1952

Special Weapons Center Established, Kirtland AFB

The Special Weapons Center replaced the Air Force Special Weapons Command as an R&D center, which had been located at Kirtland AFB. Mission: Develop and test nuclear and other special weapons, including systems components and delivery systems; also responsible for detecting atmospheric nuclear tests as well as those conducted in space. Worked closely with the 4925th Special Weapons Group, later the 4925th Test Group (Atomic), and the 4925th Test Group (Nuclear), and its 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) to collect radiation samples from atomic tests.