Ashland Radar Station was a United States Air Force station located in Ashland, Maine operational from around 1980 to 1990. Sitting on 6.59 acres (2.67 ha), it was built as a permanent replacement to the nearby Louis Blotner Radar Bomb Scoring Site.
History
The station was constructed along route "IR-800", which was designated in 1981. Detachment 7 moved southwest to the new Ashland Radar Station south of Ashland, Maine. The Ashland Strategic Training Range eventually included an AN/MPS-T1 and Multiple Threat Emitter System (MUTES) and in 1985, Det 7 was awarded the Combat Skyspot trophy. It was closed in 1990 at the end of the Cold War.
The site Detachment 7 was a temporary radar site until August 1975. I was the first one to check in at this site. At that time we had two radars AN/MPS9 and an AN/ MSQ46 primary mission was Radar BomB Scoring and Electronic Warfare . Both B52's from Griffins AFB and Loring and FB111's from Plattsburgh AFB and Loring AFB were our primary customers. Later Equipment included an OA 215, MST-T1, MSQ 77, MPST1, MSR-T4 and a TPQ43. At the end of the Cold War 1994. Twice we received the Combat Skyspot Trophy. During my time there we had three FB-111s go down. They were all out of Plattsburgh AFB in NY. 4 out of te 6 crew members survived. Sadly two passed away as they were entering the IR800 just off the coast of Maine. Det 7 was a SAC unit under the sun command of the 1st Combat Evaluation Group, later under the Air Combat Command ACC/ 99ECRG.