Information for Ajo AFS, Luke-Williams Range, AZ

Latitude: 32-25-52 N, Longitude: 112-56-42 W

Perm ID	Sage ID	Unit	Location	Early Equip.	Final Equip.	Oper. Date	Inact. Date	Notes
TM-181	Z-181	612	Ajo AFS, Luke-Williams Range, AZ	FPS-20; FPS-7C; FPS-6A; FPS-26	FPS-7C; FPS-6A; FPS-26	1959	31-Dec-69	Site located on top of Childs Mountain, about 3 miles north of town. A new ARSR-4 has been constructed at the original Ajo Air Force Station site.
M-92B, TM-181B	Z-181B		Covered Wells, AZ	FPS-18		Dec-59	Dec-60	Gap-Filler Annex. Also known as Quijotoa. Building is still extant. Located adjacent to SR 86 (on south side), about 12 miles west of town.
TM-181A; SM-162B			Horn, AZ **	(FPS-14 first planned, then FPS-18)				Gap-Filler Annex. ** In early ADC plans, but never was built. FUDS report exists, though, suggesting that land might have been procured. Might have been used as a relay station (?). 1955 CONAD History document lists site as SM162B.

Perm ID

Sage ID

JSS ID

Unit

Location

Early
Equip.

Final
Equip.

Oper.
Date

Inact.
Date

Notes

TM-181

Z-181

612

Ajo AFS, Luke-Williams Range, AZ

FPS-20; FPS-7C; FPS-6A; FPS-26

FPS-7C; FPS-6A; FPS-26

1959

31-Dec-69

Site located on top of Childs Mountain, about 3 miles north of town. A new ARSR-4 has been constructed at the original Ajo Air Force Station site.

M-92B, TM-181B

Z-181B

Covered Wells, AZ

FPS-18

Dec-59

Dec-60

Gap-Filler Annex. Also known as Quijotoa. Building is still extant. Located adjacent to SR 86 (on south side), about 12 miles west of town.

TM-181A; SM-162B

Horn, AZ **

(FPS-14 first planned, then FPS-18)

Gap-Filler Annex. ** In early ADC plans, but never was built. FUDS report exists, though, suggesting that land might have been procured. Might have been used as a relay station (?). 1955 CONAD History document lists site as SM162B.

History of Ajo AFS, Luke-Williams Range, AZ

Construction costs came to approximately $7.4 million for 100 structures located within housing, cantonment, operations, ground-air transmitter-receiver (GATR) areas. This site became active in 1959. At that time, the 612th AC&W Squadron operated AN/FPS-20A and AN/FPS-6 sets. In 1961 Luke-Williams Range / Ajo AFS became a SAGE site. By 1963 an AN/FPS-7C had assumed search duties, and height-finder radar chores were being performed by AN/FPS-6A and AN/FPS-26 radars. The 612th was deactivated on December 31,1969. Housing units were moved to Gila Bend, and the remaining buildings were abandoned. A minimal Air Force and FAA presence was kept to operate some instrumentation and radio-signal relay equipment. The radar site has since re-opened as a JSS facility (J-29A) operating an ARSR-4 radar.

References: "Searching the Skies"; misc. ADCOM documents; eyewitness accounts.

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