Hi all,
I just returned from a monthly staff meeting at the Peterson AFB Museum here in Colorado Springs. The website manager discussed the "Galaxy of Stars" section of the site and stated he was hoping that many more submissions would be made. He asked that the "word" be put out. So I'm asking you. It's painless, no expense, no commitment, open to all ranks - officer and enlisted, all specialties, no matter what or where the job held in Air Defense, whether a single tour or retired.
The website for the Museum is www.petemuseum.org . The Galaxy of Stars is along the left column. I've included the portion that goes directly to the Galaxy of Stars. http://www.galaxyofstars.org/ When on this, site click on "Become a Member" in left column and follow the instructions. You can make it as brief or all encompassing as you wish, picture or not. Even if you don't want to become a member, thanks for passing the word.
Pass the word to everyone you know that may have supported air defense in one way or another. If you forward this email, please delete the included addressees before forwarding. I'm doing my part in passing the "word" so I hope that the response will be great. Thanks to those who have already submitted their bio.

Regards,

Dave Austin,
CMSgt (Ret)

Does anyone know of a Don or Glenn Bailey who was at Columbus, Ms. AFB 1954-55

602 AC &W GIEBELSTADT,GERMANY 64-66

I was in the USAF from May 58 to June 62.
I was stationed at Truex Field SAGE both Direction, and Combat Centers
Then went to Santa Rosa Island with the 669th
then to McCellan AFB with the 965th AEW&C
Is there any chance of get copies of Rosters of Santa Rosa 1961 and/or 965th 1982.
I do have some photos I could donate (copies)

Assigned to Sioux Lookout Radar Sqdn 1958 & 1959 Medical Tech

All 656th Radar Squadron Vets...

Planning is underway for a reunion of all Saratoga Air Force Station veterans to be held in Saratoga Springs, NY in September 2012. Check our updated website from time-to-time for the latest information.

http://mdougherty.net/reunion_656/reunion.htm

The website contains a roster of over 250 Saratoga AFS veterans. A guestbook and a "Then and Now" photo album is also available.

I was stationed at Caswell afs in 66 and 67 also stationed at Empire 67 and 68.

I sure did not realize how good a time I was haveing till it was over.

Neat site. Speaking of sites, was stationed at 780th Fotuna N.D., 801st, Great Falls Mt. !958-1962. It was great duty, I was at Fotuna for two years 58-60, and Great Falls 660-62.

The missile defense radar to be sited in Turkey is an AN/TPY-2 X-Band radar used more for discrimination than detection and tracking. The old AC&W radars operated in the L-Band and S-Band, totally insufficient for the resolution needed. That is what was one of the things that was humorous about showing an old AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar, which operated in the S-Band, as a missile defense radar which will operate in the X-Band.

I was a radar operator at Site Y3 in Morocco JAN 1960 to JAN 1961. I hope that a reunion for that group, or for all of the Sites in Morocco or even all of the Sites in North Africa in the 1960s will be put together before we are all gone.

Bill Goswick
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lee Davenport Dies at 95; Developed Battlefront Radar:

New York Times obit link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/01davenport.html

Author of "Invention that Changed the World" eulogizes, link:

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2011/10/03/lee-davenport-a-technological-hero-dies-at-95-here-are-his-7-rules-for-fostering-innovation/

I think the quote from I.I. Rabi is true. It goes something like this, "We could have won World War II without the atomic bomb. We could not have won it without radar."

Re: FPS-6 and current events

The 1987 novel "Flight of the Old Dog," about a modified B-52 raid into the Soviet Union was about the aircraft as old but tried and true technology. Thus the title. A good part of what made it interesting was the technological detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Old_Dog

Now, one can imagine a similar reinvention of old SAGE stuff but, say, geared toward modern times. After all, on 9/11, turning off transponders allowed the bad guys to disappear.

I've always wondered what the old sets could see in terms of "stealth," plus the false stuff out there about it's "stealth" or nothing, as though jamming or countermeasures did not exist, not to mention anti-radiation missiles.

The following would have implications for American air defense.

From the New York Times, Sat., Oct. 8;

At the Zhuhai air show in southeastern China last November, Chinese companies startled some Americans by unveiling 25 different models of remotely controlled aircraft and showing video animation of a missile-armed drone taking out an armored vehicle and attacking a United States aircraft carrier.

The presentation appeared to be more marketing hype than military threat; the event is China?s biggest aviation market, drawing both Chinese and foreign military buyers. But it was stark evidence that the United States? near monopoly on armed drones was coming to an end, with far-reaching consequences for American security, international law and the future of warfare.

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/sunday-review/coming-soon-the-drone-arms-race.html?ref=opinion

No argument from me on the attributes of the AN/FPS-6 family of AC&W height-finder radars. Its altitude-determining accuracy was way better than that of today's 3-D radars (e.g., AN/FPS-117 and ARSR-4). I just found it humorous that a photo of an AN/FPS-6 would be used in a story about modern missile defense radar -- there is no resemblance whatsoever.

Tom:

It's hard to improve on perfection. That old 6 was a dog, but it worked great!

Preum, Germany 1963-1965
Neu Ulm, Germany 1966-1970

An article dated 14 Sep 2011 about the NATO missile-defense radar to be sited in Turkey is found on-line.
The link is: http://penzanews.ru/en/opinion/50505-2011
Interestingly, the radar that is actually pictured is an AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar!