Columbia Falls Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
Columbia Falls Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force
radar station in Washington County
, Maine
. Located 16 miles (25.7 km) northwest of Machias, Maine and 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Columbia Falls
, it went operational in 1990 but was closed in 1997 and placed in "warm storage" with minimal maintenance. It was deactivated and placed in "cold storage" in 2002.
(OTH-B) system. The system was based on a frequency modulation/continuous wave (FM/CW) radar capable of detecting and tracking objects at over-the-horizon ranges. In concept it involved bouncing radar signals off the ionosphere
which allows radar to overcome the curvature of the earth.
A small scale test receiver/transmitter was established in central western Maine at what would become Moscow AFS
by the early 1980s. Initial testing was conducted from June 1980 to June 1981. Successful testing resulted in the decision to develop operational OTH-B systems for the east and west coasts and in Alaska.
The east coast OTH-B system was designed and built by GE Aerospace and consisted of an AN/FPS-118 radar with the transmitter located at Moscow AFS
and the receiver at the newly constructed Columbia Falls AFS. The transmitter and receiver stations were manned by personnel of the 776th Radar Squadron
. Data processing took place at Maine Air National Guard
's Bangor Air National Guard Base
which was close to the geographic halfway point between the TX/RX facilities.
The east coast OTH-B system was tested in the late 1980s and went operational when it was handed over to USAF in 1990. It was the largest of the three OTH-B systems and was so powerful that it could even detect changes in ocean currents. Transmissions from the Moscow AFS site covered an arc from 16.5° to 76.5° and from 900 km (559.2 mi) to 3300 km (2,050.5 mi) in range.
The fall of the Soviet Union
and end of the Cold War
saw the OTH-B systems rendered obsolete for detecting intruding military aircraft, however, the east coast OTH-B continued operations until 1997 and its data saw use by the United States Border Patrol
for tracking aircraft used by drug smugglers, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
which made use of the measurements of ocean currents and weather patterns.
The facility was placed in "warm storage" in 1997 and in 2002 it was deactivated and placed in "cold storage" with equipment removed from the site.
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...
radar station in Washington County
Washington County, Maine
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 32,856. Its county seat is Machias.Sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it is the easternmost county in the United States, and it is often where the rising sun first shines on the 48...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Located 16 miles (25.7 km) northwest of Machias, Maine and 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Columbia Falls
Columbia Falls, Maine
Columbia Falls is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 599 at the 2000 census.-History:The town began as Township 13 SD, BPP, which was joined together with Township 12 by the Massachusetts General Court on February 8, 1796 and incorporated as Columbia. It was...
, it went operational in 1990 but was closed in 1997 and placed in "warm storage" with minimal maintenance. It was deactivated and placed in "cold storage" in 2002.
History
Development of Columbia Falls AFS can be traced to work undertaken by USAF Rome Air Development Center [RADC] engineers in the early 1970s who were developing an over the horizon backscatter radarOver-the-horizon radar
Over-the-horizon radar, or OTH , is a design concept for radar systems to allow them to detect targets at very long ranges, typically up to thousands of kilometers...
(OTH-B) system. The system was based on a frequency modulation/continuous wave (FM/CW) radar capable of detecting and tracking objects at over-the-horizon ranges. In concept it involved bouncing radar signals off the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
which allows radar to overcome the curvature of the earth.
A small scale test receiver/transmitter was established in central western Maine at what would become Moscow AFS
Moscow Air Force Station
Moscow Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force radar station in Somerset County, Maine. Located northeast of Moscow, Maine, it went operational in 1990 but was closed in 1997 and placed in "warm storage" with minimal maintenance...
by the early 1980s. Initial testing was conducted from June 1980 to June 1981. Successful testing resulted in the decision to develop operational OTH-B systems for the east and west coasts and in Alaska.
The east coast OTH-B system was designed and built by GE Aerospace and consisted of an AN/FPS-118 radar with the transmitter located at Moscow AFS
Moscow Air Force Station
Moscow Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force radar station in Somerset County, Maine. Located northeast of Moscow, Maine, it went operational in 1990 but was closed in 1997 and placed in "warm storage" with minimal maintenance...
and the receiver at the newly constructed Columbia Falls AFS. The transmitter and receiver stations were manned by personnel of the 776th Radar Squadron
776th Radar Squadron
The 776th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Materiel Command, stationed at Moscow Air Force Station, Maine. It was inactivated on 1 October 1997....
. Data processing took place at Maine Air National Guard
Maine Air National Guard
The Maine Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Maine. It is, along with the Maine Army National Guard, an element of the Maine National Guard...
's Bangor Air National Guard Base
Bangor Air National Guard Base
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine.-Overview:The base is the home of the 101st Air Refueling Wing, Maine Air National Guard. The 101st provides 24 hour air and ground refueling for many aircraft whose...
which was close to the geographic halfway point between the TX/RX facilities.
The east coast OTH-B system was tested in the late 1980s and went operational when it was handed over to USAF in 1990. It was the largest of the three OTH-B systems and was so powerful that it could even detect changes in ocean currents. Transmissions from the Moscow AFS site covered an arc from 16.5° to 76.5° and from 900 km (559.2 mi) to 3300 km (2,050.5 mi) in range.
The fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
saw the OTH-B systems rendered obsolete for detecting intruding military aircraft, however, the east coast OTH-B continued operations until 1997 and its data saw use by the United States Border Patrol
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
for tracking aircraft used by drug smugglers, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
which made use of the measurements of ocean currents and weather patterns.
The facility was placed in "warm storage" in 1997 and in 2002 it was deactivated and placed in "cold storage" with equipment removed from the site.