Type Air Force Station Year built 1955 | In use 1955-1968 Controlled by United States Air Force | |
 | ||
Garrison 703d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron People also search for Port Isabel Air Force Station | ||
Texarkana Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-91, NORAD ID: Z-91) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east-northeast of Texarkana, Arkansas. It was closed in 1968.
Contents
History
Texarkana Air Force Station was part of the planned deployment by Air Defense Command of forty-four Mobile radar Texarkana across the United States to support the permanent Radar network established during the Cold War for air defense of the United States. In addition, it provided radar coverage for the Strategic Air Command base at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. This deployment had been projected to be operational by mid-1952. Funding, constant site changes, construction, and equipment delivery delayed deployment.
On 1 July 1955 the 703d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron began operations at Texarkana, 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.
By 1958 the 703rd was using AN/FPS-20 and AN/MPS-14 sets. In 1960 this site was also performing air traffic control duties for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). By 1966, the search radar was upgraded to an AN/FPS-91A set. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-91
The Air Force inactivated the 703rd on 8 September 1968 with the closure of Texarkana Air Force Station due to the perceived remote threat of an aircraft attack. Today it is used as part of Texarkana Regional Airport. Most USAF buildings are still intact.