1980's Depot History

The Depot began evolving into its present state by the 1980s and early 1990s. New facilities and modernization projects, such as the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System-Plus were constructed. Letterkenny’s mission became three fold; supply, maintenance and ammunition.



In 1981 the Future Missions and Concepts Office (FMCO) was established to concentrate on the acquisition of new missions for the Depot.



In 1983, work from Paladin, Phased Array Tracking to Intercept Of Target (PATRIOT) and HAWK made Letterkenny a Center for Technical Excellence. Letterkenny was the single largest repair center for HAWK system. The Depot also received two new missions; the Sparrow, radar guided air-to-air missile and the Improved Sidewinder, an infrared guided air-to-air missile.



Environmental issues continued to be in the forefront for the Depot’s leadership. Letterkenny became the first DoD installation in Pennsylvania to come to an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the PA Department of Environmental Resources on the details of cleaning up contaminated water and soil. A “pump and treat” system was installed in 1989, and continues to operate cleaning contaminates from the groundwater in the northeast industrial area of the Depot.