Active 1956–1966 Role Air Defense | Country United States Part of Air Defense Command | |
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Branch United States Air Force | ||
The Washington Air Defense Sector (WaADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command (ADC) 26th Air Division, being stationed at Fort Lee Air Force Station (AFS), Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966.
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History
WaADS was established in December 1956 as the 4625th Air Defense Wing. It was not assigned any units until 1958 when it assumed control of former ADC Eastern Air Defense Force units primarily in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Units of the 32d Air Division in North and South Carolina were transferred to WaADS in 1961 as the 26th Air Division area of responsibility expanded southward. The organization provided command and control over several aircraft, missile and radar squadrons.
On 1 February 1959 the new Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Direction Center (DC-04) became operational. 37°15′09″N 077°19′21″W DC-04 was equipped with dual AN/FSQ-7 Computers. The day-to-day operations of the command were to train and maintain tactical units flying jet interceptor aircraft (F-101 Voodoo; F-102 Delta Dagger; F-106 Delta Dart) or interceptor missiles (CIM-10 Bomarc) in a state of readiness with training missions and series of exercises with Strategic Air Command and other units simulating interceptions of incoming enemy aircraft.
The sector was eliminated on 1 April 1966 due to a general reorganization of Air Defense Command, most of its assigned units being reassigned to the 33d Air Division