4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic)
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The 4th Reconnaissance Squadron is an active
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...
unit, assigned to the 319th Operations Group and stationed at
Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, Guam, from which it operates
RQ-4 Global Hawk The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. Th ...
unmanned vehicles. It was activated there in July 2020. The squadron was first activated as the 4th Observation Squadron in Puerto Rico in 1941. During
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 opposin ...
it served from island bases in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It moved to Panama and remained active after the war as the 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, becoming one of the first jet equipped reconnaissance squadrons in the Air Force before being inactivated in 1949's military budget reductions. The squadron was active again from 1966 to 1971, primarily training crews for the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, 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 Vie ...
until 1969, when it became an operational unit. In 2005, the squadron was converted to provisional status as the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Flight and flew missions in Iraq until July of that year. It was again activated in Afghanistan as the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron in 2009, operating Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty aircraft until 2014. It was withdrawn from provisional status shortly before activating in 2020.


Mission

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, ...
operates the
Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. Th ...
unmanned vehicle. In addition to its aircraft, the squadron has a transportable shelter, which contains the "cockpits" for its RQ-4s. It is responsible for launch and recovery of its aircraft, which are typically handed off to units at
Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...
, California and
Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...
, North Dakota for operations.


History


Caribbean operations


World War II

The squadron was first activated in April 1941 as the 4th Observation Squadron. Initially planned to serve as the main observation unit for the 13th Composite Wing, the unit in fact led something of a nomadic existence, being successively attached or assigned to the Puerto Rican Department, the
72d Observation Group 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
, to the Antilles Air Task Force from 23 March 1943 until 1 June 1943, and finally to the
Antilles Air Command The Antilles Air Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, where it was inactivated on 25 August 1946. Engaged in antisubmarine operations, 1941†...
itself from 1 June 1943 until the end of the war. In fact, this squadron was the only squadron to both start and finish the war in the Antilles throughout. The squadron was initially stationed at
Ponce Air Base Fort Allen, officially Fort Allen Training Center, is a Puerto Rico National Guard military installation located on a 921-acre facility in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. History Losey Field was established by the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was use ...
, Puerto Rico when activated. The unit itself had been formed from
cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...
drawn from Air Corps units already in Puerto Rico. By 5 June 1943, the squadron strength had increased to 12 aircraft. By the end of the month, one of the
Curtiss O-52 Owl The Curtiss O-52 Owl was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II. Design and development Developed in 1939, the Curtiss O-52 was the last "heavy" observation aircraft developed for the US ...
s had been sent on detached service to Haiti, apparently in connection with the attempt that poor nation was making to establishing a coastal patrol of its territorial waters at the time. In early July 1943, the squadron received the first three of a number of
Bell P-39Q Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter aircraft, 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 ...
fighters that it was to operate until the end of the war. On 27 October 1943, the squadron moved en masse to
Borinquen Field Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpor ...
, as Losey Field was turned over to the Army Ground Forces due to its rather poorly situated runways. At this time, and since the squadron's assignment to Antilles Air Command on 1 June, the unit became one of the primary tactical operating units in the area. Fortunately, the command recognized the new importance of the unit, and lobbied for equipment more capable than previously assigned. The following month, reflecting the changing war situation, the squadron received a
North American B-25D 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 ...
and four new B-25Gs, and in February 1943 added three more P-39Qs (for a total of nine), three new P-39Ns, and
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 f ...
s. The squadron was occasionally tasked to perform flights throughout the Caribbean and, on one occasion, when the new airport was dedicated at
Ciudad Trujillo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...
in the Dominican Republic, every available P-39 was sent over (with belly tanks) where they put on a very lengthy aerial display for the locals. By 10 March 1944, unit strength had been considerably depleted, and the on-hand aircraft census consisted of three B¬25Ds and B-25Gs, a B-18 and a B-18C, three P-39Ns, and three P-39Qs. In October 1944, the Squadron received additional B-25D's. Shortly thereafter, the squadron was redesignated the 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Aside from frequent detachments of aircraft throughout the entire Caribbean basin during most of the war on an "as needed" basis, the unit itself did not move as a whole again until 21 May 1945 when it moved from Borinquen to Coolidge Field on Antigua where the unit also welcomed with six new
Lockheed F-5G 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 tw ...
s in June.


Move to Panama

The squadron remained active after the war, moving from the Antilles to
Rio Hato Army Air Base Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
in March 1946, when it was assigned to
Caribbean Air Command The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976. Initially designated Panama Canal Air Forc ...
. In 1947, it became one of the first reconnaissance units of the new United States Air Force to be equipped with jet aircraft, when it began to fly the
Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first Jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed in 1943 and del ...
, moving to
France Field France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Panama Canal Zone in December. Because the runways at France Field were to short to accommodate the new jets, the squadron's Shooting Stars used the runway at the neighboring
Coco Solo Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station, active from 1918 to the 1960s. History The submarine base at Coco Solo was established May 6, 1918. The site corresponds with modern-day Cativá in Panama. It was on the ...
Naval Base, although this involved extensive taxiing until the planes were finally moved to the ramp at Coco Solo. President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the squadron was inactivated on 14 March.


Vietnam war era

The squadron was organized in November 1966 as part of the 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at
Bergstrom Air Force Base Bergstrom Air Force Base (1942–1993) was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years it was a major base for the U.S. Air Force's RF-4C reconnaissance fighter fleet. History Bergstrom was originally activated on 1 ...
, Texas. The squadron was an operational training unit and prepared aircrews for the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, 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 Vie ...
. In November 1969, it became an operational unit, maintaining a worldwide mobility capability and training for operational missions. In October 1971, the squadron was inactivated and its personnel, mission and equipment were assigned to the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, which was activated in its place.


Expeditionary operations

In January 2005, the squadron was converted to provisional status as the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Flight and assigned to
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 ...
to activate or inactivate as needed for operations. It was immediately activated at
Balad Air Base Balad Air Base ( ar, قاعدة بلد الجوية) , is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, Iraq. Built in the early 1980s, it was originally named Al-Bakr Air Base. In 2003 the base was captured ...
, Iraq and flew missions with the Beechcraft RC-12D Guardrail in the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
for six months before inactivating. It was activated as the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron in June 2009 at
Kandahar Air Base Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, also referred to as Kandahar International Airport ( ps, د کندهار نړيوال هوايي ډګر) and by some military officials as Kandahar Airfield, KAF) , is located about south-east of the city Ka ...
, Afghanistan. In November 2009, it moved to
Bagram Airfield Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea leve ...
, Afghanistan to operate the Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty with crews deployed from other locations. Along with the
361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron The 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 451st Air Expeditionary Group, stationed at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. It was inactivated on 1 September 2014. Th ...
, it was one of two MC-12 squadrons comprising Project Liberty.Everstine mentions a third squadron, the 362d Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, operating in Iraq. Airmen deploying to the squadron came from units flying other types of aircraft and went through flight training at
Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airpo ...
, Mississippi. On 1 October 2014, the squadron inactivated, as its mission was assigned to Joint Task Force Thor and MC-12W operations transferred from the Air Force to the Army. The squadron flew over 40,000 combat flights in Afghanistan. In its last year of operation it participated in the capture or death of over 2400 enemy combatants, including 375 identified as "high value."


Return to regular status

On 21 July 2020, the squadron returned to regular status, dropping the "expeditionary" and becoming the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron. Two days later, it was activated with station at
Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, Guam, where it took over the personnel, mission, and RQ-4 Global Hawks of Detachment 1, 319th Operations Group, which was discontinued. The activation ceremony took place, however, at
Yokota Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo. It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa. The base houses 14,000 personnel ...
, Japan, where the unit was deployed at the time it activated. The change in designation also involved the transfer of maintenance of the squadron's RQ-4s to the military. Maintenance for Detachment 1 had been performed by civilian contractors. The unit deploys each year to bases in Japan during the typhoon season in Guam.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 4th Observation Squadron on 22 November 1940 : Activated on 1 April 1941 : Redesignated 4th Observation Squadron (Medium) on 26 February 1942 : Redesignated 4th Observation Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) on 25 June 1943 : Redesignated 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 20 May 1944 : Redesignated 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) on 17 June 1948 : Inactivated on 14 March 1949 : Redesignated 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and activated on 25 Oct 1966 (not organized) * Organized on 18 November 1966 : Inactivated on 15 October 1971 * Redesignated 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Flight, converted to provisional status, and activated on 31 January 2005 : Inactivated on 7 July 2005 * Redesignated 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron on 16 May 2007 : Activated on 26 June 2009 : Inactivated on 1 October 2014 * Withdrawn from provisional status and redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Squadron on 21 July 2020 : Activated on 23 July 2020


Assignments

* 13th Composite Wing, April 1941 * Puerto Rican Department, 14 July 1941 * 72d Observation Group, 29 March 1942 (attached to Puerto Rican Department until 23 March 1943, then to Antilles Air Task Force) * Antilles Air Command, 1 June 1943 *
Caribbean Air Command The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976. Initially designated Panama Canal Air Forc ...
, 25 August 1946 (attached to Provisional Composite Reconnaissance Group after 1 February 1948) *
6th Fighter Wing Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Alec Tre ...
, 1 June 1948 (attached to Provisional Composite Reconnaissance Group) * 5600th Group, 28 July 1948 * 5600th Wing (later 5600th Composite Wing), 20 August 1948 â€“ 14 March 1949 *
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
, 25 October 1966 (not organized) * 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, c. 18 Nov 1966; *
67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * ''67'', a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album ''Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London See also * 67th Regiment (disambiguation) * 67 ...
, 15 July – 15 October 1971 * Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed, 31 January 2005 – 21 July 2020 :: 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group, 1 January 2005 – 7 July 2005 :: 451st Expeditionary Operations Group, 26 June 2009 ::
455th Expeditionary Operations Group The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing was a provisional United States Air Force unit formerly located at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. It was one of two expeditionary wings in Afghanistan. Most wing personnel were located at the Air Force Village know ...
, 23 November 2009 – 1 October 2014 * 319th Operations Group, 23 July 2020 – present


Stations

* Ponce Air Base (later
Losey Field Fort Allen, officially Fort Allen Training Center, is a Puerto Rico National Guard military installation located on a 921-acre facility in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. History Losey Field was established by the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was used ...
), Puerto Rico, 1 April 1941 * Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, 27 October 1943 * Coolidge Field, Antigua, 21 May 1945 * Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, 5 October 1945 * Rio Hato Army Air Base, Panama, 20 August 1946 * France Field, Panama Canal Zone, 11 December 1947 *
Howard Field Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
, Panama Canal Zone, 20 August 1948 â€“ 14 March 1949 * Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, 18 November 1966 – 15 October 1971 * Balad Air Base, Iraq, 1 January 2005 – 7 July 2005 * Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, 26 June 2009 * Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, 23 November 2009 – 1 October 2014 * Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 23 July 2020 – present


Aircraft

*
North American O-47 The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a t ...
,1941–1945 * Curtiss O-52 Owl, 1941–1944 * Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1943–1945 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1944–1946 *
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 ...
, 1945–1946 * Stinson O-49 Vigilant, 1941–1945 *
Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...
, 1944–1945 * de Havilland F-8 Mosquito 1947–1948 * Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Star, 1947–1949Aircraft through 1949 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 30–31 * McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II, 1969–1971 * Beechcraft RC-12D Guardrail, 2005 * Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty, 2009–2014 * Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, 2020–present


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

{{USAAF 6th Air Force World War II 004 Reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Air Force