Joelton Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-145) 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 west of

Goodlettsville, Tennessee Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and Sumner counties, Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 15,921 and in 2020 the po ...

. It was closed in 1960.

History

Joelton Air Force Station (AFS) was initially part of Phase II of 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 ...

Mobile Radar program. The Air Force approved this expansion of the Mobile Radar program on October 23, 1952 to provide radar coverage of the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, TN area. Radars in this network were designated "SM." The station became operational on 1 October 1956 when the 799th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron began operating an AN/MPS-11 search radar and an

AN/TPS-10 The AN/FPS-4 Radar was a Height-Finder Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air ...

D height-finder radar. Eventually these sets were replaced by more-modern

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 Sta ...

height-finder radar and

AN/FPS-8 The AN/FPS-8 Radar was a Medium-Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight ...

search radar sets. 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 addition to the main facility, Guthrie operated an unmanned

AN/FPS-18 The AN/FPS-18 was a medium-range search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command.http://www.bendixradiofoundation.com/documents/Bendix%20Radio%20Radar%20History.pdf This medium-range search radar was designed and built by Bend ...

Gap Filler site: * Bradyville, TN (SM-145A) Joelton AFS was closed on 1 June 1961 due to budgetary constraints. However, the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

retained the radar, replacing the search radar with an

ARSR-1 The Air Route Surveillance Radar is used by the United States Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration to control airspace within and around the borders of the United States. The ARSR-4 is the FAA's most recent (late 1980s, early 1990s) ...

E model. The FAA continues to operate the site as part of the

Joint Surveillance System The Joint Surveillance System (JSS) is a joint United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It replaced the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system in 1983. Overvie ...

(JSS). Most of the Air Force buildings remain and are in use; the housing area is now private residences.

Air Force units and assignments

Units

* Constituted as the 799th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Activated at

Wright-Patterson AFB Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...

(SM-170), OH on 8 February 1956Mueller, ''Air Force Bases'', Vol. I, p. 610 : Moved to Joelton AFS on 1 October 1956 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 June 1961

Assignments

58th Air Division The 58th Air Division (58th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 1 February 1959. History World War II B-29 d ...

, 1 October 1956 *

35th Air Division The 35th Air Division (35th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Hancock Field, New York. It was inac ...

, 1 September 1958 *

32d Air Division The 32d Air Division (32d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was last active with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969. The di ...

, 15 November 1958 – 1 June 1961

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Further Reading * * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
* * *
Radomes.org Information for Joelton AFS, TN
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Installations of the United States Air Force in Tennessee Permanent System radar stations Military installations closed in 1960 1956 establishments in Tennessee 1960 disestablishments in Tennessee