The 39th Rescue Squadron is an

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

unit of the

920th Rescue Wing The 920th Rescue Wing (920 RQW) is part of the Air reserve component, Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. The wing is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). The 920th Rescue Wing is stat ...

(920 RQW) at

Patrick Space Force Base Patrick Space Force Base is a United States Space Force installation located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick, USAAC. It is home to Space Lau ...

, Florida. Until December 2019, it operated the Lockheed HC-130P/N Combat King aircraft conducting

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and combat search and rescue/personnel recovery missions. The squadron is currently transitioning to the Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, which will provide significant increases in the squadron's capabilities. An

unit, the 39th Rescue Squadron is operationally-gained by the

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

(ACC) upon

mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

Mission

As an

unit, 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, ...

mission is to rapidly deploy HC-130 aircraft and personnel to austere airfields and denied territory in order to execute all-weather personnel recovery operations. 39th flight crews routinely perform high and low altitude personnel and equipment airdrops, infiltration/exfiltration of personnel, helicopter

air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

, and forward area refueling point missions. When tasked, the squadron also conducts

humanitarian assistance Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation, casualty evacuation, noncombatant evacuation operations. During the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...

program, the 39th also provided DoD manned space flight support for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

History

Korean War and rescue in the north Pacific

The squadron was first activated in November 1952 as the 39th Air Rescue Squadron at Ashiya Air Base, Japan when the

Air Rescue Service The United States Air Force Combat Rescue School (for most of its existence, either Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), was an organization of the United States Air Force. The school was established in 1946 as ''Air ...

expanded the 3d Air Rescue Squadron into a

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 ...

. The squadron assumed the mission, personnel and aircraft of Flight D, 3d Air Rescue Squadron, which was discontinued when the squadron activated. The 39th conducted search, rescue, and escort missions in Japan and Korea during and following 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 ...

. It also flew missions included refueling rescue helicopters and performing airborne command, control, and communications functions during combat rescue operations.

Vietnam War

On 18 January 1967, the squadron was formed at

Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province. The RTAF 23 ...

with six

Lockheed HC-130 Hercules The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/ combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed fo ...

transferred from the

37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron The 37th Helicopter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 582d Helicopter Group in support of the 90th Missile Wing located at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. The unit is tasked with flight operations in support ...

. On 8 June 1967 the squadron relocated from Udorn to

Tuy Hoa Air Base Căn cứ không quân Tuy Hòa is a former air force base in Vietnam, being closed in 1970. It was built by the United States in 1966 and was used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone o ...

, South Vietnam and began to receive HC-130Ps to replace their HC-130Hs.Tilford, p. 85 The HC-130P was the first aircraft able to refuel helicopters and so provided a dramatic increase in range for helicopters, particularly those involved in combat search and rescue missions.Tilford, p. 84-85 By mid-1969, the squadron was operating 11 HC-130Ps from Tuy Hoa.Tilford, p. 96 On 16 September 1970 the squadron relocated from Tuy Hoa AB to

Cam Ranh Air Base Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bind ...

.Tilford, p. 113 In March 1972 the squadron moved from Cam Ranh to

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in northeast Thailand, approximately 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Bangkok and about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the centre of the city of Nakhon Ratcha ...

. On 1 April 1972, the 39th was dissolved and the aircraft and crews temporarily became part of Detachment 4 of the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group at Korat. On 8 July 1972, the detachment was replaced by the 56th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron and the . On 10 October 1990, the squadron was reestablished as the 39th Air Rescue Squadron under the Air Rescue Service and activated at

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, in the northern part of the island of Honshū of Japan. It is located northeast of Misawa railwa ...

, Japan on 1 January 1992 as an

HH-60G Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems ...

helicopter squadron. On 1 February 1993, the squadron was redesignated as the 39th Rescue Squadron under the 432d Operations Group of the 432d Fighter Wing at Misawa. On December 16, 2019, the 39th retired their last HC-130 P/N Combat King aircraft. This fleet of aircraft will be replaced with new HC/MC-130J models in the Spring of 2020. The squadron's first HC-130J Combat King II arrived on April 2, 2020.

Reactivation

The squadron was inactivated as a Regular Air Force unit in 1994 concurrent with inactivation of the 432d Fighter Wing.Tilford, p. 115 The 39th Rescue Squadron was reactivated in 1997 as an

unit and assigned to the

920th Rescue Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

(later the 920th Rescue Wing), at

, Florida, assuming operation of all Lockheed HC-130P/N aircraft and command of all HC-130 flight crews and associated support personnel previously assigned to the 301st Rescue Squadron. Since that time, the squadron has provided rescue support to

on the

Eastern Range The Eastern Range (ER) is an American rocket range ( Spaceport) that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The range h ...

during the

program, participated in domestic humanitarian operations following the landfall of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

along the U.S. Gulf Coast, and following the attacks on the United States of 11 September 2001, has made repeated combat deployments of its aircraft and aircrews to Iraq and Djibouti in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and

Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 39th Air Rescue Squadron on 17 October 1952 : Activated on 14 November 1952 : Inactivated on 24 November 1957 * Redesignated 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron and activated on 16 January 1967 (not organized) : Organized on 18 January 1967 : Inactivated on 30 April 1972 * Redesignated 39th Air Rescue Squadron on 10 October 1990 * Activated on 1 January 1992 : Redesignated 39th Rescue Squadron on 1 February 1993 : Inactivated on 1 August 1994 * Activated in the Air Force Reserve Command on 15 April 1997

Assignments

* 3d Air Rescue Group, 14 November 1952 * 2d Air Rescue Group, 18 June–24 November 1957 *

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...

, 16 January 1967 (not organized) * 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, 18 January 1967 – 30 April 1972 *

, 1 January 1992 * 432d Operations Group, 1 February 1993 – 1 August 1994 *

, 15 April 1997 * 920th Operations Group, 1 April 2003 – presentDollman erroneously identifies the 920th Operations Group as a redeisgnation of the 920th Rescue Group. However, on 1 April 2003, the 920th Group was redesignated as a wing, and the 920th Operations Group was formed as a newly constituted unit.

Stations

* Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 14 November 1952 – 24 November 1957 * Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 18 January 1967 * Tuy Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, 8 June 1967 *

, South Vietnam, 16 September 1970 – 30 April 1972 *

, Japan, 1 January 1992 – 1 August 1994 * Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, 15 April 1997 – present

Aircraft

Grumman SA-16 Albatross The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin–radial engined amphibious seaplane that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), primarily as a search and rescue (SAR) aircraft. Origina ...

(1952–1957) * Douglas SC-47 Skytrain (1952–1957) *

Sikorsky SH-19 The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind (helicopter), Westland ...

(1952–1957) *

Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic system ...

(1992–1994) * Lockheed HC-130H, HC-130P, HC-130P/N Hercules COMBAT KING (1967–1972, 1997–2019) * HC-130J Hercules Combat King II (2 April 2020-present)