# Boston Air Defense Sector

The Boston Air Defense Sector (BADS) is an inactive United States Air Force Air Defense Command (ADC) organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division at Hancock Field, New York.

## History

BADS was established in 1956 at Stewart Air Force Base (AFB), New York as the 4622nd Air Defense Wing pending completion of the new Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Direction Center (DC-02) and Combat Center (CC-04) which became operational 15 September 1958. DC-02 was equipped with dual AN/FSQ-7 Computers. Early in 1957, the wing was redesignated as the Boston Air Defense Sector.
The mission of the BADS was to provide air defense over New England initially in an area covering southern Maine, southern New Hampshire, southern Vermont, Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island and Connecticut and part of New York. The day-to-day operations of the command were to train and maintain tactical units flying jet interceptor aircraft (North American F-86 Sabre, Northrop F-89 Scorpion, Lockheed F-94 Starfire, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter) and operating radars and interceptor missiles (Boeing CIM-10 Bomarc) in a state of readiness with training missions and series of exercises with Strategic Air Command and other units simulating interceptions of incoming enemy aircraft. From 1960 to 1962, BADS was also responsible for a squadron in Nova Scotia that controlled interceptors "manually" (by voice instructions rather than by data link).
The Otis Bomarc SAMs (26th ADMS) were directed from the Air Defense Direction Center (CC-01/DC-03) at Hancock Air Force Base, Syracuse, New York. Continental Air Defense Command, in setting up the air defence command and control system in the area, had designated the Boston Air Defense Sector as 1 of 4 sectors in the 26th Air Division "effective April 1, 1958" DC-03 was operational on 1 December 1958; and the division was the 1st operational in the SAGE Air Defense Network — 1 January 1959 (CC-01 was the "first SAGE regional battle post", beginning operations "in early 1959".)
The Sector was moved on paper to Hancock Field, New York and was eliminated on 1 April 1966 due to a general reorganization of ADC. Most of its assigned units were reassigned to the 34th or 35th Air Divisions.

## Lineage

* Designated as the 4622d Air Defense Wing, SAGE on 1 April 1956 and organized
    Redesignated as Boston Air Defense Sector on 8 January 1957
    Discontinued and inactivated on 1 April 1966

### Assignments

* Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 April 1956 – 18 October 1956
* 26th Air Division, 18 October 1956 – 1 October 1966

### Stations

* Stewart AFB, New York, 1 April 1956 – 1 April 1966
* Hancock Field, New York, 1 April 1966 – 1 April 1966

### Components
#### Wings

* 33d Fighter Wing (Air Defense)
    Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 8 January - 18 August 1957

#### Groups

* 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense)
    Stewart AFB, New York, 18 October 1956 – 1 August 1959
* 4729th Air Defense Group
    Westover AFB, Massachusetts, 1 July 1957 – 30 April 1958
* 4735th Air Defense Group
    Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 18 August 1957 – 1 September 1959

#### Missile squadron

* 26th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC)
    Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 1 March 1959 – 1 April 1966