786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
Official crest of the 786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
Active	March 1951–July 1979
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Size	appx. 250 military personnel at peak operation
Part of	Air Defense Command see "Assignments" section below
Garrison/HQ	Minot Air Force Station
Equipment	see "Equipment" section below
Decorations	see "Lineage and honors" section below

The 786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (786 AC&W) was stationed at Minot Air Force Station, North Dakota, initially as part of the Pinetree Line.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Background of name 2 Mission 3 Operations 4 Lineage and honors 4.1 Service streamers 4.2 Campaign streamers 4.3 Armed forces expeditionary streamers 4.4 Decorations 4.5 Awards 5 Emblem 5.1 Description 5.2 Significance 5.3 Approval date 6 Assignments 7 Stations 8 Equipment 9 Commanders 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

The 786th was part of the last twenty-three stations constructed as part of the "permanent network". When completely operational in 1952, the permanent network had seventy-five sites.

[edit] Background of name

[edit] Mission

To guard against a Soviet threat from the north.

[edit] Operations

[edit] Lineage and honors

Constituted on 30 March 1951; Activated on 20 May 1951; Reallocated under the manual radar network on April 1952; Reallocated under the SAGE network on July 1961; Redesignated on 15 July 1961–15 August 1963 as 786th Radar Squadron (SAGE); Redesignated c. August 1963 as 786th Radar Squadron; Deactivated on 1 July 1979; Disestablished c. September 1979.

[edit] Service streamers

This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:

none

[edit] Campaign streamers

This unit earned the following organizational campaign streamers:

none

[edit] Armed forces expeditionary streamers

This unit earned the following organizational expeditionary streamers:

none

[edit] Decorations

This unit earned the following organizational decorations:

none

[edit] Awards

[edit] Emblem

[edit] Description

On a medium blue shield edged black, a black silhouetted map of the United States, bordered white, surmounted in the chief area of the shield by a black silhouetted radome edged white; an arrow piercing the radome, a radar scope on lower part of radome and two silhouetted aircraft in northwest and southeast corners respectively of the map, all white, details black.

[edit] Significance

The emblem is symbolic of the Aircraft Control and Warning Mission in that electronic detection is indicated by the lightning bolt through the radome; surveillance and control is represented by the radar scope and aircraft and the map of the United States represents the Squadron's constant vigilance in safe-guarding our nation.

[edit] Approval date

emblem approved for use: 16 November 1956

[edit] Assignments

543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 20 May 1951–February 1952; 31st Air Division, February 1952–February 1953; 29th Air Division, February 1953–January 1961; Minot Air Defense Sector, January 1961–July 1961; Great Falls Air Defense Sector, June 1963–April 1966; 28th Air Division, April 1966–November 1969; 24th Air Division, November 1969–29 September 1979.

[edit] Stations

Velva Air Force Station (later, Minot Air Force Station), North Dakota, 20 May 1951.

SAGE GATR at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

786 AC&W Components and Stations

Designation	Location	Equipment	Operational	Purpose	Notes
P-28 / Z-28	Minot AFS, ND	FPS-3/-20/-66; FPS-5; GPS-3; FPS-6; FPS-6B (FPS-90); FPS-27; FPS-26A	April 1952–July 1979	Main site
P-28A	Niobe, ND	FPS-14	October 1957–June 1968	GFA	Site is located on what is called Little Butte, elevation 2482 ft
P-28B	Newton, ND			GFA	In original ADC plans, but never was built
P-28C	Washburn, ND			GFA	In original ADC plans, but never was built
P-28D	Regan, ND	FPS-18	June 1959–June 1968	GFA
TM-177B / P-28E	Alexander, ND	FPS-18	December 1960–December 1967	GFA	Per the USACE FUDS report, this GFA was reassigned to Minot AFS (Z-28) after Dickinson AFS (Z-177) closed in 1965 The GFA site is now home to the Watford City JSS (ARSR-4) LRRS (Z-300/J-76)
R-19 / DC-19 / CC-†	Minot AFB, ND	AN/FSQ-7 (AN/FSQ-8 cancelled)	June 1961–May 1963	GATR / SAGE SDC / SAGE CC	Minot Air Defense Sector (MiADS)

"DC" prefix designation = SAGE Direction Center

"P" prefix designation = Pinetree

"TM" prefix designation = Third Mobile

"Z" prefix designation = SAGE LRRS

ADC 

Adjacent Direction Center

CC 

Control Center

GATR 

Ground to Air Transmitter-Receiver

GFA 

Gap Filler Annex

JSS 

Joint Surveillance System

LRSS 

Long Range Radar Site

SDC 

Sector Direction Center

† SAGE CC blockhouse was constructed but equipment was never installed due to budget cuts. The blockhouse was also the only 2-story SAGE CC blockhouse built.

[edit] Equipment

AN/FPS-3 search, April 1951–1958; AN/FPS-5 search, April 1951–1958; AN/GPS-3 search, 1957; AN/TPS-10D height-finder, 1957; AN/FPS-20 search (replacing AN/FPS-3), 1958–1961; AN/FPS-6 height-finder (replacing AN/FPS-5), 1958; AN/FPS-6B height-finder, 1959–1964; AN/FPS-66 search (replacing AN/FPS-20), 1961–1965; AN/FPS-26A height-finder, 1964; AN/FPS-6 removed, 1964; AN/FPS-90 height-finder (modified AN/FPS-6B), 1964; AN/FPS-27 search (replacing AN/FPS-66), 1965;

[edit] Commanders

Major Robert Friend: 20 May 1951–26 December 1951; Major James Larson: 26 December 1951; Major Leroy Holen: unknown–14 March 1952; Major Edward Stauffer: 14 March 1952–16 April 1955; Major Halvden W. Thompson: 16 April 1955–8 June 1955; Major Leonard J. Schaitel: 8 June 1955–26 July 1957; Major George A. Middleton: 26 July 1957–1960; Major I. D. (Israel) Siegel: c. 1960; Major A. J. Rantal: c. 1960; Major Jacob F. Stevens: c. 1963; Major Fred E. Small: c. 1964–1966; Major Neal C. Brigham: c. 1966; Major Raymond L. Graham: c. 1967–2 January 1971; Major Gordon S. Bounds: c. 1971–1972; Major H. L. Dent: c. 1972–20 July 1974; Major Joseph R. Cox: c. 1974; Major Bruce Smith: c. 1978; Captain Ronald K. Trihart: c. 1979;

[edit] References

• Winkler, David Frank (1997). Searching the skies : the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program, Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA: Headquarters Air Combat Command. LCCN 97-20912. 

[edit] External links

• 786th AC&W Squadron
• Online Air Defense Radar Museum
• Peterson Air and Space Museum