Washington Air Defense Sector

The Washington Air Defense Sector (WaADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command (ADC) 26th Air Division, being stationed at Fort Lee Air Force Station (AFS), Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966.

Washington Air Defense Sector
Emblem of the Washington Air Defense Sector
Active1956–1966
CountryUnited States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleAir Defense
Part ofAir Defense Command
482d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Convair F-102A-90-CO Delta Dagger 57-823, Washington Air Defense Sector, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, October 1962, Deployed at Homestead AFB, Florida during Cuban Missile Crisis
Map of Washington D.C. ADS

History

WaADS was established in December 1956 as the 4625th Air Defense Wing.[1] It was not assigned any units until 1958 when it assumed control of former ADC Eastern Air Defense Force units primarily in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.[2] Units of the 32d Air Division in North and South Carolina were transferred to WaADS in 1961 as the 26th Air Division area of responsibility expanded southward.[3] The organization provided command and control over several aircraft, missile and radar squadrons.

On 1 February 1959 the new Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Direction Center (DC-04) became operational. 37°15′09″N 077°19′21″W DC-04 was equipped with dual AN/FSQ-7 Computers. The day-to-day operations of the command were to train and maintain tactical units flying jet interceptor aircraft (F-101 Voodoo; F-102 Delta Dagger; F-106 Delta Dart) or interceptor missiles (CIM-10 Bomarc) in a state of readiness with training missions and series of exercises with Strategic Air Command and other units simulating interceptions of incoming enemy aircraft.

The sector was eliminated on 1 April 1966 due to a general reorganization of Air Defense Command, most of its assigned units being reassigned to the 33d Air Division

Lineage
  • Designated as 4625th Air Defense Wing, SAGE and organized on 1 December 1956
Redesignated Washington Air Defense Sector on 8 January 1957
Discontinued and inactivated on 1 April 1966

Assignments
  • 85th Air Division, 1 December 1956
  • 26th Air Division, 1 September 1958 – 1 April 1966

Stations
  • Fort Lee AFS, Virginia, 1 December 1956 – 1 April 1966

Interceptor squadrons
Langley Air Force Base (AFB), Virginia, 1 September 1958 - 1 April 1966
Andrews AFB, Maryland, 1 September 1958 - 1 July 1963
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, 1 July 1961 - 1 April 1966
Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 1 July 1961 - 1 October 1965

Missile squadron
Langley AFB, Virginia, 1 September 1959 - 1 April 1966

Radar squadrons

Weapons Systems
  • F-101B 1961-1966
  • F-102A, 1958-1965
  • F-106A, 1959-1966
  • IM-99 (later CIM-10), 1959-1966

See also

Notes
  1. 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. p. 65.
  2. Cornett & Johnson, p. 31 (Map)
  3. Abstract, History of 26th Air Div, Jan-Jun 1961 (accessed 6 Feb 2012)
  4. Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 209. ISBN 0-405-12194-6.
  5. Cornett & Johnson, p. 116
  6. Maurer, p. 318
  7. Cornett & Johnson, p. 121
  8. Maurer, p. 550
  9. Cornett & Johnson, p. 128
  10. Maurer, p. 580
  11. Cornett & Johnson, p. 129
  12. Cornett & Johnson, p. 150
  13. Cornett & Johnson, p. 154
  14. Cornett & Johnson, p. 157
  15. Cornett & Johnson, p. 162
  16. Cornett & Johnson, p. 166
  17. Cornett & Johnson, p. 170

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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