40th Air Transport Squadron - MATS - Emblem

The 40th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the

438th Military Airlift Wing The 438th Air Expeditionary Wing was a United States Air Force unit operating in Afghanistan and assigned to United States Air Forces Central. The wing trained Afghan Air Force members, including pilots. Subordinate units * 438th Air Exp ...

, Military Airlift Command, stationed at

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...

, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 4 March 1968.

History

The unit was activated as the 40th Ferrying (later, Transport) Squadron under Ferrying (later Air Transport) Command at Canton Island Airport,

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, in August 1942. It ferried various aircraft, including A-20s, B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, B-26s, P-38s, P-40s, C-46s, and C-47s, to destinations in the Pacific Theater. The squadron also provided a maintenance service for transient aircraft until inactivated on 30 September 1943. It was reactivated in 1954 under

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...

at Dover AFB, Delaware in 1954. The squadron flew very long range

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intercontinental transport aircraft carrying passengers and cargo, throughout the MATS Atlantic Division, to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It was inactivated in 1960. The squadron was reactivated again in 1962 at McGuire AFB, New Jersey and equipped with the C-135A/B jet transport. It carried cargo between the US and Vietnam until it was inactivated in 1968 when MAC C-135 operations came to an end.

Lineage

* Established as 40th Ferrying Squadron on 1 August 1942 : Activated on 17 August 1942 : Redesignated: 40th Transport Squadron on 1 March 1943 : Disbanded on 30 September 1943 * Established as 40th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 1 March 1954 : Activated on 8 March 1954 : Inactivated on 8 December 1960 : Redesignated as 40th Air Transport Squadron, Medium on 8 January 1962 : Redesignated as 40th Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Inactivated on 4 March 1968

Assignments

* 25th Ferrying (later, 25th Transport) Group, 17 August 1942 – 30 September 1943 *

1607th Air Transport Wing The 1607th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It was inactivated on 8 January ...

, 8 March 1954 – 8 December 1960 *

1611th Air Transport Wing The 1611th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 8 Jan ...

, 8 January 1962 – 8 January 1966 *

, 8 January 1966 – 4 March 1968

Stations

* Canton Island Airport, Kanton Island,

, 17 Aug 1942 – 30 Sep 1943 * Dover AFB, Delaware, 8 March 1954 – 8 December 1960 * McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 8 January 1962 – 4 March 1968

Aircraft

* C-124C Globemaster II, 1954–1960 *

C-130E Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...

, 1962–1968

References

{{AFHRA * Mueller, Robert, ''Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982'', Office of Air Force History, 1989

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Military units and formations in New Jersey