- Almaden Air Force Station
Infobox Military Structure
name=Almaden Air Force Station
partof=Aerospace Defense Command
location=Mount Umunhum
coordinates=coord|37|09|38|N|121|53|51|W|type:landmark|display=inline|format=dms
code=
built=1957
builder=
materials=chri
height=
used=1958 -1980
demolished=
condition=
ownership=
open_to_public=
controlledby=
garrison=
current_commander=
commanders=
occupants=
battles=
events=Almaden Air Force Station was a
US Air Force early warningradar base in operation from1958 to1980 . Located on the summit ofMount Umunhum in theSanta Cruz Mountains , the station is a few miles south of San Jose,California and sits about 3,486 feet (1062 m) aboveAlmaden Valley . The station was constructed in1957 to keep watch overNorthern California 'sairspace as part of theNORAD defense system. A GATR (Ground Air Transmitter Receiver) was located about a mile (1.5 km) away onMount Thayer . The station was manned by the682nd Radar Squadron , and at its peak housed about 120 people in eighty four buildings. The Air Force Station was closed down in 1980, and in1986 it was acquired by the MROSD (Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District ). The base is now a part of theSierra Azul Open Space Preserve although it is not yet open to the public because of environmental hazards (asbestos andlead -based paint). The MROSD estimates it will take aboutUS$ 2 million to clean up the base for public use.External links
* [http://www.jaber.net/AAFS-Reunion-2008/ Almaden Air Force Station Reunion 2008 (October 2008)]
* [http://www.jaber.net/umunhum/ Almaden Air Force Station Reunion Tour of 2006]
* [http://www.radomes.org/museum/scripts/acwinfo2x.cgi?site=%22Almaden+AFS,+CA%22&key=AlmadenAFSCA&pic=AlmadenAFSCA&doc=AlmadenAFSCA Online Air Defense Radar Museum - Info about Almaden AFS]
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