Kamloops, BC

1961 - Historical Record - Anonymous

RCS: AU-D5

HISTORICAL RECORD

of the

825th AC&W Squadron

for the period ending

31 March 1961

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

1 Unit and Location

825th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Kamloops, BC, Canada

2 Name and grade of Commander

John H. Farrar, Major

3 Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)

825th AC&W Squadron, Kamloops, BC, Canada
Spokane Air Defense Sector, Larson Air Force Base, Washington
25th Air Division (SAGE), McChord Air Force Base, Washington
Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington 25, DC

4 Subordinate Units (Down to and including squadrons)

Not Applicable

5 Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)

Maintain radar surveillance, assign appropriate track numbers and report surveillance information to Spokane Air Defense Sector Direction Center (SPADS DC) for identification and action. Exercise control of allocated interceptors. Report results of tactical action. Lateral tell to adjacent stations and provide all possible navigational assistance to aircraft in distress.

6 Personnel

	Officers	Airmen	Civilians	Total
Assigned	13	156	20	189
Attached	1	2	0	3

7 Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)

AN/FPS-3A, AN/FPS-6, AN/FPS-6B

Section II

COMMENTARY

Organization and Planning:

During the period of the report, there have been no significant changes in the overall evaluation of the organization.

There has been no change in mission, though the possibility of a change making this unit responsible for battle coordination between the Canadian sites within the sector is likely within the next quarter. There have been no significant manning changes, though the status of director manning may create a problem in the next quarter.

Construction of the GATR building is nearly completed except for the APU room which is held up awaiting delivery of the diesel unit and electrical equipment. The foundation of the SAGE Annex building is complete and erection of the walls is continuing. There is, however, no current electrical power program for this building; it is anticipated that next quarter planning will include this program. The TELCO building was started and should be ready for acceptance early in the next fiscal year.

Captain Jimmy Hicks assumed duty as Operations Officer for the squadron relieving Captain Jack C Riddle on 27 March 1961.

Surveillance and Detection Network:

Generally, the operation of the radar system throughout this period has been adequate with the exception of the AN/FPS-6B. Limited acceptance of the AN/FPS-6B was made during the period; excessive clutter due to the radome is still a problem. TO modification 31P3-2FPS6-524 to the 1P-188 was received and installed during the period, significantly increasing the range and height capability of the AN/FPS-6.

There were 17 hours and 55 minutes of Red time on the search equipment during the period. Primary reason for outage were power surges causing resultant component failures, however, red time did not significantly influence accomplishment of the mission.

Combat Operations:

There were five operational exercises during the period. Four of these were 25th NORAD Region Exercises and one was an ADC/NORAD ORI Mission. A total of thirty-four faker aircraft were carried by this station. During these exercises a total of thirty-one fighter commitments were made, resulting in twenty-five MAs and six MIs.

A total of 286 training intercepts were conducted during the period and this is considered quite satisfactory for director and associated technician proficiency training.

Fifteen STM exercises were conducted during the period. By category, they were as follows: three category 1, eight category 1A, and four category III.

The unit was found excellent as a result of 25 ADIV Tactical Evaluation in January. The unit was found unsatisfactory during the ADC/NORAD Operational Readiness Inspection and as a result a Spokane Air Defense Sector staff assistance visit was conducted during the last week of March to resolve mutual operational problems and deficiencies.

Miscellaneous:

Training of RCAF Auxiliary units is no longer a requirement of this unit as both of the auxiliary RCAF Squadrons previously trained have been disbanded.

Captain Daniel G Corcoran and 1st Lt. Jack S Wilkinson were awarded the Commendation medals for which they were submitted during the previous reporting period.