Radar Control Center

12/14/2014 4 albums Share: Facebook , Twitter , Google+ Album RSS

The US Air Force Radar Control Center was responsible for radar defense against air attacks. Aircraft control and warning were the primary functions of the site until 1959 when it was modernized for SAGE (semi-automatic ground environment) system operations. SAGE could perform complex computations and display visually in seconds on scopes, the air defense picture in the area of its responsibility. Fighter groups could then assign weapons to intercept intruders, or when used with missile systems SAGE could transmit all necessary information to successfully fire missiles in the direction of the target. The Missile Master system was installed in 1960 and was an electronic firing system for coordinating the use of Army Nike missile batteries.

"I was the Air Force electronics maintenance officer from Nov 1965 to Dec 1967. My office was in the building with the mural.I hate to disappoint folks, but there were no underground facilities at all a Lockport AFS. They might be thinking of the Nike firing batteries (Cambria, Grand Island. Lancaster in my days -- Nov 65 to Dec 67), which did have missiles stored underground, but I, as an Air Force person, was not a part of that. In my building, and we managed the whole radar operations and maintenance activity, which, before my time, included weapons controllers and operators and radar scopes in the room with the mural. They would direct the intercepts/control the fighters to identify and destroy enemy aircraft. In my days we just provided radar data to headquarters in Battle Creek Michigan who would have the weapon controllers, etc., so the room with the mural was a meeting/training room. My office was the room with the eagle and 76 painted on it, but of course in 1965 it was not painted that way. " - Vince Burolla

Historic images courtesy of Vince Burolla.