Chandler Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
Chandler Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force
General Surveillance Radar station. It is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of Chandler, Minnesota
, on the Buffalo Ridge
in section 13 of Moulton Township, Murray County
. It was closed in 1969.
, 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.
The 787th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated on 27 June 1951 under the 31st Air Division. The site was equipped with AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-4 radars, 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.
It was redesignated Chandler Air Force Station on 1 December 1953. By 1959 these sets had been replaced by AN/FPS-20 and AN/FPS-6 radars, and the AN/FPS-20 set was upgraded and redesignated as an AN/FPS-64, and a second height-finder radar (AN/FPS-26) was added in 1961.
During 1961 Chandler AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
(SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-11 at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 787th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 April 1961. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.
Chandler AFS was later switched to SAGE Data Center DC-22 at Sioux City AFS, Iowa in 1963. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-18. In 1965 Chandler AFS was operating an AN/FPS-27 set, and the AN/FPS-64 was deactivated.
The Air Force ordered radar operations to cease on 2 July 1969, and deactivated the 787th Radar Squadron on 30 September 1969. Air Force teams dismantled and removed the radars and communications equipment throughout the summer of 1969. The domes came down from the two height-finder radars, leaving only one dome remaining over the search radar. A small unit stayed behind for over a year to run that radar for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The government subsequently sold the radar site to a developer and the housing area to a group of investors. Buyers removed the homes and the developer salvaged materials from the radar site, but was unable to find a commercial tenant or buyer, Today what was Chandler Air Force Station has been obliterated, being demolished in June 1993 after sitting derelict for decades. A radio transmitter station now stands on the site, and what appears to be a large overgrown pile of concrete on the site which may be the remains of the Air Force structures. The site is located at 339 State Highway 91, Chandler MN 56122 under the county-wide 9-1-1 address system.
Assignments:
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 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of Chandler, Minnesota
Chandler, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 276 people, 113 households, and 72 families residing in the city. The population density was 342.7 people per square mile . There were 121 housing units at an average density of 150.2 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.46% White, 1.81%...
, on the Buffalo Ridge
Buffalo Ridge
Buffalo Ridge is a large expanse of rolling hills in the southeastern part of the larger Coteau des Prairies. It stands 1,995 feet above sea level. The Buffalo Ridge is sixty miles long and runs through Lincoln County, Pipestone County, Murray County, and Nobles County in the southwest...
in section 13 of Moulton Township, Murray County
Murray County
Murray County may refer to:In Australia:*Murray County, New South Wales*Murray County, Western AustraliaIn the United States:* Murray County, Georgia* Murray County, Minnesota* Murray County, Oklahoma...
. It was closed in 1969.
History
In late 1951 Air Defense Command selected the site as one of twenty-eight radar stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent radar surveillance network. Prompted by the start of the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, 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.
The 787th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated on 27 June 1951 under the 31st Air Division. The site was equipped with AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-4 radars, 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.
It was redesignated Chandler Air Force Station on 1 December 1953. By 1959 these sets had been replaced by AN/FPS-20 and AN/FPS-6 radars, and the AN/FPS-20 set was upgraded and redesignated as an AN/FPS-64, and a second height-finder radar (AN/FPS-26) was added in 1961.
During 1961 Chandler AFS joined 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, initially feeding data to DC-11 at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 787th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 April 1961. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.
Chandler AFS was later switched to SAGE Data Center DC-22 at Sioux City AFS, Iowa in 1963. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-18. In 1965 Chandler AFS was operating an AN/FPS-27 set, and the AN/FPS-64 was deactivated.
The Air Force ordered radar operations to cease on 2 July 1969, and deactivated the 787th Radar Squadron on 30 September 1969. Air Force teams dismantled and removed the radars and communications equipment throughout the summer of 1969. The domes came down from the two height-finder radars, leaving only one dome remaining over the search radar. A small unit stayed behind for over a year to run that radar for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The government subsequently sold the radar site to a developer and the housing area to a group of investors. Buyers removed the homes and the developer salvaged materials from the radar site, but was unable to find a commercial tenant or buyer, Today what was Chandler Air Force Station has been obliterated, being demolished in June 1993 after sitting derelict for decades. A radio transmitter station now stands on the site, and what appears to be a large overgrown pile of concrete on the site which may be the remains of the Air Force structures. The site is located at 339 State Highway 91, Chandler MN 56122 under the county-wide 9-1-1 address system.
Air Force units and assignments
Units:- 787th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Activated at Moulton, Montana on 27 June 1951
- Site renamed Chandler Air Force Station, 1 December 1953
- Re-designated 787th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 1 April 1961
- Inactivated on 30 September 1969
Assignments:
- 543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group543d Aircraft Control and Warning GroupThe 543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 31st Air Division, Air Defense Command, stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 10 February 1952.-History:...
, 27 June 1951 - 31st Air Division, 6 February 1952
- 20th Air DivisionGeneral GrievousGeneral Grievous is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, an antagonist in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He was voiced by Matthew Wood...
, 1 January 1959 - Kansas City Air Defense SectorKansas City Air Defense SectorThe Kansas City Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri...
, 1 January 1960 - Grand Forks Air Defense SectorGrand Forks Air Defense SectorThe Grand Forks Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base , North Dakota...
, 1 March 1961 - Sioux City Air Defense SectorSioux City Air Defense SectorThe Sioux City Air Defense Sector 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:...
, 4 September 1963 - 30th Air Division, 1 April 1966
- 29th Air Division, 1 July 1968-30 September 1969