Along with its assignment under SWC, Kirtland AFB received a related air defense mission for Air Defense Command (ADC). Also at this time, the responsibility for biological and chemical research and testing-which had been established at Kirtland during the tenure of SWC-was transferred to Eglin AFB, Edwards AFB, and Holloman AFB. In June 1949, Kirtland AFB became host to one of the earliest alert Air Defense Command fighter interceptor wings created for air defense of the U.S., the 81st Fighter Wing, which had been established in May 1948 at Wheeler AFB, Hawaii. Kirtland housed an ADC Air Defense Detection Center (ADDC) which would then alert the Fighter-Interceptor squadrons and the Air Defense Control Center (ADCC) for unknown aircraft intrusions in ADC monitored airspace. A single ADCC controlled multiple FISs for its air defense jurisdiction. Along with the ADCC at KAFB was a corresponding ADDC. On 25 April 1950, KAFB became HQ for the newly created 34th Air Division (Defense). The following summer (June 1949), the assigned organizations of KAFB were again redesignated, by General Order No. 52, HQ, AMC.

In response to the explosion of a Soviet atomic bomb in the fall of 1949, and following the U.S.’s new military strategy of deterrence, in December 1949 the Special Weapons Command (SWC), a USAF Major Command, was established to develop and test atomic weapons. It was subsequently reduced to an operating agency level, losing its major command status, and was incorporated within the framework of the new Air Research and Development Command (ARDC), which had been established in September 1950 as a major command devoted to R&D. In tandem with its hosting of HQ 34th Air Division (Defense), Kirtland began hosting a subordinate Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) radar station in 1950. The 690th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron in charge of the station was supported, at the outset of the mission, directly on base in temporary Jamesway huts-round Quonset-hut type structures. According to Kirtland monthly histories, during that period, as new types of aircraft were acquired by the USAF, they were flown to Kirtland to undergo modifications and fly missions related to their incorporation into the special weapons arena.

These modifications and weapons marriage occurred at Kirtland under the HQ Squadron 3170th Special Weapons Group. The 93d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron took the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing’s place at Kirtland and was attached to the Albuquerque Air Defense Sector in the same month. For example, directorate scientists accompanied AFSWC’s 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) during nuclear cloud samplings taken at atmospheric tests in the Pacific and in Nevada. AFSWC’s Research Directorate became a focal point for USAF research in nuclear matters and advanced weaponry. In the mid-1950s, the AFSWC’s Development Directorate began work on atomic warhead installations in guided missile weapons and the development of warhead support equipment. By 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission had substantially increased both the quantity and variety of nuclear weapons, requiring Special Weapons Command to engage in R&D work and expand its test support activities. At Culligan of Charlotte we go to great lengths to test your water, inspect your plumbing, and ask questions about your family’s water needs to make sure you’re happy with your Culligan water from day one. The AFSWC would track all of this new development for USAF use and drop test the new weapon designs. Learn lots more about toilets and water use by visiting the links on the next page.

Mould, bacteria, poor ventilation, VOCs, dust, and more can all have serious effects on even the healthiest of lungs; people suffering from chronic conditions like asthma and lung diseases are at an even greater risk. In more extreme climates, engineers may also install a heating system in an adjacent building or the valve pit to introduce heated water or steam into the base of the riser, ensuring the heat rises into the tank to prevent freezing. The 81st Fighter Wing was redesignated the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing in January 1950, flew the F-86A Sabre Jet day fighter and was responsible for defense of the areas around LASL and Sandia Base. The 93d FIS employed the F-86A Sabre jet, the USAF’s first swept-wing jet designed as a high-altitude day fighter, was on ready alert, and was continually training to increase its combat efficiency. The A300 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner that was introduced in 1974. It holds the distinction of being the first twin-engine wide-body airliner in the world. The XB-47 Stratojet, the first U.S. In July 1950 Kirtland was one of only 14 priority FIS locations in the continental U.S.