Grand Forks Air Force Base

By Lt. Col. George A. Larson USAF (Ret.)

In February 1952, the Air Force announced its plans to build Grand Forks Air Force Base to support Strategic Air Command bombers and tankers as well as Air Defense Command fighter-interceptors. On February 8, 1957, Air Defense Command activated the 486th Fighter Group on Grand Forks Air Force Base. In December 1957, the Air Force activated the Grand Forks Air Defense System of the North American Air Defense Command. This sector became operational with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system to cover the air space of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota and one Canadian province (Manitoba). The first Boeing B-52H Stratofortress arrived on April 29, 1962. In 1983, the B-52Hs were replaced with B-52Gs, and on December 4, 1986, B-52Gs departed the base, replaced by B-1B Lancers in 1987. The 321st Strategic Missile Wing became operational to administrate, man, and operate the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in December 1966. The Air Force made the formal announcement that it would remove 150 Minuteman III ICBMs with the inactivation of the 321st on July 2, 1998. After that, the Detachment 1, 9th Reconnaissance Wing arrived with the Global Hawk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jan 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781439668788

Lt. Col. George A. Larson USAF (Ret.)

Lt. Col. George A. Larson, USAF (Ret.), served 22.5 years as an intelligence officer. He is a military and aviation historian writer who has published numerous books and hundreds of magazine articles.

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INTRODUCTION

During the early 1950s, as the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union continued and appeared to be heading toward a nuclear confrontation, the US Air Force released information that it planned to build an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor squadron base in eastern North Dakota. The Department of Defense selected Grand Forks AFB as a site for a new Air Defense Command installation in 1954, and citizens of the city of Grand Forks donated funds toward the purchase of 5,400 acres 15 miles west of the city. Grand Forks is located in the drainage area of the Red River Valley, near the forks of the Red Lake River and Red River to the north. Because of the junction of the two rivers, Grand Forks has suffered periodic flooding, sometimes surviving disaster by support from volunteers from Grand Forks AFB. Contractors began construction of the base on September 1, 1955, and it was named on December 1, 1955. Runway construction started on February 5, 1962, originally planned to be 12,350 feet. During that same month, the Air Force announced it planned to build up Grand Forks AFB to support Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers and tankers as well as Air Defense Command fighter-interceptors. An interesting part of this air defense from the base at Grand Forks was the civilian Ground Observer Corps, prior to the building and operation of radar sites.

On February 8, 1957, the Air Defense Command activated the 486th Fighter Group on Grand Forks AFB. The fighter group served as host unit for a fighter-interceptor squadron, Air Defense Sector operations, and SAC units. In December 1957, the Air Force activated the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector of the North American Air Defense Command. This sector became operational with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system to cover air space of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was the most ambitious computer design and implementation project undertaken by the US military in the early 1950s. The project required the expertise of over 800 programmers and technicians to complete and implement, and resulted in the construction of 23 hardened bunkers at strategic locations around the United States (including North Dakota at Minot Air Force Base and Grand Forks AFB), with one additional bunker in Canada. The centers were designed to detect atomic weapon–carrying Russian long-range bombers and guide US fighter-interceptors, supported by surface to air missiles, to stop them. The computers used vacuum tubes, state-of-the-art computer design in 1963. Grand Forks AFB was also part of the manned fighter-interceptor commitment to the aerial defense of the northern United States from 1957 to 1974, under the responsibility of the 478th Fighter Group. It flew the supersonic F-101B Voodoo interceptor to provide fast interception of any unidentified aerial targets detected by area radar sites reporting to its four-story concrete SAGE blockhouse. In the 1960s, especially leading up to and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fear of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union was considered likely.

In the meantime, SAC activated the 4133rd Strategic Wing (Provisional) as a tenant unit on Grand Forks AFB on September 1, 1959. SAC organized the 905th Air Refueling Squadron (Heavy) on February 1, 1960. The 905th Air Refueling Squadron received its first Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker on May 6, 1960. On May 1, Air Defense Command transferred the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron with its McDonnelll F-101 Voodoos from Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, to Grand Forks. On December 28, 1960, Air Defense Command activated the 478th Fighter Wing, Air Defense, replacing the 478th Fighter Group. Besides operating the base, the 478th Fighter Wing controlled F-101 operations of the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.

On January 1, 1962, SAC transferred the 30th Bombardment Squadron from Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, to Grand Forks AFB, assigning it to the 4133rd Strategic Wing. The 30th Bombardment Squadron received its first Boeing B-52H Stratofortress on April 29, 1962. On February 1, 1963, SAC organized the 319th Bombardment Wing on Grand Forks. The 319th Bombardment Wing replaced the inactivated 4133rd Strategic Wing. SAC assigned the 905th Air Refueling Squadron and 46th Bomb Squadron to the 319th Bombardment Wing. The 30th Bombardment Squadron was inactivated on the same day, with Air Defense Command handing over command and control of the base to SAC. The Air Force inactivated the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector and 478th Fighter Wing in 1963. Despite the change of operational command and control, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron continued to operate on Grand Forks. From July 1, 1963, to October 21, 1964, the 219th Bombardment Wing took over the responsibilities as host unit on the base.

Numerous organizational changes occurred on Grand Forks AFB during 1964. SAC activated the 840th Combat Support Group to assume duties as the host unit on August 19 and stationed the 4th Air Division on the base. On September 1, SAC activated the Strategic Aerospace Division on Grand Forks. In November, SAC organized the 321st Strategic Missile Wing while construction started on the Minuteman