22d Air Defense Missile Squadron

The 22d Air Defense Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th Air Division of Aerospace Defense Command, stationed near Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where it was inactivated on 31 October 1972. The squadron was activated in 1959 and equipped with BOMARC missiles for the air defense of the area near its base.

22d Air Defense Missile Squadron
Langley BOMARC site, 1965
Active1959-1972
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
TypeSquadron
Rolesurface-to-air antiaircraft missile squadron
DecorationsAir Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
Patch with 22d Air Defense Missile Squadron emblem

History

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A 1965 photo of a squadron BOMARC missile elevated in its shelter

The squadron was activated at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia on 1 September 1959 as the 22d Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC)[1] and stood alert during the Cold War, equipped with IM-99 (later CIM-10) BOMARC surface to air antiaircraft missiles. The squadron was tied into the Washington Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center which used analog computers to process information from ground radars, picket ships and airborne aircraft[2] to accelerate the display of tracking data at the direction center to quickly direct the missile battery to engage hostile aircraft.[3] The 22d was inactivated on 31 October 1972.[1]

The BOMARC missile site was located 3 miles (4.8 km) west-northwest of Langley at 37°05′57″N 076°28′47″W / 37.09917°N 76.47972°W / 37.09917; -76.47972 (22d ADMS). Although geographically separated from the base, it received administrative and logistical support from Langley.

Lineage

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  • Constituted as the 22d Air Defense Missile Squadron on 10 July 1959
Activated on 1 September 1959
Inactivated on 31 October 1972[1]

Assignments

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Awards

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1 September 1963 – 28 February 1965[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Cornett & Johnson, p. 150
  2. ^ Winkler & Webster, p. 39
  3. ^ Winkler & Webster, p. 3
  4. ^ AF Pamphlet 900-2, 15 June 1971, p. 139

Bibliography

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  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  • Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  • Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies: The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. LCCN 97020912.[dead link]
  • "AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits" (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force Index. 15 June 1971. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
Further reading