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Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78)is a closedUnited States Air ForceGeneral Surveillance Radar station. It is located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) southeast ofNorth Texas Regional Airport,Texas.It was closed in 1971.
Perrin Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command(ADC) | |
  Perrin AFS Location of Perrin AFS, Texas | |
| Coordinates | 33°42′17″N096°38′54″W/ 33.70472°N 96.64833°W |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1964 |
| In use | 1964-1969 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
History
editFounded in 1941 as a training site for World War II pilots, Perrin Army Air Field was deactivated in 1946, but reopened as Perrin Air Force Base in April 1948. The base held jet pilot and survival training for flight crews through 1969.[1]Perrin Air Force Radar Station was established during the Korean War in 1952. 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. In 1962 operation of the radar site was transferred to Air Defense Command and Perrin Air Force Station was established as an annex ofDuncanville AFS,TX. It was equipped with anAN/FPS-20search radar and anAN/FPS-6height-finder radar. At the end of 1963, the site was performing duty as a joint-use facility for theFederal Aviation AdministrationandAir Defense Command.
In 1964 the745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadronrelocated to Perrin from Duncanville AFS after it was closed. Upon activation it was designated asRP-78,replacing the P-78 site at Duncanville. It was also designated as NORAD siteZ-78.Also in 1964 the search radar was upgraded to anAN/FPS-20A; in 1965, this radar was further upgraded to anAN/FPS-66.
The 745th AC&W Squadron was inactivated on 30 September 1969 and Perrin AFS was closed on 30 June 1971[2]due to a draw-down of ADC and budget constraints. Today the former radar site is used by small businesses in the area.
Air Force units and assignments
editUnits:
- 745th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Assigned 1 July 1964
- Inactivated on 30 September 1969
Assignments:
- Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector,1 July 1964
- 31st Air Division,1 April 1966 – 30 September 1969
See also
editReferences
edit
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency
Notes
edit- ^"Abandoned Texas military forts, bases, and airfields".Retrieved16 August2023.
- ^"Our History - Perrin AFB - North Texas Regional Airport".Retrieved6 June2023.
Bibliography
edit- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Winkler, David F. (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.
- Information for Perrin AFS, TX