The 28th Air Division is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

organization. Its last assignment was with

Air Defense Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 29 May 1992.

History

Established in December 1949, the

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...

28th Air Division "assumed responsibility for conducting the air defense of an area that embraced California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. It became part of the

Western Air Defense Force The Western Air Defense Force (WADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History WADF ...

in 1950. With no fighter interceptor squadrons directly assigned, the division used interceptors of the

78th Fighter Wing The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th acts as the host unit at Robins. The wing was first activated as the 78th Fighter Wing in September 1948 as part of the wing ...

, based at

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, California, as well as

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

interceptors based within its geographical area." "By November 1954 its geographical boundaries included northern California, southern Oregon, and parts of Nevada and Utah. The division participated frequently in air defense exercises with U.S. Army artillery, U.S. Navy interceptors, and

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

bombers." "On 15 February 1959, it added the

San Francisco Air Defense Sector The San Francisco Air Defense Sector (SFADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The sector was established in February 19 ...

to its components, and the geographical area expanded to include California and Arizona, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico." "The division gained the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, and

Reno Air Defense Sector The Reno Air Defense Sector (ReADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Stead Air Force Base, Nevada. History ReADS was established in February 1959 assumi ...

s and also the 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, whose

Lockheed C-121 Constellation The Lockheed C-121 Constellation is a military transport version of the Lockheed Constellation. A total of 332 aircraft were constructed for both the United States Air Force and United States Navy for various purposes. Numerous airborne early wa ...

AWACS aircraft augmented naval picket ships in providing radar coverage seaward from the west coast of the United States. During 1961, it transitioned to a

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. S ...

system in all four of its sectors. Reorganization in 1963 altered the 28th's boundaries to include the states of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and parts of California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico." 28thAD - Map - 1960-1969

"On 1 April 1966, the 28th was reassigned, in name only, to

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...

, Montana, and replaced the

Great Falls Air Defense Sector The Great Falls Air Defense Sector (GFADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivated o ...

. The division's area included Montana and part of North Dakota, and later, parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Assumed additional designation of 28th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which hosts the activities o ...

, Colorado and reporting was transferred to

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

from ADC at

Ent Air Force Base Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Girard ...

in April 1966." The division in the 1960s and 1970s deployed aircraft and personnel from subordinate units in support of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Became part of ADTAC on 1 October 1979 with the inactivation of ADC and the incorporation of the CONUS air defense mission into

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

. Beginning in April 1985, the 28th provided theater and Air Force commands with airborne forces for surveillance, warning, command and control, communications, and electronic combat operations. It was the Tactical Air Command single manager for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS),

EC-130H Compass Call The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counter ...

, EC-130E Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC), and EC-135K Tactical Deployment Control Squadron (TDCS) in support of unified and specified commands. Inactivated on 29 May 1992 as part of the inactivation of

, its mission being incorporated into the

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

Western Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force c ...

Lineage

* Established as the 28 Air Division (Defense) on 8 November 1949 : Activated on 8 December 1949 : Inactivated on 1 February 1952 * Organized on 1 February 1952The inactivation and organization on 1 February 1952 represent a change from a Table of Organization to a Table of Distribution unit. : Redesignated: 28 Air Division (SAGE) on 1 July 1960 : Redesignated: 28 Air Division on 1 April 1966 : Inactivated on 19 November 1969 * Activated on 1 April 1985 : Inactivated on 29 May 1992

Assignments

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reser ...

, 8 December 1949 *

, 1 August 1950 – 1 July 1960 * Air Defense Command, 1 July 1960 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...

, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 *

, 1 April 1985 – 29 May 1992

Stations

, California, 8 December 1949 – 1 April 1966 *

, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 *

, Oklahoma, 1 April 1985 – 29 May 1992

Components

Sectors

Los Angeles Air Defense Sector The Southwest Air Defense Sector (SWADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 31 December 1994. L ...

(LAADS) :

Norton Air Force Base Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California. Overview For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-li ...

, California, 1 July 1960 – 1 April 1966 *

Phoenix Air Defense Sector The Phoenix Air Defense Sector (PhADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 28th Air Division, being stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 1 April ...

(PhADS) :

Luke Air Force Base Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major training ...

, Arizona, 1 July 1960 – 1 April 1966 *

(ReADS) :

Stead Air Force Base Reno Stead Airport is a large public and military general aviation airport located in the North Valleys area, 10 nautical miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Reno, in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. A for ...

, Nevada, 1 July 1960 – 1 April 1966 *

(SFADS) :

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...

, California, 15 February 1959 – 1 August 1963

Wings

(Air Defense) : Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 18 October 1956 – 1 July 1960; 1 August 1963 – 1 April 1966 * 552d Early Warning and Control Wing :

McClellan Air Force Base McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California. History For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClella ...

, California, 1 July 1960 – 1 April 1966; 1 April 1985 – 29 May 1992

Groups

78th Fighter Group The 78th Fighter Group (78 FG) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 78th Fighter Wing, at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 February 1961. During World War II the group was an Eigh ...

(Air Defense) : Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 18 August 1955 – 18 October 1956 *

408th Fighter Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

(Air Defense) :

Kingsley Field Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing (173 FW). History In 1928, the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The ai ...

, Oregon, 8 April 1956 – 1 March 1959 *

542d Aircraft Control and Warning Group The 542d Aircraft Control and Warning Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 28th Air Division, stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 6 February 1952. This command and con ...

: Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 1 January 1951 – 6 February 1952 * 566th Air Defense Group : Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 7 November 1952 – 18 August 1955

Interceptor squadrons

* 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

Minot Air Force Base Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot via U.S. Route 83. In the 2020 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5,017, down from 5,521 i ...

, North Dakota, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 30 June 1968 * 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

, North Dakota, 15 September – 19 November 1969 *

29th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 029 may refer to: * Keypunch#IBM 029 Card Punch, IBM 029, a keypunch machine * 029, the telephone area code of Xi'an and Xianyang * Cardiff#Telecommunications, Cardiff, the Cardiff area code {{DEFAULTSORT:29 ...

, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 30 June 1968

Radar squadrons

658th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Mitchel Air Force Base also known as Mitchel Field, was a United States Air Force base located on the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York, United States. Established in 1918 as Hazelhurst Aviation Field #2, the facility was renamed later ...

Winnemucca Air Force Station Winnemucca Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-127, NORAD ID: Z-127) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north-northwest of Winnemucca, Nevada. It was closed in 1968. History Winnemucca Air Force St ...

, Nevada, 1 February 1956 – 1 July 1960 *

666th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Ground Equipment Facility J-33 is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar station of the Joint Surveillance System's Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) with an Air Route Surveillance Radar ( ARSR-4). The facility was previously a USAF g ...

: Mill Valley Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 July 1960 *

668th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 668th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the San Francisco Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Mather Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on ...

Mather Air Force Base Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post-Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Californ ...

, California. 6 February 1952 – 1 July 1960 *

682d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 68 may refer to: * 68 (number) * one of the years 68 BC, AD 68, 1968, 2068 * 68 Publishers, a Czech-Canadian publishing firm * '68 (band), an American rock band * '68 (comic book) a comic book series from Image Comics See also *List of highways n ...

: Almaden Air Force Station, California, 1 September 1957 – 1 July 1960 * 694th Radar Squadron : Lewistown Air Force Station, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 716th Radar Squadron : Kalispell Air Force Station, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 *

774th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Madera Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-74, NORAD ID: Z-74) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north-northeast of Madera, California. It was closed in 1966. History Madera AFS was one of twenty ...

: Madera Air Force Station, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 July 1960 *

775th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Cambria Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south-southeast of Cambria, California. It was closed in 1980. History Cambria Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight stations ...

Cambria Air Force Station Cambria Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south-southeast of Cambria, California. It was closed in 1980. History Cambria Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight stations ...

, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 October 1954 *

776th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 776th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Northeast Air Defense Sector, Air Combat Command, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 6 September 19 ...

Point Arena Air Force Station Point Arena Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-37, NORAD ID: Z-37) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east of Point Arena, California. It was closed in 1998 by the Air Force, and turned over to the ...

, California, 6 February 1952 – 1 July 1960 *

777th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 777th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Northwest Air Defense Sector, Tactical Air Command, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It was inactivated on 15 September 1991. Fr ...

: Klamath Air Force Station, Oregon, 6 February 1952 – 1 March 1959 * 778th Radar Squadron :

Havre Air Force Station Havre Air Force Station (site designator P-25, Z-25 after 31 July 1963) is a Formerly Used Defense Site that was used as a Cold War general surveillance radar station. In addition to radar facilities and a NORAD Control Center the site had ...

, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 779th Radar Squadron : Opheim Air Force Station, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 *

780th Radar Squadron 78 may refer to: * 78 (number) * one of the years 78 BC, AD 78, 1978, 2078 * 78 RPM phonograph (gramophone) record * The 78, a proposed urban development in Chicago, Illinois, US See also * * List of highways numbered 78 The following highwa ...

: Fortuna Air Force Station, North Dakota, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 785th Radar Squadron : Finley Air Force Station, North Dakota, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969 * 786th Radar Squadron : Minot Air Force Station, North Dakota, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969 * 801st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron :

, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969; 30 June 1971 – 1 July 1974 * 827th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Keno Air Force Station, Oregon, 1 September 1957 – 1 March 1959 * 858th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron :

Fallon Air Force Station Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon, east of Reno in western Nevada. Since 1996, it has been home to the U.S. Na ...

, Nevada, 8 October 1955 – 1 July 1960 * 859th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Red Bluff Air Force Station, California, 1 April 1956 – 1 March 1959 *

866th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Tonopah Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-164, NORAD ID: Z-164) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south of Tonopah, Nevada. It was closed in 1970. History Tonopah Air Force Station was initia ...

: Tonopah Air Force Station, Nevada, 1 October 1956 – 1 July 1960 *

902d Radar Squadron 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

: Miles City Air Force Station, Montana, 1 April 1966 – 18 June 1968

Other squadrons

4754th Radar Evaluation Squadron The 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron is a component of the 505th Test and Training Group, 505th Command and Control Wing, Air Combat Command, located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron provides the Warfighter responsive worldwide radar-cen ...

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...

, Utah, 1 July 1961 – 1 April 1966 *

8th Tactical Deployment Control Squadron The 8th Weapons Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit, assigned to the USAF Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The squadron inherited the lineage of the 8th Airborne Command and Control Squadron. The 8th’s history ...

(later, 8th Air Deployment Control Squadron) : Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, 1 March 1986 - 29 May 1992

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". ''The Interceptor'' (January 1979) Aerospace Defense Command, (Volume 21, Number 1) {{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Aerospace Defense Command units 028 1992 disestablishments in Oklahoma 1949 establishments in California