Arlington Heights Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
Arlington Heights Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 1.8 miles (2.9 km) south-southwest of Arlington Heights, Illinois
. It was closed in 1969.
) when Air Defense Command ceased operations at that facility in January 1960 as a budget reduction move, the mission and organization being transferred to the existing United States Army Arlington Heights facility C-80DC for the Nike Missile air-defense system, as part of the Chicago-Gary Defense Area. Elkhorn was retained as a Gap Filler site for Arlington Heights. The 755th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was reassigned to Arlington Heights, the site being designated by ADC as Arlington Heights Air Force Station and given the designation RP-31, reflecting it as a replacement faciity (RP) for the P-31 site at Williams Bay.
The Air Force site was activated on 1 April 1960 with AN/FPS-90A, AN/FPS-6, and AN/FPS-6B radars. The AN/FPS-20 was upgraded to an AN/FPS-67 during the following year. Radar data from Arlington Heights was soon fed directly into the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
(SAGE) system Data Center DC-02 at Truax Field, Wisconsin, the squadron was re-designated as the 755th Radar Squadron
(SAGE) on 15 October 1960. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-31, and a AN/FPS-90 radar had replaced the AN/FPS-6B for performing height-finding duties
In addition to the main facility, Arlington Heights operated the following AN/FPS-18 Gap Filler sites:
The 755th Radar Squadron was deactivated on 30 September 1969. The Army shut down Nike operations at the site in 1974.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 1.8 miles (2.9 km) south-southwest of Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
. It was closed in 1969.
History
The origins of Arlington Heights Air Force Station begins at Williams Bay AFS, Wisconsin (Elkhorn, WisconsinElkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County...
) when Air Defense Command ceased operations at that facility in January 1960 as a budget reduction move, the mission and organization being transferred to the existing United States Army Arlington Heights facility C-80DC for the Nike Missile air-defense system, as part of the Chicago-Gary Defense Area. Elkhorn was retained as a Gap Filler site for Arlington Heights. The 755th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was reassigned to Arlington Heights, the site being designated by ADC as Arlington Heights Air Force Station and given the designation RP-31, reflecting it as a replacement faciity (RP) for the P-31 site at Williams Bay.
The Air Force site was activated on 1 April 1960 with AN/FPS-90A, AN/FPS-6, and AN/FPS-6B radars. The AN/FPS-20 was upgraded to an AN/FPS-67 during the following year. Radar data from Arlington Heights was soon fed directly into the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...
(SAGE) system Data Center DC-02 at Truax Field, Wisconsin, the squadron was re-designated as the 755th Radar Squadron
755th Radar Squadron
The 755th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 34th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Arlington Heights Air Force Station, Illinois...
(SAGE) on 15 October 1960. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-31, and a AN/FPS-90 radar had replaced the AN/FPS-6B for performing height-finding duties
In addition to the main facility, Arlington Heights operated the following AN/FPS-18 Gap Filler sites:
- Monee, IL (RP-31D) 41°24′36"N 087°45′54"W
- Williams Bay AFS, WI (RP-31F) 42°36′57"N 088°32′23"W
The 755th Radar Squadron was deactivated on 30 September 1969. The Army shut down Nike operations at the site in 1974.