Request: Current Northwest US and Canadian Air defense units

[LeZerp]

Hi!

Does anyone have any info on the composition of all USAF and CAF interceptor units and their bases, along with all NORAD radars and any SAM sites in the Northwest of America (Alaska, British Columbia and Washington area)?

I'm looking to build a modern version of "Detect, Deter and Defend"

Cheers,
Morten

[Gunner98]

You can check out 4 Wing at Cold Lake Alberta (the name is very appropriate), http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/4-wing/index.page

They have Forward operating bases up north and the radar line etc are indicated on this map. http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/assets ... 013-hr.jpg

I believe that each F-18 Sqn (409 & 410 at Cold Lake, 425 & 439 at Bagotville) routinely put a '6-Pack' at each of the FOL's at various states of alert, also into Comox and Goose Bay on the coasts.

They just ran an intercept of a couple Bear's last week out of Inuvik


B

[LeZerp]

Cool, thanks!

I'll look into it

[LeZerp]

I did some poking around on Google maps, and had a look at the FOLs and other bases locations listed on the map you posted the link to, and it looks like RCAF have placed something like alert shelters for 4 to 6 aircraft on many of the airports, including:

Inuvik, Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit, Goose Bay and Comox

This is becoming interesting all in itself

[Gunner98]

Yes, they went up in the 80's. I've seen a couple of them from the outside, they have pre-positioned tooling and spairs, quarters etc. I suspect that they would easily accomodate the 6 CF-18's that are tasked to deploy to each one, doubt if there is room for spairs as they are only about 3-5 hrs flight from the main bases. They occupy them fairly often, my suspission is more than a couple times a year each for a few days. I think they send up a ground crew via Hurc to warm up the bunks a day or so in advance, but am not sure on that.

B

[Randomizer]

CFB Comox has had alert facilities for decades, they used to house the nuclear AIR-2B equipped CF-101B Voodoos of 409 Squadron from 1965 until 1984. Now the base has only transport, rescue and LRMP full time but you frequently see CF-18's there and I have seen them in the alert shelters on the occasional visit to the base.

-C

[Gunner98]

I think that the same can be said for Yellowknife and Goose Bay. Rankin, Iqaluit and Inuvik are the 'relatively' new ones, they went up because of the Hornet's short(ish) range and the loss of the Voodoo squadrons.

Randomizer - I have an idea for a scenario and am interested in your thoughts. The CF-18 replaced the complete fleet of CF-101 Voodoos, CF-104 Starfighters and CF-5 Freedom Ftrs's, totaling over 400 airframes. They technically replaced the CF-100 as well but those were well into the obsolite stage by then. My thought is to test this in a purely fictional scenario: 1984 - 98 CF-18's (the other 40 were B's and focused on training), vs the complete fleets of the Voodoo's, Starfighters and Freedom Ftrs. Give both sides AAW and ASuW tasks and see if quality beats quantity.

Just for sh*&^ts & giggles but might be fun.


B

[Randomizer]

Gunner98 - Interseting idea, am pretty sure that we kept the Voodoo and Starfighter in service well past their "Best Before" dates but suspect that if you give them tasks applicable to their era and designed role they should do reasonably well. Intercepting TU-22M's with the CF-101B or CF-104 low-level ground attack vs. GSFG air defences from the mid-eighties might end less than happy. The little CF-5's probably had some remaining service life as trainers but I had thought that other than utility and EW training the Clunk was largely gone by the early seventies.

Looking forward to CMANO simulating lob-toss bombing, my understanding is that this was the preferred attack profile for the Starfighter's autumn of service in West Germany.

-C

[LeZerp]

Another Question: Have you got any info on Canadian Air Defense Radar sites? - I gather the DEW line has been deactivated, but does that mean that the north 'coast' is unguarded? - or is it covered by ATC radars?

[Randomizer]

ORIGINAL: LeZerp

Another Question: Have you got any info on Canadian Air Defense Radar sites? - I gather the DEW line has been deactivated, but does that mean that the north 'coast' is unguarded? - or is it covered by ATC radars?

Google's your friend.

DND North Warning System

Wikipedia Entry with Locations

The CMANO Cold War Database has all of the DEW Line and Mid-Canada Line sites for import into a scenario, don't know off hand whether they also live in the DB-3000 but imagine that they're probably somewhere. If not there are many DEW Line resources on the Net.

Planning an attack out of the Arctic?

-C

[LeZerp]

Cool, thanks Randomizer!

Your google-fu is mightier than mine

I'm researching a 2014 version of Deter, Detect, Defend, and possibly also a 1989-ish version. - Or almost: I want to stop short of the nuking of Vancouver - But I thought a Russian strike to the NORAD defences as a "Stern Political Message to stay out of our business" wouldn't be completely of of the realm of the vaguely plausible

I'm looking to making it playable from both sides

[warshipbuilder]

nuking of Vancouver

Bad idea, nuke Toronto instead. That way you will get 95% of Canada willing to help you.[:D]

[Rudd]

All "SRR" sites I looked at (10-15) have multiple radomes, anybody know which height finder is used in conjunction with the AN/FPS-124?

[Broncepulido]

Perhaps the other domes are not on use, or only for communications.
Perhaps FPS-124 is employed solo.
More historical data here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAGE_radar_stations

[Broncepulido]

Because short range and few height capability is clearly only a gap filler:
http://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/an-fps-124.htm