The 4734th Air Defense Group is a discontinued
United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the
64th Air Division (AD) at
Thule Air Base, Greenland, where it was discontinued in 1958. The
group was formed in 1957 when ADC assumed responsibility for
air defense of Greenland from
Northeast Air Command. It controlled a
fighter-interceptor squadron at Thule and a
squadron operating a
radar at nearby Pingarsuak Mountain. It was discontinued in 1958 and its mission transferred to the 64th AD in Newfoundland.
History
The
group was organized in 1957 as a command and control organization at
Thule Air Base by
Air Defense Command (ADC) when ADC took over the atmospheric defense assets of the inactivating
Northeast Air Command (NEAC) at the base in 1957.[1] It was assigned to the 64th AD[1] to manage ADC
fighter and
radar units at Thule. Its
squadrons had both been assigned to the 64th AD when the division was a NEAC unit.[2][3] Its
74th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) flew
Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft.[4] The group was a tenant organization at Thule AB, a
Strategic Air Command base, whose 4083d Air Base Group was the host organization for the base.[5] The 4734th was discontinued[1] due to funding cutbacks[citation needed] in 1958, and its assets were assumed directly by the 64th AD,[2][3] with the establishment of Detachment 1, 64th AD at Thule.[6]
Lineage
Organized as 4734th Air Defense Group on 1 April 1957