theCorps of Engineers to proceed with construction.
Finland Air Force Station began as a "Lashup-Permanent" radar site (LP-69) with the 756th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron operating anAN/CPS-5 radar at the station on 30 Nov 1951, and initially the station functioned as aGround-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. On 1 May 1951 the station joined the "permanent" ADC network operatingAN/FPS-3 andAN/FPS-5 radars. By 1959 these radars had been replaced withAN/FPS-20 andAN/FPS-6 sets, and a second height-finder radar (AN/FPS-6A) was being installed.
During 1959 Finland AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-10 atDuluth AFS, Minnesota. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 756th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 15 December 1959. 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 1961 the search radar was upgraded and redesignated as anAN/FPS-64. In 1963 the height-finder radars were replaced byAN/FPS-26A andAN/FPS-90 sets, and on 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-69. In 1964 the AN/FPS-64 was replaced by anAN/FPS-27. The AN/FPS-90 height-finder radar was decommissioned in 1970.
In addition to the main facility, Calumet operated the followingAN/FPS-18 Gap Filler sites:
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. Finland came underTactical Air Command jurisdiction in October 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the formation ofADTAC. The 756th Radar Squadron was inactivated 15 Aug 1980. The Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (GATR) site was retained until theJoint Surveillance System (JSS) switchover in 1984.
Today the radar station is largely abandoned. The former Air Force Housing area was in use as single-family housing, but is now also mostly abandoned.
Assignments:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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| National | |
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