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The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at
Joint Base Langley-Eustis A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...
. It is assigned to the
363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The mission ...
. It was activated in February 2015, after having been returned to regular service after operating as a provisional unit. The group has its origins in the 363rd Fighter Group, activated on 1 August 1943 at Hamilton Field, California. The unit was credited with 41 victories but lost 43 of its own aircraft during World War II. The pressing need for tactical aerial photo-reconnaissance during the
Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
led to the group's conversion to the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group at
Le Mans Airfield Le Mans Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire Regions of France, region of northern France. History Le Mans was an industrial target for the Allies due to the Re ...
, France in late 1944. The 363rd returned to the United States after
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
and was inactivated. Reactivated in 1948, the
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
flew photographic, electronic and electronic intelligence missions to support both air and ground operations by American or Allied ground forces during the early years of the Cold War. It was inactivated in 1958 when its parent wing reorganized under the dual deputy system and its squadrons were reassigned directly to wing headquarters. The unit was reactivated in 1992 as part of the USAF Objective Wing organization as the 363rd Operations Group, but was inactivated the following year and its assets transferred to another unit. It served as a provisional unit in Southwest Asia as the 363rd Expeditionary Operations Group, flying a variety of fighter aircraft (F-16, A-10, F-15 and others) from 1998 to 2003.


History


World War II


363rd Fighter Group

The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group was first organized as the 363rd Fighter Group, which was activated on 1 August 1943 at Hamilton Field, California. Its original fighter squadrons ( 380th, 381st and 382nd) trained with
Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by t ...
s at Hamilton and other airfields in California and served as part of the air defense force. The group moved to England in December 1943 for duty with the
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
. At
RAF Keevil Royal Air Force Station Keevil or more simply RAF Keevil is a former Royal Air Force station located between the villages of Keevil and Steeple Ashton, about east of the town of Trowbridge, in Wiltshire, England. The airfield was built on ...
, the group was re-equipped with
North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
in January 1944 and entered combat in February. The group escorted bombers and fighter-bombers to targets in France, Germany, and the Low Countries;
strafed Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...
and dive-bombed trains, marshalling yards, bridges, vehicles,
airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
s, troops, gun positions, and other targets on the Continent. The 363rd supported the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944 by escorting troop carriers and gliders and by attacking enemy positions near the front lines, and moved to the European Continent at the end of June to take part in the Allied drive to the German border. In the two weeks following D-Day, the 363rd experienced the most fruitful period of its service in the European Theater of Operations when patrols over France brought it actions with a total of 19 confirmed victories. However, a similar number of Mustangs were lost, albeit mostly to ground fire. During operations from the United Kingdom, the group was credited with 41 victories but lost 43 of its own aircraft in the process.


363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group

On the continent, the 363rd was reorganized into a
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
group flying the
Lockheed F-5 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...
photographic reconnaissance version of the P-38 and the F-6 photo-reconnaissance version of the P-51 Mustang at
Le Mans Airfield Le Mans Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire Regions of France, region of northern France. History Le Mans was an industrial target for the Allies due to the Re ...
, France. The 380th, 381st and 382nd Squadrons were redesignated as the 160th, 161st and 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons respectively. The group flew photographic missions to support both air and ground operations; directed fighter-bombers to railway, highway, and waterway traffic, bridges, gun positions, troop concentrations, and other opportune targets; adjusted artillery fire; and took photographs to assess results of Allied bombardment operations. It received two Belgian citations for reconnaissance activities, including the group's support of the assault on the Siegfried Line and its participation in the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
(December 1944 – January 1945). The 363rd assisted Ninth Army's drive across the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
and deep into Germany during the period from February 1945 to
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
, eventually being stationed at
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, Germany (Y-80) at the end of hostilities in May The 363rd returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated on 11 December 1945 at
Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...
, New Jersey.


Cold War

The 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group was reactivated on 29 July 1946 at Brooks Field, Texas. Initially assigned two squadrons (161st and 162nd) flying Lockheed FP-80 Shooting Stars for daylight (161st Squadron) and
Douglas FA-26 Invaders The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and attack aircraft, ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during ...
(162nd Squadron) for night reconnaissance. The FA-26C was an A-26 with all guns removed and cameras installed throughout the aircraft. Additionally, aircraft intended for night reconnaissance were equipped with photo flash bombs. Some aircraft were also modified for electronic reconnaissance with the installation of radar and signal intelligence gathering equipment. The FP-80A was a P-80A, with a longer and deeper nose to house cameras in place of the guns in the nose of the aircraft. After the end of the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the RF-80As were partially brought up to F-80C standards. These RF-80Cs had improved camera installations in a nose of modified contour The group was placed under the newly activated 363rd Reconnaissance Wing on 15 August 1947 as part of the experimental Wing Base Organization, which placed all tactical and support units on a base under a single wing. It moved to
Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...
, Virginia in December 1947 by the newly established USAF. It was redesignated the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 27 August 1948. For budgetary reasons the
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
was inactivated on 26 April 1949, however it was again activated on 1 September 1950 at Langley. Due to the pressing needs of the
Far East 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 (fo ...
in Japan the 162nd Squadron, flying RB-26s, and the photo-processing 363rd Reconnaissance Technical Squadron moved from Langley to Itazuke Air Base Japan for Korean War service and began operations in August 1950 as part of the 543rd Tactical Support Group. The group's two remaining squadrons were renumbered as the 16th and 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons in October 1950 as a result of the Air Force's police of reserving numbers between 101 and 300 for units of the Air National Guard. On 1 April 1951, the 363rd moved to
Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...
, South Carolina. The group's mission was to fly photographic, electronic and electronic intelligence missions to support both air and ground operations by American or Allied ground forces. In 1954, the
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version ...
was assigned to the 363rd. The RF-84F was the photographic reconnaissance version of the F-84F Thunderstreak. It had many components in common with the F-84F, but differed in having the jet engine fed by a pair of wing root air intakes, the nose being taken up by a bank of cameras. The USAF was in need of a replacement for its aging Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Star unarmed reconnaissance aircraft, and concluded that the F-84F with its wing root air intakes made a good camera-carrying reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft camera bay in the nose could accommodate up to six cameras in forward- facing, trimetrogon and individual oblique and vertical installations. The vertical camera bay had hydraulically operated retractable doors, and behind these doors was an aperture for a vertical viewfinder with a periscope presentation on the cockpit panel. Photoflash ejectors could be carried in underwing tanks for nighttime photographic reconnaissance missions. Deliveries of the RF-84F Thunderflash began in March 1954, with the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing being the first USAF recipient. The service life of the RF-84F with the 363rd was relatively short, and they were replaced by the
McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a long-range bomber escort (known as a ''p ...
aircraft in 1957/1958. The first USAF
Douglas RB-66B Destroyer The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company. The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United Stat ...
s were issued to the group's
9th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...
in January 1956. They replaced the obsolescent RB-26 Invader for night reconnaissance missions. Two more squadrons were equipped with RB-66Bs by the end of the year. The RB-66B very soon became the primary night photographic reconnaissance weapon system of the Tactical Air Command. In addition to the RB-66B, RB-66C models entered service with the 9th Squadron in February 1956. RB-66C models carried additional
electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...
(ECM) equipment in wingtip pods. Chaff dispensing pods could be carried underneath the wing outboard of the engine nacelles. Later examples had the tail turret removed and replaced by additional ECM equipment installed in an extended tailcone. After the tail guns were removed, the gunner's position was usually left empty unless occupied by an instructor pilot or instructor navigator. In January 1953, the USAF asked
McDonnell Aircraft The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...
to develop an unarmed photographic reconnaissance version of the F-101 Voodoo as a possible replacement for the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash. The first RF-101A was delivered to the
17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The 17th Attack Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 432d Wing, and stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada. The 17th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. Overview The 17th conducts i ...
on 6 May 1957 as a replacement for the subsonic RF-84F. The RF-101A had a redesigned and longer nose housing four cameras designed for low-altitude photography. In addition, two high-altitude cameras were mounted behind the cockpit in place of the ammunition boxes of the fighter variant. In September 1957, the RF-101C began deliveries to Shaw. The C model combined the strengthened structure of the F-101C with the camera installation of the RF-101A. In addition, the RF-101C differed from the RF-101A in being able to accommodate a centerline nuclear weapon, so that it could carry out a secondary nuclear strike mission if ever called upon to do so. The RF-101Cs served for a brief time alongside the RF-101A, but quickly replaced them by May 1958. On 8 February 1958, as part of the conversion of Tactical Air Command Wings to the dual deputy organizations, the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were assigned directly to the 363rd Wing, reporting to the wing's deputy commander for operations.


Reactivation as a fighter unit

The group was redesignated the 363rd Operations Group and was activated on 1 May 1992 when the 363rd Fighter Wing implemented the USAF Objective Wing organization. The group was assigned the fighter squadrons of the wing and an operations support squadron upon activation. All aircraft carried the "SW" Tail Code. With the closure of
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Early history On 16 October 1939, Myrtle Beach Town Council resolved that the community "is in dire need of a modern municipal airport". The ...
South Carolina and the inactivation of the
354th Fighter Wing The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force (11 AF). The wing replaced the 343d Fighter W ...
, the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated at Shaw and received 30
Fairchild Republic OA-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
s from the inactivating 355th Fighter Squadron on 1 April 1992. As a result of the August 1992 destruction of
Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...
, Florida, by Hurricane Andrew in September 1992, the
31st Fighter Wing The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base r ...
's
309th Fighter Squadron The 309th Fighter Squadron (309 FS) is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Mission The 309th FS ("Wild Ducks", Tailband: Bl ...
was initially evacuated to Shaw prior to the hurricane making landfall. With Homestead unusable for an extended period after the hurricane, on 1 October 1992 the squadron was permanently assigned to the group. The 33rd Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 15 November 1993. Its F-16C/D aircraft were transferred to the Air National Guard. As a result of the end of the Cold War, the Air Force began a series of changes, inactivating and redesignating units large and small. The 363rd Group and all of its squadrons were inactivated on 31 December 1993, being replaced at Shaw by the
20th Operations Group The 20th Operations Group (20 OG) is the flying component of the 20th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. It is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is a successor organization of the 20th ...
, which moved on paper to Shaw from
RAF Upper Heyford RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. In the Second World War the airfield was used by Bomber Command. During the Cold War, Upper Heyford was one ...
in the United Kingdom.


Expeditionary operations

The group was converted to provisional status and renamed the 363rd Expeditionary Operations Group was activated on 1 December 1998. The 363rd was the primary United States Air Force air expeditionary group responsible for
Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
, which involved patrolling the Southern No-Fly Zone over Iraq below the 33rd Parallel. The group was inactivated after the
2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, when virtually all U.S. combat units left Saudi Arabia.


Intelligence

In 2007, the group was withdrawn from provisional status as the 363rd Operations Group, but was not activated until February 2015, when it stood up at
Joint Base Langley-Eustis A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...
as the 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group.


Lineage

* Established as the 363rd Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 11 February 1943 : Activated on 1 March 1943 : Redesignated 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 25 August 1944 : Redesignated 363rd Reconnaissance Group on 15 June 1945 : Inactivated on 11 December 1945 * Activated on 29 June 1946 : Redesignated 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group 14 June 1948 * Redesiginated 363rd Operations Group and activated on 1 May 1992 : Inactivated on 31 December 1993 * Redesignated 363rd Expeditionary Operations Group and converted to provisional status on 19 November 1998 : Activated on 1 December 1998 : Inactivated on 26 August 2003 * Redesignated 363rd Operations Group returned to permanent status on 24 May 2007 * Redesignated 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group on 13 February 2015 : Activated on 17 February 2015


Assignments

*
IV Fighter Command The IV Fighter Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was activated under Fourth Air Force at March Field, California in June 1941, when it replaced a provisional organization. It was responsible for training fighter units and ...
, 1 March 1943 * San Francisco Air Defense Wing, 12 April 1943 *
IX Fighter Command The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, wheret was inactivated on 16 November 1945. IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fighter ...
, 30 December 1943 *
70th Fighter Wing The 70th Fighter Wing (70th FW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Neubiberg Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1947. History Established ...
, February 1944 *
100th Fighter Wing 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 15 April 1944 *
303rd Fighter Wing The 303rd Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XXIX Tactical Air Command. It was disbanded on 12 August 1945. History Established and organized at Norfolk Army Airfield, Virginia in 1943 as ...
, 20 August 1944 * Ninth Air Force, 5 September 1944 *
XXIX Tactical Air Command The XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) was a provisional United States Army Air Forces unit, primarily formed from units of IX Fighter Command. Its last assignment was with Ninth Air Force at Weimar, Germany, where it was inactivated on 25 O ...
(Provisional), 3 October 1944 * IX Fighter Command, 1 December 1944 (attached to XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional)) * 64th Fighter Wing, 18 May 1945 *
XII Tactical Air Command The XII Tactical Air Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe at Bad Kissingen, Germany, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1947. History The 12th Gr ...
, 15 November 1945 * Theater Service Forces, European Theater, 20 November–c. 2 December 1945 * Unknown 3–11 December 1945 * Ninth Air Force, 29 June 1946Bailey gives 29 July, apparently a typo. * 363rd Reconnaissance Wing (later 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing), 15 August 1947The 363rd Reconnaissance Wing was a Table of Distribution Wing under the experimental Wing/Base organization, the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was a Table of Organization wing, which replaced it on 27 August 1948. Ravenstein, p. 191. The two wings were consolidated in 1984 and are treated as a single unit. *
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
, 26 April 1949 (attached to
4th Fighter Wing The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit. The wing is one of two Air Force uni ...
(later 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing)) * Tactical Air Command, 1 August 1950 * 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 September 1950 – 8 February 1958 * 363rd Fighter Wing, 1 May 1992 – 30 December 1993 * Air Combat Command, to activate or inactivate as needed, 19 November 1998 – 24 May 2007 :: 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, 1 December 1998 – 26 August 2003 * 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing, 13 February 2015 – present


Operational components

; Permanent units * 9th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 11 November 1953 – 8 February 1958 *
10th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 10th Flight Test Squadron is part of the 413th Flight Test Group of Air Force Materiel Command based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It performs acceptance testing on refurbished Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing ...
: attached 19 October 1950 – 1 December 1950 *
12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
: 29 July 1946 – 24 July 1947 *
15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 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 ...
: attached, 22 August – 3 November 1948 * 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: see 380th Fighter Squadron * 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 2 April 1951 – 8 February 1958 *
17th Fighter Squadron 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...
, 1 May 1992 – 30 December 1993 * 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: see 381st Fighter Squadron * 19th Fighter Squadron, 1 May 1992 – 30 December 1993 *
21st Fighter Squadron The 21st Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It is a United States Air Force squadron that operates Taiwanese-owned General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting fighter and mainten ...
, 1 April 1992 – 30 December 1993 * 22nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: attached 29 July – 31 August 1946 * 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 23 May – 25 June 1945 * 33rd Fighter Squadron: 1 May 1992 – 15 November 1993 *
33rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron ''033'' or ''Zero Three Three'' is a 2010 Bengali film directed by Birsa Dasgupta in a directorial debut and produced by Moxie Entertainments. It stars Rudranil Ghosh and Parambrato Chattopadhyay. 033 is the STD code for Kolkata city, and the ...
: 30 October 1944 – 17 May 1945, c. 5 July – 20 August 1945 * 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron: 23 May – 25 June 1945 *
45th Reconnaissance Squadron The 45th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group and stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It is one of the most decorated squadrons of the active duty United States Ai ...
: 23 May – 12 July 1945 *
84th Bombardment Squadron The 84th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the post-World War II-era 47th Bombardment Wing, stationed at RAF Sculthorpe, England. It was inactivated on 22 June 1962. History Antisubmarin ...
: attached 17 October 1949 – 1 September 1950 * 85th Bombardment Squadron: attached 17 October 1949 – 1 September 1950 * 155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron: 23 May – 12 July 1945 * 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: see 380th Fighter Squadron * 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: see 381st Fighter Squadron * 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: see 382nd Fighter Squadron *
309th Fighter Squadron The 309th Fighter Squadron (309 FS) is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Mission The 309th FS ("Wild Ducks", Tailband: Bl ...
: attached 28 August – 19 November 1982, assigned 19 November 1992 – 30 December 1993 *
380th Fighter Squadron 38 may refer to: *38 (number), the natural number following 37 and preceding 39 *one of the years 38 BC, AD 38, 1938, 2038 *.38, a caliber of firearms and cartridges **.38 Special, a revolver cartridge *'' Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transfor ...
(later 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 160th Reconnaissance Squadron 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 1 March 1943 – 15 November 1945; 24 July 1947 – 26 April 1949, 1 September 1950 – 8 February 1958 *
381st Fighter Squadron 381st may refer to: *381st Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 381st Fighter Squadron or 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, squadron of the United States Air Force * 381st Intelligence Squadron, intelligence unit located at Joi ...
(later 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 161st Reconnaissance Squadron, 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 1 March 1943 – 3 July 1945 (detached 23 December 1944 – 3 January 1945); 31 August 1946 – 23 September 1949 (detached after 20 September 1949), 2 April 1951 – 8 February 1958 * 382nd Fighter Squadron (later 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Sqquadron, 162nd Reconnaissance Squadron, 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 1 March 1943 – 29 September 1944; 29 July 1946 – 10 October 1950 (detached after 18 August 1950) * 2215th Combat Crew Training Squadron (later 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron): attached 1 September 1950 – 12 March 1951 * 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron: see 2215th Combat Crew Training Squadron ; Expeditionary units * 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 21 June – 13 August 1999 * 58th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 15 January – 2 March 1999 * 60th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 10 December 1998 – 25 January 1999 * 71st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 1–21 December 1998 * 78th Expeditionary Fighter: 1–18 December 1998 * 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 18 December 1998 – 8 February 1999 * 94th Expeditionary Fighter: 13 Aug 1999 – 26 August 2003Bailey does not list an end date for this assignment. * 363rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Dec 1998 – 26 August 2003 * 363rd Expeditionary Airborne Air Control: 1 Dec 1998 – 26 August 2003 * 363rd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron: I Dec 1998–26 August 2003 * 363rd Expeditionary Communications Squadron: I Dec 1998–26 August 2003 * 363rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron 1 Dec 1998 – 26 August 2003 * 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 8 February – 23 March 1999 * 390th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron: 2 March – 21 June 1999 * 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 December 1998 – 26 August 2003


Stations

* Hamilton Field, California, 1 March 1943 *
Santa Rosa Army Air Field Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...
, California, August 1943 *
Mather Field Mather may refer to: People * Mather (given name), a list of people with the given name * Mather (surname), a list of people with the surname Places * Mather, California (disambiguation) * Mather, Manitoba, Canada, a community * Mather, Pennsyl ...
, California, October-c. 3 December 1943 * RAF Keevil (AAF-471),Station number in Anderson. England, c. 23 December 1943 * RAF Rivenhall (AAF-168), England, January 1944 *
RAF Staplehurst Royal Air Force Staplehurst or more simply RAF Staplehurst is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground located in Kent, England. The airfield is located approximately northeast of Staplehurst; about southeast of London. Opened in 1 ...
(AAF-413), England, April 1944 * Maupertus-sur-Mer Airfield (A-15),Station number in Johnson, France, c. 1 July 1944 *
Azeville Airfield Azeville/Fontenay (Azeville) Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Azeville in the Normandy region of northern France. Located just outside Azeville, the United States Army Air Force est ...
(A-7), France, August 1944 * Le Mans Airfield (A-35), France, September 1944 * Sandweiler Airfield (A-97),
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, c. 1 October 1944 *
Le Culot Airfield Beauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain in Wallonia (Walloon Brabant Province); east-southeast of Brussels. It is home to the 1st Wing (Belgium), 1st Wing, operating AgustaWest ...
(A-89), Belgium, c. 29 October 1944 *
Venlo Airfield Royal Air Force Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf on the Dutch-German bo ...
(Y-55), Netherlands, March 1945 *
Gütersloh Airfield Gütersloh () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a Gütersloh (district), district of the same name and has a pop ...
(Y-99), Germany, c. 15 April 1945 * Brunswick/Waggum Airfield (R-37), Germany, c. 22 April 1945 * AAF Station Wiesbaden (Y-80), Germany, 17 May 1945 *
AAF Station Eschwege Eschwege Airfield is a former military airfield located in Germany in the northwest part of Eschwege (Hessen); approximately 170 miles southwest of Berlin. Fliegerhorst Eschwege was used during World War II by the German Luftwaffe as a transport ...
(R-11), Germany, August 1945 * AAF Station Darmstadt/Griesheim (Y-76), Germany, September-c. 2 December 1945 * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, c. 9–11 December 1945 * Brooks Field, Texas, 29 July 1946 * Langley Field (later Langley Air Force Base), Virginia, 20 December 1946 * Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, c. 2 April 1951 – 8 February 1958 * Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1 May 1992 – 31 December 1993 * Al Kharj Air Base (later
Prince Sultan Air Base Prince Sultan Air Base ( ar, قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية) (PSAB) is a military air base located in the closed-city of Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. History There was formerly a large United States presence there during Opera ...
), Saudi Arabia, 1 December 1998 – 25 August 2003 * Joint Base Langley-Eustis, 13 February 2015 – presentStation information in Bailey, except as noted.


Aircraft

* Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1943 * Lockheed F-5 Lightning, 1944–1945 * North American P-51 Mustang, 1944 * North American F-6 Mustang, 1944–1945, 1946 * Lockheed FP-80 (later RF-80) Shooting Star, 1946‑1949, 1951‑1954 * Douglas FA-26 (later RB-26) Invader, 1946–1956 * Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, 1954‑1958 *
Martin RB-57A Canberra The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...
, 1954‑1956 * Lockheed T‑33 T-Bird, 1955‑1957 * McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo, 1957‑1958 * Douglas RB-66 Destroyer, 1956‑1958 * General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1992‑1993 * Fairchild Republic OA-10 Thunderbolt II, 1992‑1993 * Controlled aircraft operated by other organizations while in provisional status


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * Freeman, Roger A. ''The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two''. After the Battle, 1996. . * * * * Miller, Kent. ''The 363d Fighter Group in World War II: in Action over Germany with the P-51 Mustang''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2002. . * * Rogers, Brian. ''United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978''. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. . * {{Navboxes , list = {{Tactical Air Command {{USAAF 9th Air Force UK {{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II Intelligence groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 2015