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Perrin Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Location | |
  Perrin AFS Location of Perrin AFS, Texas | |
| Coordinates | 33°42′17″N096°38′54″W / 33.70472°N 96.64833°W /33.70472; -96.64833 (Perrin AFS RP-78) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1964 |
| In use | 1964-1969 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78) is a closedUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) southeast ofNorth Texas Regional Airport,Texas. It was closed in 1971.
Founded in 1941 as a training site for World War II pilots, Perrin Army Air Field was deactivated in 1946, but reopened as Perrin Air Force Base in April 1948. Perrin Air Force Base was named after Lieutenant Colonel Elmer Daniel Perrin, a Texan native and Air Corps pilot who was killed during the acceptance test flight of a B-26 bomber in Baltimore, Maryland, in June 1941. The base held jet pilot and survival training for flight crews through 1969.[1] Perrin Air Force Radar Station was established during the Korean War in 1952. 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 1962 operation of the radar site was transferred to Air Defense Command and Perrin Air Force Station was established as an annex ofDuncanville AFS, TX. It was equipped with anAN/FPS-20 search radar and anAN/FPS-6 height-finder radar. At the end of 1963, the site was performing duty as a joint-use facility for theFederal Aviation Administration andAir Defense Command.
In 1964 the745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron relocated to Perrin from Duncanville AFS after it was closed. Upon activation it was designated asRP-78, replacing the P-78 site at Duncanville. It was also designated as NORAD siteZ-78. Also in 1964 the search radar was upgraded to anAN/FPS-20A; in 1965, this radar was further upgraded to anAN/FPS-66.
The 745th AC&W Squadron was inactivated on 30 September 1969 and Perrin AFS was closed on 30 June 1971[2] due to a draw-down of ADC and budget constraints. Today the former radar site is used by small businesses in the area.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
