: ''See 46th Bomb Squadron for the Strategic Air Command squadron'' The 22nd Attack Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

unit assigned to the

432d Wing The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles. The group operates unmanne ...

Air Combat Command at

Creech Air Force Base Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." ...

near

Indian Springs, Nevada Indian Springs is an unincorporated town and a census-designated place located on U.S. Route 95 next to Creech Air Force Base in northwestern Clark County and southern Nevada. The population was 991 at the 2010 census. History The community wa ...

. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper

Unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

s. It has been in active service on five occasions, and saw combat service in the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

History

World War II

The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

was first activated at

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

, California in January 1941 as the 46th Bombardment Squadron, one of the three original squadrons of the 41st Bombardment Group. The squadron moved to Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona and trained there with

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company ...

s. Following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, the squadron moved to Muroc Bombing Range and conducted

antisubmarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

patrols off the Pacific Coast from bases in California until the summer of 1942.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 97-98 The squadron moved to the Atlantic Coast in July 1942 and its air echelon was attached to

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...

in October and continued its patrols in this area. The squadron formally joined Antisubmarine Command in March 1943, when it became the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) equipped with B-24''. In June, 1943 the air echelon moved to England, conducting operations over the Bay of Biscay. The ground echelon remained in the United States and was inactivated in October 1943 as US Navy assumed the antisubmarine mission. The squadron assisted in the transition until the air echelon was disbanded in November. Antisubmarine patrol flights were conducted in the squadron's assigned areas, producing a situation map that was continuously updated with enemy and friendly forces, convoys, and other pertinent information. The antisubmarine patrols also produced an enemy dispersion chart showing the disposition of all known enemy submarines in the entire Atlantic area.

Vietnam War

The 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron (Light) was organized at

Binh Thuy Air Base Binh Thuy Air Base (also known as Can Tho Air Base and Trà Nóc Air Base) was a United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' ...

, South Vietnam, on 8 May 1965. It provided aircrews in Vietnam to direct air strikes for tactical aircraft operating within the Tactical Air Control System. Visual reconnaissance, convoy escort, and other missions were conducted as directed by the Tactical Air Commander, and aircraft and maintenance were provided in support of these operations within IV Corps, South Vietnam, as directed by

Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

. The squadron provided aircraft and personnel in support of the Theater Indoctrination School, and field and transient maintenance support of USAF aircraft at Binh Thuy Air Base. The 22nd operated the

Cessna O-1 Bird Dog The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...

aircraft, 1965–1971; and the

Cessna O-2 Skymaster The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. Design and develo ...

aircraft, 1967–1971. In January 1970, 22nd TASS completed the turn over of all its forward operating locations in IV Corps and handed its mission of supporting the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in IV Corps to the

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

(RVNAF). It relocated its headquarters to Bien Hoa Air Base in III Corps. 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron, also based at Bien Hoa, transferred to 22nd TASS all the personnel, aircraft and other equipment supporting ARVN forces in III Corps. 19th TASS retained for itself the assets supporting the American ground forces in the region. Within a year, 22nd TASS completed in III Corps the task it had accomplished in IV Corps. It turned over control of all the forward operating locations and the mission of supporting ARVN forces based in III Corps to the RVNAF. On 15 January 1971, the remaining personnel and other resources of the 22d were absorbed by the 19th TASS, and the 22d was unmanned and non-operational until it transferred W/O/P/E to

Wheeler Air Force Base Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a cen ...

, Hawaii, on 15 May 1971. Over the course of the war, the 22d suffered four killed in action. Aircraft losses were 13 O-1s and three O-2s.Hobson, p. 253.

Hawaii service

At Wheeler the 22d, using the Cessna O-2, organized, trained, and equipped assigned personnel to provide the Air Force Component Commander with a joint force, capable of operating and maintaining a tactical air support subsystem for ground forces requiring close air support, tactical air reconnaissance and tactical airlift. The squadron also provided Direct Air Support Center and Tactical Air Control Party personnel and equipment to support US Army units in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. During 1982, the 22d participated in a number of exercises and prepared plans for conversion to the

North American OV-10 Bronco The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a f ...

. Converted to the OV-10 aircraft, August–October 1983. Supported U.S. Army on the ground with TACPs creating a network which provided the Army with immediate air support and, in the air, with OV-10 forward air control support. Participated in numerous exercises with US and allied army ground units throughout the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. It was inactivated on 22 September 1988. It was then redesignated 22d Tactical Air Support Training Squadron on 1 October 1988 and reactivated on 14 October 1988. Its inactivation was on 30 September 1991.

Lineage

; 22d Antisubmarine Squadron * Constituted as the 46th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated: 22d Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 3 March 1943 : Disbanded on 11 November 1943 * Reconstituted and consolidated with the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron on 19 September 1985 ; 22d Attack Squadron * Constituted as the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron, Light and activated on 26 April 1965 (not organized) : Organized on 8 May 1965 * Consolidated with the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Inactivated on 22 September 1988 * Redesignated 22d Tactical Air Support Training Squadron on 1 October 1988 : Activated on 14 October 1988 : Inactivated on 30 September 1991 * Redesignated 22d Reconnaissance Squadron : Activated on 10 September 2012 : Redesignated 22d Attack Squadron on 15 May 2016

Assignments

* 41st Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941 (air echelon attached to Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command on 13 October 1942, to 25th Antisubmarine Wing after 20 November 1942) * Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, 3 March 1943 (remained attached to 25th Antisubmarine Wing) * 25th Antisubmarine Wing, 8 March 1943 *

479th Antisubmarine Group The 479th Antisubmarine Group was a group of the United States Army Air Forces. Throughout its existence it was assigned to the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. It was last based at RAF Podington, England. It was inactivated on 11 November ...

, 14 August-11 November 1943 *

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

, 26 April 1965 (not organized) *

2d Air Division The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 ...

, 8 May 1965 * 505th Tactical Control Group, 8 November 1965 *

504th Tactical Air Support Group The 504th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated as the 504th Tactical Air Support Group in 1966 for service during the Vietnam War, and was reactivated in 2009 for service i ...

, 8 December 1966 * 5th Tactical Control Group, 15 May 1971 * 6486th Air Base Wing, 30 September 1971 *

15th Air Base Wing 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious nu ...

, 1 November 1971 * 326th Air Division, 4 April 1980 – 22 September 1988 * 602d Tactical Air Control Wing, 14 October 1988 – 30 September 1991 * 732d Operations Group, 10 September 2012 – present

Stations

* March Field, California, 15 January 1941 * Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 18 May 1941 * Muroc Bombing Range, California, 10 December 1941 *

Hammer Field Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military/public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It o ...

, California, 26 February 1942 *

Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...

, California, 9 May 1942 * Hammer Field, California, 3 July 1942 * Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, 28 August 1942 * Bluethenthal Field, North Carolina, 9 April 1943 *

RAF Dunkeswell The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(Station 173),Station number in Anderson. England, 20 August 1943 (air echelon) : Ground echelon remained at Bluethenthal Field until September 1943, then moved to

Salt Lake City Army Air Base Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-min ...

, Utah, where it was inactivated on 30 October 1943 *

RAF Podington Royal Air Force (RAF) Podington is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, station in northern Bedfordshire, England, south-east of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. History Podington airfield was originally built between 1940 and ...

(Station 109), England, 1–11 November 1943 (air echelon) *

, South Vietnam, 8 May 1965 * Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, 15 January 1970 * Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, 15 May 1971 – 22 September 1988 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 14 October 1988 - 30 September 1991 *

, Nevada, 10 September 2012 – present

Aircraft

* Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1941–1942 *

Lockheed A-29 Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...

, 1942–1943 * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1943 *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

, 1943 *

Lockheed B-34 Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

, 1943 * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943 *

, 1965–1971 *

, 1967–1971; 1971–1983 *

, 1983–1988 * General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, 2012–present * General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2012–present

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * Hobson, Chris (2001). ''Vietnam Air Losses: United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961–1973.'' Midland Publications. , 9781857801156.
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