Duncanville Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-78) is a closed
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 ...
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located on the east side of
Duncanville, Texas
Duncanville is a city in southwest Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. Duncanville's population was 40,706 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Duncanville, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Lancaster ...
. It was closed in 1964.
History
Duncanville Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent
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 ...
network. Prompted by the start of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary's approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.
Located on the site of the former Naval Air Station, Duncanville, with a mission to provide radar coverage of the
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
-
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
area, the
745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
The 745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 31st Air Division, Air Defense Command, stationed at Perrin Air Force Station, Texas. It was discontinued on 30 September 19 ...
began operating an
AN/CPS-6B and an
AN/FPS-10 radar at this site on 1 February 1953, and 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 the height-finder radar was replaced by an
AN/FPS-6
The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United Stat ...
.
On July 17, 1957, the AFS, along with two other stations in other states helped track an unexplained object following an RB-47 Air Force Radar Reconnaissance Jet for more than 90 minutes. Two planes from the Air Base were dispatched as well. The object was never identified, and no explanation was ever concluded.
In 1959, the United States Army opened Army Air-Defense Command Post
DF-30DC for
Nike Missile
The United States Army's Nike Ajax was the world's first operational guided surface-to-air missile (SAM), entering service in 1954. Nike Ajax was designed to attack conventional bomber aircraft flying at high subsonic speeds and altitudes above ...
air-defense system,
Dallas-Fort Worth Defense Area in 1959. Duncanville was incorporated into BUIC I, a manual back-up interceptor control system implemented in 1962. BUIC I provided limited command and control capability in the event the SAGE system was disabled.
Duncanville AFS closed on July 1, 1964, when the 745th Radar Squadron transferred to Perrin AFS, TX (RP-78). Army Nike operations ended in 1969. After its closure, the Navy took over the housing units for
Naval Air Station Dallas
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...
. Three acres were deeded to the City of Duncanville in late 1998 for development of a new swimming pool, landscaped walkway, jogging trail, a park entrance and expanded parking.
Air Force units and assignments
Units:
* 745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Activated 1 February 1953 at Duncanville AFS, TX
: Transferred to
Perrin Air Force Station
Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located southeast of North Texas Regional Airport, Texas. It was closed in 1969.
History
Perrin Air Force ...
, TX, 1 July 1964
Assignments:
*
33d Air Division
The 33rd Air Division (33d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at Fort Lee Air Force Station, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 ...
, 1 February 1953
*
Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector
The Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector (OCADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command's 29th Air Division at Oklahoma City Air Force Station, Oklahoma.
History
Oklahoma City A ...
, 1 January 1960
*
4752d Air Defense Wing, 1 September 1961
*
Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector
The Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector (OCADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command's 29th Air Division at Oklahoma City Air Force Station, Oklahoma.
History
Oklahoma City A ...
, 25 June 1963 – 1 July 1964
See also
*
United States general surveillance radar stations
United States general surveillance radar stations include Army and USAF stations of various US air defense networks (in reverse chronological order):
*Joint Surveillance System (JSS), with radar stations controlled by joint FAA/USAF ROCCs beginnin ...
References
* A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
* Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
Information for Duncanville AFS, TX
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed
Permanent System radar stations
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites
Installations of the United States Air Force in Texas
Military installations established in 1957
Military installations closed in 1969
1957 establishments in Texas
1969 disestablishments in Texas
U.S. Army Nike sites