Ground Equipment Facility J-31

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This article is about a former SAGE radar station that followed several other Los Angeles Cold War stations. For the 1950-2[1] Lashup L-43 radar station, see Fort MacArthur. For the 1952-61 RBS radar station, see Los Angeles Bomb Plot. For the 1955-74 Nike radar networks (e.g., Ft MacArthur's LA-43 RCDC), see Los Angeles Defense Area.
San Pedro Hill Air Force Station
Part of
1961-1968: Airdefensecommand-logo.jpgAir Defense Command
1968-1979: USAF - Aerospace Defense Command.pngAerospace Defense Command
San Pedro Hill, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
(highest elevation of the Palos Verdes Hills)[2]
San Pedro JSS site California.jpg
San Pedro Hill AFS in 1988.
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
1.2 miles (1.9 km) southeast of Rolling Hills[2]
Type USAF General Surveillance Radar Station
Code RP-39: 1950 ADC permanent network[1]
Z-39: 1963 July 31 NORAD network
J-31: 1983 Joint Surveillance System
Site information
Controlled by 1960-79: USAF 670th Radar Squadron
1979-97: Federal Aviation Administration
Condition radar site of Los Angeles ARTCC
Site history
In use 1960-1979

Ground Equipment Facility J-31 (San Pedro Hill Air Force Station during the Cold War) is a Joint Surveillance System radar site of the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) and the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control radar network [1] for the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center. The facility's Air Route Surveillance Radar Model 1E with an ATCBI-6 beacon interrogator system are operated by the FAA[3] and provide sector data to North American Aerospace Defense Command. The site provided Semi-Automatic Ground Environment data to the 1959-66 Norton AFB Direction Center for the USAF Los Angeles Air Defense Sector. The site also provided Project Nike data to the 1960-74 Fort MacArthur Direction Center ~3 mi (4.8 km) away for the smaller US Army Los Angeles Defense Area[4]—as well as gap-filler[specify] radar coverage for the 1963-74 Integrated Fire Control area of Malibu Nike battery LA-78 on San Vicente Mountain.[5]

History

The "ADC/FAA joint-use facility" began operations in 1961 with an FAA ARSR-1C radar.[1] After the April 1, 1961, move of the 670th Radar Squadron (SAGE)--formerly the 670th AC&W Squadron—from San Clemente Island Air Force Station, the Los Angeles Air Defense Sector was activated June 1.[6] The squadron was assigned to the "Fort MacArthur AI"[6] (Army Installation) and operated the San Pedro Hill radars which included a General Electric AN/FPS-6B Radar and an Avco AN/FPS-26 Radar for height finding. In 1964, the station's Westinghouse AN/FPS-27 Radar was installed (removed 1969) and the AN/FPS-6B was modified to an AN/FPS-90.[citation needed] In April 1976 the squadron was redesignated Detachment 1 of Luke AFB's 26th Air Defense Squadron[6] (the AN/FPS-26A was removed in this time frame).[citation needed]

The radar station with 18 military & 5 civilians was planned for transfer after the 1978 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.[7] After the station transferred to the FAA when Aerospace Defense Command was inactivated, the Air Force continued to operate the AN/FPS-90 height-finder by then modified to an AN/FPS-116 (removed c. 1988).[8] In the late 1990s, the Air Force terminated the data-tie at San Pedro Hill and established a data-tie with the new Navy-installed ARSR-4 radar at San Clemente Island's Mount Thirst. The Raytheon ARSR-1E Radar at San Pedro Hill was in use by November 2010.[3]

External images
image icon 1970s w/ 2 radomes & empty pedestal
image icon San Pedro AN/FPS-116
image icon 2005 FAA image w/ 2 radomes

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 compiled by Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ [specify] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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