Cape Cod Air Force Station

Cape Cod Air Force Station is a U.S. Air Force station located in the northwest corner of Joint Base Cape Cod, United States, on Flatrock Hill in Massachusetts. It consists of one PAVE PAWS radar station and is in continuous operation.

Cape Cod Air Force Station
Part of Joint Base Cape Cod
Near Sagamore, Massachusetts in the United States of America
Aerial view of Cape Cod Air Force Station during the mid-1980s
Cape Cod AFS
Shown in United States
Coordinates41°45′12″N 70°32′19″W
TypeUS Air Force Station
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUnited States Air Force
Controlled byAir Force Space Command (AFSPC)
ConditionOperational
Radar typeAN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS (Phased Array Warning System)
Site history
Built1976 (1976)–1980
In use1980 – present
Garrison information
Occupants6th Space Warning Squadron

Construction began on Oct. 26, 1976. The facility became operational April 4, 1980, as Cape Cod Missile Early Warning Station, but was renamed Cape Cod Air Force Station on January 5, 1982.[1]

The facility became home to the 6th Space Warning Squadron after the closure of the North Truro Air Force Station in North Truro, Massachusetts.

Mission
PAVE PAWS and BMEWS coverage

Its main mission is to track space debris, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It also tracked the spy satellite USA-193 before it was shot down. Its secondary mission is tracking Earth-orbiting objects such as the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, any object that deviates from its known orbit, or any new orbiting objects.

Units
  • Radar screen for the PAVE PAWS at Cape Cod AFS, 1986.
  • Computer room for PAVE PAWS at Cape Cod AFS, 1986. Note the four large hard disk units in the foreground.
  • The entrance to the station

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. United States Air Force. 6th Space Warning Squadron fact sheet Archived March 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 1, 2008.
  2. Global Security: 6th SWS
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