| Cross City Air Force Station Cross City Army Airfield |
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|---|---|
| Part of Army Air Forces Center Air Defense Command |
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| Dixie County, near Cross City, Florida | |
1999 USGS photo |
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| Type | Long Range Radar Site |
| Coordinates | . |
| Location code | ADC ID: TM-200, NORAD ID: Z-200 |
| Built | 1942 |
| Built by | U.S. Air Force |
| In use | 1942-1969 |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | Cross City, Florida |
Cross City Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force Station that operated under Air Defense Command. It was located just outside Cross City, Florida. During World War II, it was active as a training base for AAF Tectical Center and Third Air Force.
A former Air Defense Command radar site It was closed in 1970 by the Air Force, and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Today it is part of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS), designated by NORAD as Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) Ground Equipment Facility J-10.
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The airport was opened as a public airfield in April, 1940. In August 1942, the facility was requisitioned by the United States Army Air Forces. Known as Cross City Army Airfield, it was used as part of the Army Air Forces Center (AAF Center)'s combat simulation school in Central and Northern Florida and as a unit training center by Third Air Force (3 AF).
Activated on 27 October 1942 as the AAF School of Applied Tactics and headquartered at Orlando Army Air Base, the AAF Center's mission was to develop tactics and techniques of aerial warfare and to establish technical and tactical proficiency requirements for combat units to effectively engage and defeat enemy air forces. This was done with a wide variety of aircraft, including heavy strategic bombers; tactical fighters; medium and light bombers; reconnaissance and dive bombers, based at different airfields of the school.
3 AF assigned the 305th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine), flying P-39 aircraft to the field on 21 October 1942.[1] In June 1943, this squadron was replaced by the AAF Center's 81st Fighter Squadron (Single Engine), flying P-40 Warhawks until 1 February 1944.[2]
3 AF returned, using the airfield as a training base for air commando units. It assigned squadrons of the 2d and 3d Air Commando Groups to Cross City, training with P-51 Mustangs, L-5s and other short field aricraft before deploying to India and Burma.[3] Commando units training at Cross City included:
The fighter units trained in gunnery, reconnaissance and field operations. With their departure, several liaison squadrons arrived for training, and Cross City AAF was reassigned to 3 AF's Dale Mabry Field near Tallahassee, Florida as a sub-base. The airfield was later transferred to the Air Technical Service Command on 1 February 1945 for closure.[4][5][6] After the war, the airfield was returned to civil control.
In 1958, the United States Air Force reestablished a presence on the airport under the operational control of Air Defense Command (ADC). The portion of the field used by ADC was renamed Cross City Air Force Station. The 691st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W Sq) moved from Dobbins AFB, Georgia[7] with an AN/FPS-20A search RADAR and a pair of AN/FPS-6A height-finder RADAR sets on 1 July, 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.
During 1959 Cross City AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to Direction Center DC-09 at Gunter AFB, Alabama. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 691st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 1959.[8] The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.
In 1962 the search radar was upgraded to an AN/FPS-66 radar, and then to an AN/FPS-66A in 1967. In addition to the general radar surveillance, Cross city AFS supported CIM-10 Bomarc antiaircraft missile testing by the 4751st Air Defense Missile Squadron at Eglin Auxiliary Field #9 (Hurlburt Field), Florida.
In addition to the main facility, Cross City operated two AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
On 1 April 1966 the Montgomery Air Defense Sector was replaced by the 32d Air Division. In 1969 one AN/FPS-6 was removed. The Air Force inactivated the 691st Radar Squadron on 30 September 1970[9] and closed the facility.[10]
Today what was Cross City Air Force Station is now the Florida Department of Corrections Cross City Correctional Institution. Access by the general public is not permitted. Many former Air Force buildings are utilized by the prison. The radar site is still used as part of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS).
Units:
Assignments:
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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