The
Bangor Air Defense Sector was organized in January 1957 at
Topsham Air Force Station, Maine and assigned to the
32nd Air Division, located at
Syracuse Air Force Station, New York. However, it was not initially assigned any operational units. On 15 August 1958, the 32nd Air Division was inactivated At the same time, the sector assumed command of
air defense units in its area of responsibility that had been assigned directly to 32nd Air Division. The active duty fighter units were augmented by
Air National Guard units of the
101st Air Defense Wing located at
Dow Air Force Base, Maine;
Grenier Field, New Hampshire, and
Ethan Allen Air Force Base, Vermont. These squadrons operated the
Northrop F-89 Scorpion and
North American F-86 Sabre, with one squadron later upgrading to the F-102. On 1 March 1959 the sector's new
Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center (DC-05) became operational. DC-05 was equipped with dual
AN/FSQ-7 Computers. As the sector's aircraft control and warning squadrons entered the SAGE system that year, their controllers were centralized in the sector direction center and the squadrons were redesignated radar squadrons. The sector's
672d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at
Barrington Air Station in Canada did not convert, but was transferred to
Boston Air Defense Sector the following year. In addition to its assigned units, the sector's direction center also controlled
Army air defense systems, interfacing with the Army's
AN/FSG-1 Missile Master control system. The sector added a
surface to air missile unit in June 1959, when the
30th Air Defense Missile Squadron was activated at
Dow Air Force Base, Maine, although the squadron would not be operational until the following year. The following month, the 23rd Fighter Group was inactivated when
Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine was transferred from
Air Defense Command (ADC) to
Strategic Air Command. In October, the
27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron moved to
Loring Air Force Base, Maine from
Griffiss Air Force Base, New York and was assigned to the sector. In 1962, ADC adjusted the sector area of responsibility, which resulted in the transfer of the 654th, 764th, 765th and 911th Radar Squadrons to the Boston Air Defense Sector. This reduced the sector's area of responsibility in the United States to only a portion of Maine. Although the sector remained assigned to the 26th Air Division, it was operationally controlled through the Northern
NORAD Region in Canada. In 1964, the Air Force phased the
Boeing CIM-10A BOMARC out of the air defense system. As a result, the 30th Air Defense Missile Squadron was inactivated on 15 December.
Lineage • Designated as the
Bangor Air Defense Sector and organized on 8 January 1957 : Inactivated on 1 April 1966 :
Brunswick Air Force Station (P-13),Maine • 672d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 15 August 1958 – 1 July 1960 : Saint Albans Air Force Station (P-14), Vermont • 765th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 765th Radar Squadron (SAGE)), 15 August 1958 – 1 August 1962 : Charleston Air Force Station (P-65), : Bucks Harbor Air Force Station] (M-110) (later P-80), • 4626th Support Squadron, SAGE 15 July 1959 – 1 April 1966 ==See also==