Clear Air Force Station

Clear Air Force Station is a United States Air Force Station located 5 miles (8 km) south of Anderson, Alaska, USA, northeast of Mount McKinley, and southwest of Fairbanks. Its primary mission is to detect incoming ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Overview

Clear AFS is operated by the Alaska Air National Guard 213th Space Warning Squadron (213 SWS). The primary mission of is to provide Early Warning of Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs) and Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBMs) to the Missile Correlation Center (MCC) at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The secondary mission of Clear AFS is to provide Space Surveillance data on orbiting objects to the Air Force Space Command Space Control Center (SCC) also located in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Clear accomplishes these missions using the Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) radar.

History

Clear Air Force Station has a rich history with very humble beginnings. The area's first permanent landmark was the Alaska Railroad whose line from Anchorage to Fairbanks was completed in 1918. The land was purchased by the Department of the Interior in 1949. Alaska Air Command soon designated it Clear Air Force Auxiliary Field, part of Ladd Field, for use as a gunnery range.

1950s

In 1959, a strip of...
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