Las Cruces Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
Las Cruces Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-95) is a closed United States Air Force
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 12.1 miles (19.5 km) west-southwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico
. It was closed in 1963.
for air defense of the United States. This deployment had been projected to be operational by mid-1952. Funding, constant site changes, construction, and equipment delivery delayed deployment.
The 685th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
was assigned to Las Cruces AFS by the 34th Air Division on 1 December 1954. The site consisted of 25 buildings, five barracks, 27 family housing units and several maintenance buildings. It was manned by eighteen officers and 208 airmen and NCOs. Facilities included a station theater, where films were shown four nights a week; an NCO club (soft drinks and beer only, no spirits were sold); a Library; a volleyball and badminton court; a swimming pool and a ping pong table and a baseball diamond. A small BX was available with limited goods and a small dispensary.
By 1955, the Squadron began operating an AN/MPS-7 radar at this site, 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. Over the next two years equipment additions and deletions included AN/MPS-8, AN/TPS-1D, and AN/MPS-14 radars. In 1958 the AN/MPS-8 and the AN/TPS-1D were retired.
In addition to the main facility, Las Cruces operated several AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
By 1961 the 685th was operating AN/FPS-20 search and AN/MPS-14 height-finder radars, and the AN/MPS-7 was retired. In March 1963 the Air Force ordered the site to shut down; operations ceased 1 August 1963. The site was turned over to the General Services Administration in August 1964 and was sold to private individuals in April 1965.
Today, most of the station remains intact and in relatively good condition. It is used as the Dona Ana County Fairgrounds and speedway.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 12.1 miles (19.5 km) west-southwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. It was closed in 1963.
History
Las Cruces Air Force Station was established as part of the planned deployment by Air Defense Command of forty-four Mobile radar stations across the United States to support the permanent Radar network established during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
for air defense of the United States. This deployment had been projected to be operational by mid-1952. Funding, constant site changes, construction, and equipment delivery delayed deployment.
The 685th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
685th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
The 685th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Las Cruces Air Force Station, New Mexico...
was assigned to Las Cruces AFS by the 34th Air Division on 1 December 1954. The site consisted of 25 buildings, five barracks, 27 family housing units and several maintenance buildings. It was manned by eighteen officers and 208 airmen and NCOs. Facilities included a station theater, where films were shown four nights a week; an NCO club (soft drinks and beer only, no spirits were sold); a Library; a volleyball and badminton court; a swimming pool and a ping pong table and a baseball diamond. A small BX was available with limited goods and a small dispensary.
By 1955, the Squadron began operating an AN/MPS-7 radar at this site, 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. Over the next two years equipment additions and deletions included AN/MPS-8, AN/TPS-1D, and AN/MPS-14 radars. In 1958 the AN/MPS-8 and the AN/TPS-1D were retired.
In addition to the main facility, Las Cruces operated several AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
- El Paso, TX (M-95A): 31°49′33"N 105°59′20"W
- Columbus, NM (M-95B): 31°47′56"N 107°44′03"W
- Sierra Blanca, TX (M-95E): 31°41′53"N 105°22′57"W
- Gage, NM (M-95G): 32°12′26"N 108°07′35"W
By 1961 the 685th was operating AN/FPS-20 search and AN/MPS-14 height-finder radars, and the AN/MPS-7 was retired. In March 1963 the Air Force ordered the site to shut down; operations ceased 1 August 1963. The site was turned over to the General Services Administration in August 1964 and was sold to private individuals in April 1965.
Today, most of the station remains intact and in relatively good condition. It is used as the Dona Ana County Fairgrounds and speedway.