Sundance Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-201, NORAD ID: Z-201) is a closed

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 uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 6.3 miles northwest of Sundance, Wyoming. It was closed in 1968.

History

Sundance Air Force Station came into existence as part of Phase III of the Air Defense Command Mobile Radar program. On October 20, 1953 ADC requested a third phase of twenty-five radar sites be constructed. The station became operational with the activation of the 731st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 December 1960, feeding data to DC-19 at

Minot AFB 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 in ...

, North Dakota. Operational status was delayed at Sundance AFS to allow testing to determine if atomic energy could be used to produce sufficient power to operate a radar station. A Portable Medium 1 (PM-1) transportable nuclear power plant developed by the US

Army Nuclear Power Program The Army Nuclear Power Program (ANPP) was a program of the United States Army to develop small pressurized water and boiling water nuclear power reactors to generate electrical and space-heating energy primarily at remote, relatively inaccessi ...

was designed and installed on the site. The tests succeeded, and the site became operational in 1962 with the activation of

AN/FPS-7 The AN/FPS-7 Radar was a Long Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command. In the mid-1950s General Electric developed a radar with a search altitude of 100,000 feet and a range of 270 miles. This radar was signific ...

C search radar and the

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 ...

and AN/FPS-26 height-finder radars as the United States' first nuclear-powered radars. The radar squadron provided information to the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction, altitude, and speed, and to evaluate whether aircraft were friendly or hostile. The radars were operated until 1968 when Air Defense Command closed the station as part of a draw down of assets and budget reductions. The PM-1 plant was operated by Air Force, Army and Navy personnel, and it produced electricity for 4,101 hours without incident. It was dismantled after the site was inactivated. The reactor site remains fenced, marked as "US Government Property, No Trespassing". Today, what was Sundance AFS is part of a housing development called "Vista West". What remains of undeveloped parts of the radar station are abandoned, the buildings severely deteriorated.

Air Force units and assignments

Units: * 731st Radar Squadron (SAGE), Activated on 1 December 1960 : Discontinued on 18 June 1968 Assignments: *

29th Air Division The 29th Air Division (29th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Duluth International Airport, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 15 November 1969. History ...

, 1 December 1960 *

Minot Air Defense Sector The Minot Air Defense Sector (MADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 1 De ...

, 1 January 1961 *

Sioux City Air Defense Sector The Sioux City Air Defense Sector (SCADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Sioux City Air Force Station, Iowa. History SCADS was es ...

, 25 June 1963 *

30th Air Division The 30th Air Division (30th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on ...

, 1 April 1966 – 18 June 1968

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 Sundance AFS, WY
{{Authority control Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites Installations of the United States Air Force in Wyoming Aerospace Defense Command military installations 1960 establishments in Wyoming 1968 disestablishments in Wyoming Military installations established in 1960 Military installations closed in 1968

History

Air Force units and assignments

See also

References