BOMARC Site Locations
Back in 1952, ADC drafted its first deployment plan for the BOMARC system projecting 52 BOMABC Air Defense Missile Squadrons (ADMS). Later, ADC cut the number of planned BOMARC sites to 40 (with each site deploying 120 missiles) to accommodate the deployment of 53 Navy Talos missile squadrons. The shorter range Talos received serious consideration from ADC planners for complementing the BOMARC system. In November 1956, the Talos scheme was transferred to the Army, after Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson reaffirmed the Army's responsibility for point missile defense.
By this time, ADC had already been informed by Air Force Headquarters that deploying 120 missiles to each of the 40 launch sites would be too costly. ADC countered by recommending a reduction to 60 missiles per site. In January 1957, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) backed the ADC recommendation. However, over the next 2 years, Air Force Headquarters would whittle down the number of planned deployment sites to 29.
Congressional debate in 1959 over the viability of the Nike versus the BOMABC system as defense against Soviet ICBMs resulted in the House cutting funds for the BOMARC and the Senate cutting funds for the Nike program. With both services facing disaster, cooperation ensued and the services presented Congress a compromise Master Air Defense Plan that reduced the number of BOMARC sites to 18 (including 2 in Canada).
On March 23, 1960, Headquarters, Air Force announced that BOMARC deployment would, in effect, cease after the completion of eight United States sites and two Canadian sites.
BOMARC Deployment
Unit | Base | Model | Operational |
46th ADMS | McGuire AFB, NJ | A,B | 1959-1972 |
6th ADMS | Suffolk County AFB, NY | A | 1959-1964 |
26th ADMS | Otis AFB, MA | A,B | 1960-1972 |
30th ADMS | Dow AFB, ME | A | 1960-1964 |
22nd ADMS | Langley AFB, VA | A,B | 1960-1972 |
35th ADMS | Niagara Falls AFB, NY | B | 1961-1969 |
37th ADMS | Kincheloe AFB, MI | B | 1961-1972 |
74th ADMS | Duluth, MN | B | 1960-1972 |
In 1959, the Canadian Government acquired the IM-99B model for the Royal Canadian Air Force. The missiles were eventually deployed from 1962 to 1972 at bases located at North Bay, Ontario, and La Macaza, Quebec.