As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.

During 1961 Fortuna AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-20 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

Fortuna was incorporated into BUIC I, a manual back-up interceptor control system implemented in 1962.

BUIC I provided limited command and control capability in the event the SAGE system was disabled.

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.

After this "salvage", the site was forfeited to Divide County over a valuation dispute[citation needed], and now sits half-demolished, useless as a facility, and abandoned.

The Ground to Air Transmitter-Receiver (GATR) facility was located off-station at 48°53′05″N 103°53′03″W / 48.88472°N 103.88417°W / 48.88472; -103.88417, roughly one mile south of the main station.

Download coordinates as: This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Further Reading