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Langanes Air Station  | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Forces Iceland | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Radar Station |
| Owner | Icelandic Coast Guard |
| Location | |
  Langanes AS Location of Langanes Air Station, Iceland | |
| Coordinates | 66°16′44″N014°59′37″W / 66.27889°N 14.99361°W /66.27889; -14.99361 (Langanes AS H-2) (H-2) 66°08′39″N015°05′18″W / 66.14417°N 15.08833°W /66.14417; -15.08833 (Langanes AS H-2A) (H-2A) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1952, 1992 |
| In use | 1952–1960, 1992–2006, 2006-present |
Langanes Air Station (ADC/NATO ID: H-2) was aUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 265 miles (426 km) northeast of the closedNaval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland.
In 1992 a new station was constructed around 15 km south of the original Langanes station which is now known asH-2 (H-2A) Gunnólfsvíkurfjall under theIceland Air Defence System operated by theIcelandic Coast Guard.[1]
Langanes Air Station (H-2) was established in 1951, shortly after the return of United States military forces to Iceland. The site was operated by the667th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, and was equipped withAN/FPS-3 andAN/FPS-20 radars.
The Greenland, Iceland and United Kingdom air defense sector, better known as theGIUK gap, was routinely utilized by theSoviet Union's long-range heavy bombers and maritime reconnaissance platforms as a transit point towards theAtlantic Ocean. From bases located atArchangel andMurmansk, Soviet aircraft would stream down to the North Cape in Norway towards the Gap which was use as a doorway to the vast Atlantic. Most of the Soviet missions were destined to probe United States’ air defense along the North Atlantic and after 1960 in the Caribbean whereCuba, the USSR's most important satellite state outside continental Europe, was located. Such was the perceived threat from the Soviet incursions that it became a priority for NATO to demonstrate to that the strategic Giuk passage would be monitored at all times.
In January 1961, the H-2 search radar bubble was blown down during a storm. The site was closed as a radar base and the 667th AC&W Squadron was moved toHofn Air Station (H-3), where it replaced the933d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. (note: the original site was used for several years as a communications site and for submarine detection)
The original H-2 site today is abandoned, long since left to the elements. Some foundations remain however the location is desolate and windswept.
In 1992,Langanes Air Station was re-opened at a new site (H-2A) at Gunnólfvikursfjall, located 15km to the southwest on a cliff along the coast, by theIcelandic Radar Agency.[2] The667th Air Control Squadron assisted with operation of the AN/FPS-117v5 radar from the site until 28 June 2006 when the U.S. military left the facility. It has since remained a part of theIcelandic Air Defence System, operated by theIcelandic Coast Guard, as of 2025.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
