Keflavik Air Station
Encyclopedia
Keflavik Air Station (NATO ID: H-1A) is a closed United States Air Force
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northwest of Naval Air Station Keflavik
, Iceland. It was closed on 28 June 2006 as part of the closure of United States military facilities in Iceland.
, (H-1). It was operated by the 932d Air Control Squadron
and was equipped with an AN/FPS-117v5 radar.
The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap
which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC).
Keflavik Air Station was inactivated on 28 June 2006. The radar was replaced by a civilian ARSR radar and is now used for air traffic control.
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 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northwest of Naval Air Station Keflavik
Naval Air Station Keflavik
United States Naval Air Station Keflavik is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island...
, Iceland. It was closed on 28 June 2006 as part of the closure of United States military facilities in Iceland.
History
Keflavik Air Station was established as a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) radar station in 1992, replacing the original NATO AC&W radar site at Rockville ASRockville Air Station (Iceland)
Rockville Air Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-northwest of Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland...
, (H-1). It was operated by the 932d Air Control Squadron
932d Air Control Squadron
The 932d Air Control Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 85th Group, Third Air Force, stationed at Keflavik Air Station, Iceland...
and was equipped with an AN/FPS-117v5 radar.
The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap
GIUK gap
The GIUK gap is an area in the northern Atlantic Ocean that forms a naval warfare chokepoint. Its name is an acronym for Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, the gap being the open ocean between these three landmasses...
which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC).
Keflavik Air Station was inactivated on 28 June 2006. The radar was replaced by a civilian ARSR radar and is now used for air traffic control.