Finley Air Force Station Finley Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station . It is located west - northwest of Finley , North Dakota . It was closed in 1979 by the Air Force , and turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) . Today the site is part of the Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) , designated by NORAD as Western Air Defense Sector ( WADS ) Ground Equipment Facility . History . Finley Air Force Station was part of the last batch of twenty - three radar stations constructed as part of the Air Defense Command permanent network . It was activated in April 1951 , and declared completely operational in late 1952 , and initially the station functioned as a Ground control intercept ( GCI ) and warning station . As a GCI station , the squadron ' s role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit ' s radar scopes . The 785th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron began operations with an AN / FPS - 3 search radar and AN / FPS - 4 from the site in April 1952 . In 1957 an AN / FPS - 6 replaced the AN / FPS - 4 height - finder radar , and an AN / FPS - 8 search radar saw brief service . At the end of 1958 this site was operating an AN / FPS - 20 radar . A second height - finder ( AN / FPS - 6 B ? ) was added during 1959 . At the end of 1959 Finley AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment ( SAGE ) system , initially feeding data to DC - 20 at Malmstrom AFB , Montana . After joining , the squadron was redesignated as the 785th Radar Squadron ( SAGE ) on 15 January 1960 . SAGE data was switched to DC - 10 at Duluth AFS , Minnesota in 1963 . The radar squadron provided information 24 / 7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range , direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile . In 1962 Finley operated an AN / FPS - 35 search radar plus AN / FPS - 6 and AN / FPS - 90 height - finder radars . The AN / FPS - 6 was removed in 1969 . Over the years , the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars . In addition to the main facility , Finley operated four unmanned AN / FPS - 14 ( P - 29A / B ) and AN / FPS - 18 ( P - 29C / D ) Gap Filler sites : The Ground to Air Transmitter - Receiver ( GATR ) facility was located off - station at , roughly one mile northwest of the main station . Over the years , the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars . The site was transferred to the Tactical Air Command in October 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command , being assigned to ADTAC . The 785th Radar Squadron ( SAGE ) was inactivated , and radar operations at Finley AFS ( Z - 29 ) ceased , on 30 December 1979 when a new Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) was activated at the former GATR site about a mile to the northwest . The new Finley JSS site ( Z - 303 / J - 75 ) began operations with an FAA ARSR - 3 search radar and an Air Force AN / FPS - 116 height - finder radar ( removed c . 1988 ) . That site now operates an ARSR - 4 . The main station equipment , buildings , fixtures , furnishings , and land was auctioned off in public auction on 9 July 2000 . It is now being demolished . Air Force units and assignments . Assignments . Commanders