Information for Columbia Falls AFS, ME

Latitude: 44-47-12 N, Longitude: 067-47-42 W

Perm ID	Sage ID	JSS ID	Unit	Location	Early Equip.	Final Equip.	Oper. Date	Inact. Date	Notes
			776	Columbia Falls AFS, ME		AN/FPS-118 Rx	mid 1980's	Oct 1997 *	Transmitter site at Moscow AFS, and Operations at Bangor, ME. The 776th Radar Squadron was first used at Point Arena AFS, CA (Z-37).

Perm ID

Sage ID

JSS ID

Unit

Location

Early
Equip.

Final
Equip.

Oper.
Date

Inact.
Date

Notes

776

Columbia Falls AFS, ME

AN/FPS-118 Rx

mid 1980's

Oct 1997 *

Transmitter site at Moscow AFS, and Operations at Bangor, ME. The 776th Radar Squadron was first used at Point Arena AFS, CA (Z-37).

History of Columbia Falls AFS, ME

In the late 1970s GE Aerospace (Syracuse, NY) received a contract to build a prototype OTH-B radar system. A transmitter was built at Moscow AFS, and a receiver was constructed at Columbia Falls AFS. Testing of the prototype began in 1980. After two years of tests, GE Aerospace received a contract to expand the prototype into a full-scale model. Testing of the full-scale model began in 1988, and the Air Force accepted the site in 1990. The Operations center was placed at Bangor ANGB. All elements of the OTH-B are reportedly in cold-standby today.

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

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