Armstrong, Ontario

914^th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
(ADC) Armstrong, Ontario, Canada

Wilfred A Hafner, Major, USAF

AN/FPS-3C Prime Search Radar; AN/FPS-502 Medium Power, Medium Range Search Radar (Back-up); AN/TPS-502 Height Finder; AN/GPA-30 Video Mapper; AN/VPX-6 Interrogator Responder (IFF); AN/GPX-501 IFF AN/FPS-502; AN/GPX-7 IFF AN/FPS-3; AN/EPS-T2 Target Reproducer; AN/UPS-T5 Target Simulator; AN/GPA-37 Jamming Simulator; NE-612 Telephone Central Office; 2 each TT/F6 Teletypewriter.

Situation:

On 4 Dec 1957, the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved a "Plan for Phase 1 of the Evaluation of ECM Effectiveness". Reference (SM-856-57)

Test to be conducted in the general area of 37^th Air Division, with support from the 30^th and 31^st Air Divisions.

914^th Squadron, Armstrong, Ontario, Canada, was assigned as a Prime Radar Site in support of above.

Objectives:

Survey Squadron and determine what additional needs we might have to support a mission of the magnitude indicated above. Result – request three additional scopes, two skilled or expert directors, Dickie-fix for Counter Electronic Measures, a newer height finder. Obtained two OA-99 scopes and two skilled controllers.

Pick and train a "first" or "Tiger" team to train and handle the WSEG mission. This team was formed as per 37^th AD instructions and was composed of the best qualified personnel assigned to the operations section. The first team concept is still employed for large missions.

Mission Training:

Prior to the WSEG element test the 37^th AD conducted two concentrated training periods known as Phase I and Phase II.

Each phase was for a period of 15 days.

Large numbers of target aircraft was employed. No target information was available for defending forces.

Operations Plan 2-58, 37^th AD, dated 18 April 1958, was the "Bible" for all defending forces.

During these training missions the "faker" forces used the deceptive tactics used by the BADF Tactical Evaluation Team.

The 914^th Squadron was able to maintain an average of over 70% of MA’s to intercepts attempted.

WSEG Element List:

During the seven week period of the actual WSEG test period this squadron attempted 15 intercepts with 12 MA’s with a final average of 80%.

Conclusions:

From the results of training and the actual WSEG test, it is apparent that the present operational procedures are in general adequate for large work loads and that after a brief learning period, system performance steadily improves as training opportunities increase.

Wilfred A Hafner, Major, USAF