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Oklahoma City Air Force Station
Part of Air Force Materiel Command
1995 airphoto
Oklahoma City AFSLocation of Oklahoma City AFS, Oklahoma
Coordinates	35°24′12″N 097°21′28″W / 35.40333°N 97.35778°W / 35.40333; -97.35778 (Oklahoma City AFS P-52)
Type	United States Air Force Station (Cold War)
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1951–1968

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Oklahoma City Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-52, NORAD-ID: Z-52) is a closed Cold War United States Air Force air defense and communications-electronics headquarters and radar station. It was located 10 miles (16 km) east-southeast of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, just to the southeast of Tinker Air Force Base. It ceased to be a separate Air Force installation on 1 October 1983, when it merged with Tinker.

History

Air Defense Command

In late 1951 Air Defense Command selected the station as a site for 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 War, 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 exercised a right of return to the former World War II airfield and directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.

On 1 May 1951 the 148th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron of the California Air National Guard was assigned to the new Oklahoma City Air Force Station by the 33d Air Division at nearby Tinker AFB. The squadron began operating a pair of AN/FPS-10 radars from this site in May 1952, 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. On February 1, 1953, the 746th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron assumed operations. The 746th AC&WS added an AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar in 1958. The AN/FPS-10s were phased out, with the last one being removed in 1962.

The 33d AD moved to Oklahoma City AFS on 8 May 1956 and activated a Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC), P-86 for ADC interceptors in Oklahoma, Kansas and the panhandle of Texas. It also formed a number of new Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons which it deployed to newly built radar sites in its assigned area. On 1 January 1960, the Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector (OCADS) was established, however it remained a manual ADS, with no SAGE blockhouse being constructed. OCADS was re-designated as the 4752d ADS briefly in 1960–61, then taken over by the 32d Air Division in 1961–63 before being returned to its designation in 1963. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-52. In 1963 the station became a joint-use facility with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with Oklahoma City AFS using AN/FPS-67 search and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radars.

OCADS was re-established in 1963 and was re-designated as Manual Combat Center (MCC-11)/NORAD Sector Combat Center (Manual). In 1965 the search radar was upgraded to the AN/FPS-67B variant. On 1 April 1966 OCADS was again re-designated as the 31st Air Division

The Air Force closed MCC-11 on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions. The FAA continues to operate the AN/FPS-67B search radar today as part of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS).

After ADCOM ceased operations at Oklahoma City AFS, its facilities were occupied by Air Force Communications Service (AFCS), which activated its Southern Communications Area (SCA), a headquarters for all AFCS units in the southern states of the United States except for those located on Tactical Air Command bases, which were assigned to Tactical Communications Area. Although only AFCS units were located on the station, it was considered an off-base station of Tinker and belonged to Air Force Logistics Command. On 1 October 1983 the station merged with Tinker AFB and lost its status as a separate installation. In June 1976, SCA was reduced in size as it lost its squadrons on Strategic Air Command stations to the new Strategic Communications Area

SCA was inactivated on 1 June 1981 in a major reorganization of AFCS (now named Air Force Communications Command), as all communications units in the US that were not assigned to combat commands were reassigned to Continental Communications Division at Griffiss AFB, New York. However, at the same time, all USAF units responsible for engineering and installing ground communications-electronics systems worldwide were assigned to AFCC's Engineering Installation Center, which took over the facilities of SCA. The EI Center became a Division in 1985 and was renamed the Communications Systems Center in 1991. As AFCC lost its Major Command status and communications functions were transferred to the other commands, the Communications Systems Center was reassigned to the Electronic Systems Center of Air Force Materiel Command in October 1993 and was inactivated in 1994 as its mission was transferred to the 38th Electronic Installation Wing. As mission needs were reduced the 38th EIW was inactivated in 2000 and its group remained the only unit on the former station.

What was Oklahoma City Air Force Station is today used by the FAA and the Air Force 38th Engineering Installation Group, with most buildings remaining in use.

ADCOM units assigned to Oklahoma City Air Force Station

• 31st Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969
• 32d Air Division, 1 August 1961 – 4 September 1963
• 33d Air Division, 8 May 1956 – 1 January 1960
• Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector, 1 January 1960 – 1 September 1961; 25 June 1963 – 1 April 1966
• 4752d Air Defense Wing, 1 September 1961 – 25 June 1963

Air Force Communications Command units stationed at Oklahoma City Air Force Station

• Southern Communications Area, 1 May 1970 – 1 June 1981
• Engineering Installation Center (later Engineering Installation Division, Communications Systems Center), 1 June 1981 – 8 November 1994
• 38th Engineering Installation Wing, 8 November 1994 – 3 February 2000
• 1845th Electronic Engineering Group (later 1845th Engineering Installation Group, 38th Engineering Installation Group, 38th Cyberspace Engineering Group), 1 August 1988 – present
• 38th Mission Support Squadron, 17 January 1995 – 3 February 2000
• 1810th Reserve Advisor Squadron, 1 January 1976 – ca 1991
• 1845th Electronic Engineering Squadron, 1 May 1970 – 1 June 1981

See also

• United States general surveillance radar stations

References

Notes

1. Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.
2. ^ Miller, Linda G. (1990). A Salute to Air Force Communications Command, Leaders and Lineage (PDF). Scott AFB, IL: Office of AFCC History. pp. 253–255. OCLC 49946668.
3. ^ Robertson, Patsy AFHRA Factsheet, 38th Combat Support Wing Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine 6/4/2008 (retrieved March 9, 2013)
4. Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
5. Robertson, Patsy AFHRA Factsheet, 38th Cyberspace Engineering Group 10/19/2009 (retrieved March 9, 2013)
6. Miller, pp. 262–263
7. Miller, pp. 274–275
8. Includes units stationed at Tinker AFB after merger

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
• Miller, Linda G. (1990). A Salute to Air Force Communications Command, Leaders and Lineage (PDF). Scott AFB, IL: Office of AFCC History. OCLC 49946668.
• Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.

Further Reading

• Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies: The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. LCCN 97020912.* Information for Oklahoma City AFS, OK

v t e Aerospace Defense Command (ADC)
Bases	CONUS Amarillo Beale Charleston Davis-Monthan Dobbins Dover Dow Duluth Eglin Edwards Ellington Ellsworth England Ent Ethan Allen Fairfax Fallon Fort Gregg-Adams Fort Heath Geiger George Glasgow Grand Forks Grenier Griffiss Gunter Hamilton Hancock Homestead Hurlburt Hunter Imeson Key West Kincheloe Kingsley Kirtland Lackland Laredo Larson Luke MacDill March Malmstrom McCoy McChord McClellan McGhee Tyson McGuire Minneapolis-St. Paul Minot Mitchel New Castle Niagara Falls Norton O'Hare Otis Oxnard Paine Perrin Peterson Pittsburgh Portland Presque Isle R.I. Bong Richards-Gebaur Robins K.I. Sawyer Selfridge Seymour Johnson Sioux City Stead Stewart Suffolk County Tinker Travis Truax Tyndall Vandenberg Vincent Walker Webb Westover Wright-Patterson Wurtsmith Youngstown Overseas Ernest Harmon Frobisher Bay Goose Keflavik McAndrew Pepperrell Thule
Stations	CONUS Adair Aiken Almaden Alpena Antigo Arlington Heights Baker Bedford Bellefontaine Belleville Benton Blaine Brookfield Brunswick Bucks Harbor Burns Calumet Cambria Cape Charles Cape Cod Carmi Caswell Chandler Charleston Cheyenne Mountain Claysburg Clear Colville Condon Continental Divide Cottonwood Cross City Crystal Springs Curlew Custer Cut Bank Dallas Center Dauphin Island Dickinson Duncanville Eldorado Empire Finland Finley Flintstone Fordland Fort Fisher Fort Lee Fortuna Gettysburg Grand Marais Grand Rapids Guthrie Hanna City Havre Highlands Houma Hutchinson Joelton Keno Killeen Kingman Kirksville Klamath Lake Charles Lake City Las Cruces Las Vegas Lewistown Lockport Lufkin Lyndonville Madera Makah Mica Peak Miles City Mill Valley Minot Montauk Moriarty Mount Hebo Mount Laguna Mount Lemmon Naselle North Bend North Charleston North Truro Oklahoma City Olathe Omaha Opheim Osceola Othello Owingsville Ozona Palermo Point Arena Port Austin Port Isabel Pyote Red Bluff Rochester Rockport Rockville (Indiana) Roslyn Rye Saint Albans San Clemente Island Santa Rosa Island Saratoga Springs Sault Ste Marie Shemya Snelling Snow Mountain Sweetwater Texarkana Tierra Amarilla Thomasville Tonopah Topsham Two Creeks Wadena Walnut Ridge Watertown Waverly West Mesa Willow Run Winnemucca Winslow Winston-Salem Woomera Yaak Zapata Overseas Armstrong Baldy Hughes Beausejour Cape Makkovik Cartwright Cut Throat Island Elliston Ridge Fox Harbour Hofn Hopedale Kamloops La Scie Langanes Latrar Melville Puntzi Mountain Ramore Red Cliff Rockville Saglek St. Anthony Saskatoon Mountain Sioux Lookout Spotted Island Stephenville
Air Defense units	Forces Central Air Defense Eastern Air Defense Iceland Western Air Defense First Fourth Tenth Fourteenth Air Divisions 8th 9th 20th 21st 23d 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 36th 37th 58th 64th 73d 85th Sectors Albuquerque Bangor Boston Chicago Detroit Duluth Goose Grand Forks Great Falls Kansas City Los Angeles Minot Montgomery New York Oklahoma City Phoenix Portland Reno Sault Sainte Marie San Francisco Seattle Sioux City Spokane Stewart Syracuse Washington Wings Fighter 1st 4th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 56th 78th 81st 325th 328th 507th Detection and Control 71st 73d 551st 552d Air Defense 46th 4620th 4621st 4622d 4624th 4625th 4627th 4628th 4683d 4700th 4702d 4703d 4704th 4705th 4706th 4707th 4708th 4709th 4710th 4711th 4750th 4751st 4752d 4756th 4780th Groups Fighter 1st 4th 14th 15th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 53d 54th 56th 57th 78th 79th 81st 82d 84th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 337th 343d 355th 408th 412th 414th 473d 475th 476th 478th 507th Air Defense 10th 500th 501st 502d 503d 514th 515th 516th 517th 518th 519th 520th 521st 525th 527th 528th 529th 530th 533d 534th 564th 566th 567th 568th 575th 637th 665th 678th 692d 701st 751st 762d 765th 778th 780th 827th 858th 4606th 4620th 4676th 4700th 4721st 4722d 4727th 4728th 4729th 4730th 4731st 4732d 4733d 4734th 4735th 4750th 4756th Aircraft Control & Warning 503d 505th 540th 541st 542d 543d 544th 545th 546th 563d 564th 565th 566th Squadrons Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons
Major weapon systems	Electronic TB-29 EB-57 EC-121 Fighters Propeller: F-47 F-51 P-61 F-82 Subsonic Jet: P-80 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-94 Supersonic Jet: F-101 F-102 F-104 F-106 Missiles AIM-4 AIM-26 AIR-2 CIM-10 Ships Guardian Interceptor Interdictor Interpreter Investigator Locator Lookout Outpost Pickett Protector Scanner Searcher Skywatcher Tracer Watchman Vigil Texas Towers Texas Tower 2 Texas Tower 3 Texas Tower 4
Miscellaneous	Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons) General Surveillance Radar Stations

v t e United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force in World War II
Units	Commands II Air Support Command III Air Support Command III Bomber Command III Fighter Command III Reconnaissance Command III Tactical Air Command Divisions III Tactical Air Division Wings 8th Fighter Wing 9th Fighter Wing 40th Bombardment Wing Groups Air Commando 2nd Air Commando 3rd Air Commando Bombardment 3rd Bombardment 12th Bombardment 17th Bombardment 21st Bombardment 29th Bombardment 30th Bombardment Group 38th Bombardment 44th Bombardment 46th Bombardment 47th Bombardment 85th Bombardment 88th Bombardment 90th Bombardment 91st Bombardment 92nd Bombardment 93rd Bombardment 94th Bombardment 95th Bombardment 97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment 100th Bombardment 309th Bombardment 310th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 319th Bombardment 320th Bombardment 321st Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 335th Bombardment 336th Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 396th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 411th Bombardment 416th Bombardment 417th Bombardment 418th Bombardment 451st Bombardment 454th Bombardment 463rd Bombardment 483rd Bombardment 488th Bombardment Fighter 20th Fighter 31st Fighter 49th Fighter 50th Fighter 53rd Fighter 54th Fighter 56th Fighter 59th Fighter 79th Fighter 80th Fighter 81st Fighter 84th Fighter 85th Fighter 311th Fighter 332nd Fighter 337th Fighter 338th Fighter 339th Fighter 361st Fighter 369th Fighter 372nd Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 408th Fighter 414th Fighter 506th Fighter Fighter-Bomber 27th Fighter-Bomber 48th Fighter-Bomber 86th Fighter-Bomber 406th Fighter-Bomber 407th Fighter-Bomber Reconnaissance 2d Reconnaissance 9th Reconnaissance 10th Reconnaissance 26th Reconnaissance 65th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 68th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance 70th Reconnaissance 75th Reconnaissance 77th Reconnaissance 423d Reconnaissance 424th Reconnaissance 426th Reconnaissance
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

v t e Current Military installations in Oklahoma
Army	Fort Fort Sill Arsenal McAlester
Air Force	Base Altus Kegelman Auxiliary Field Tinker Vance
Navy	Air station Tinker NAS
National Guard	Army Camp Gruber Air Tinker AFB Tulsa ANGB Will Rogers ANGB
Coast Guard	Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center

• Installations of the United States Air Force in Oklahoma
• 1951 establishments in Oklahoma
• 1968 disestablishments in Oklahoma
• Military installations established in 1951
• Military installations closed in 1968