The 55th Wing 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
Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a geographically separated unit.
The 55 WG is the only Air Force wing with continuous operations, maintenance, and aircraft presence in the
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...
area of responsibility since
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
.
The wing's mission is to provide worldwide reconnaissance, real-time intelligence, command and control,
information warfare
Information warfare (IW) (as different from cyber warfare that attacks computers, software, and command control systems) is a concept involving the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a ...
and combat support to U.S. leaders and commanders. One of the wing's units, the
55th Operations Group, operates 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types. It is the largest wing in Air Combat Command and flies the most diverse number of aircraft.
History
: ''For additional history and lineage, see
55th Operations Group''
The "Fightin' Fifty-Fifth" has made significant contributions to the defense of the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
for more than 50 years. Since its inception, the unit has operated around the world, flying a wide variety of aircraft.
Cold War
On 1 November 1950, the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (55 SRW) was activated under the
Wing Base Organization at
Ramey Air Force Base
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 Airp ...
, Puerto Rico, as the
headquarters for the
55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group and its supporting units. From 1950 to 1954 the Wing's task was to perform strategic reconnaissance, charting photography, precise electronic geodetic mapping, and electronic reconnaissance missions. In 1952, the wing moved to
Forbes Air Force Base
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...
, Kansas, and converted to
Boeing RB-50 Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post– World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ...
es. On 13 March 1953, a wing RB-50 flying out of
Eielson Air Force Base
Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redes ...
, Alaska, was attacked by Soviet
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighters near Siberia, but was able to ward off the fighter's attack with defensive fire. The United States protested the attack, stating the plane was on a weather reconnaissance flight over international waters, 25 miles from the
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and w ...
. The Soviets responded by saying the plane was intercepted over their territory near
Cape Krestovoi
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
. A little more than three months later, on 29 July 1953 an RB-50 of the wing's
343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
The 343d Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions.
History World War II
Constituted ...
was shot down by Soviet fighters about ninety miles south of
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, c ...
.
[The plane was temporarily attached to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron for the mission. Farquhar, p. 46] The Soviet Union did not deny the plane's location was over water, but claimed that the bomber had twice flown over Soviet territory and fired on their MiGs, who then returned fire defensively.
The wing formally assumed a global strategic reconnaissance mission in 1954 and transitioned to the
RB-47E
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-Range (aeronautics), range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic flight, subsonic speed and at high altitude ...
"Stratojet." The Wing was deployed at
Ben Guerir Air Base
Ben Guerir Air Base is a Royal Moroccan Air Force base in the Marraksh-Safi region, located about north of Marrakech, near the town of Ben Guerir. It previously served as a United States Air Force base and Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) ...
, in what was then French Morocco, between May and August 1955.
When the mapping and charting functions originally assigned to the 55th Reconnaissance Group were transferred on 1 May 1954, the wing assumed the mission of global strategic reconnaissance, including electronic reconnaissance. It also carried out weather reconnaissance operations until June 1963, and photographic reconnaissance missions until May 1964.
The 55 SRW moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, in August 1966. That same year the 55th's
38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron assumed responsibility for SAC's airborne command and control system. The
2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron inherited this mission after activation in April 1970. The
1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron
The 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron is part of the 595th Command and Control Group at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the Boeing E-4 aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.
The squadron is one of the ol ...
, flying
E-4A aircraft, transferred to the 55th on 1 November 1975, bringing with it the National Emergency Airborne Command Post, now called the National Airborne Operations Center. The Wing flew reconnaissance operations during the U.S. military operations in Grenada in 1983 and Libya in 1986. On 1 March 1986, the 55 SRW became the host unit at Offutt after the inactivation of the 3902d Air Base Wing.
The Wing ended nearly twenty-five years of continuous Airborne Command Post ('Looking Glass') operations in 1990, assumed a modified alert posture, and continued worldwide reconnaissance. In October 1998, the wing transferred control of the EC-135 LOOKING GLASS mission to the United States Navy's TACAMO aircraft and the 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, which flew the EC-135 LOOKING GLASS aircraft, inactivated.
The wing deployed a Rivet Joint RC-135 from
Hellenikon Air Base, Greece, to
Riyadh Air Base
Riyadh Air Base (, ar, قاعدة الرياض الجوية), formerly known as Riyadh International Airport from its opening in 1946 until 1982, is a military air base in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was originally used by Saudia as an airline hub b ...
, Saudi Arabia, on 8 August 1990, and began 24-hour-a-day reconnaissance of the region two days later for Central Command Commander Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, under
Operation Desert Shield
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
. At the start of Operation Desert Storm, 18 January 1991, the wing continued to provide real-time information. In 1996, this operation moved to
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. On 9 August 2015, the wing celebrated 25 years of what is believed to be the longest continuous deployment by an Air Force unit.
[
]
Current operations
The 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing became the 55th Wing on 1 September 1991, to reflect the wing's performance of a diversity of missions. When SAC disestablished and Air Combat Command (ACC) established, the wing transferred to ACC and gained its fifth operational location.
The 55th SRW and the 55th Wing has been awarded the USAF's P. T. Cullen Award five times since 1971 for its contributions to photo and signal intelligence collection.
Aircraft and crews from the unit have at times temporarily relocated to the nearby Lincoln Air National Guard Base
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
when Offutt's runway has been closed for repairs.
Mission
The 55th Operations Group is Air Combat Command's largest group, has operational control over 12 squadrons and two detachments worldwide. It employs 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types.
The 55th Communications Group provides worldwide command, control, communications and computer (C4) systems, information management and combat support to war-fighting and national leadership. It also provides communications technology and support to the 55th Wing and 44 tenant units.
Combat-ready EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, crews, maintenance and operational support to combatant commanders is provided by the 55th Electronic Combat Group
The 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, provides combat-ready EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, crews, maintenance and operational support to combatant commanders. The group is a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) that ...
, based Davis Monthan Air Force Base
Davis may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Mount Davis (Antarctica)
* Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago)
* Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land
Canada
* Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community
* Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...
, Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
Operations are supported by the 55th Maintenance Group which provides centralized direction of all maintenance staff functions providing support to world-wide aircraft reconnaissance missions. The 55th Medical Group serves 50,000 beneficiaries with extensive outpatient clinic capabilities and ancillary support and the 55th Mission Support Group provides vital mission support for Offutt Air Force Base through engineering, security, mission support, services, supply, transportation, contracting and deployment readiness programs.
Component units and assigned aircraft
Unless otherwise indicated, units are based at Offut AFB, Nebraska, and subordinate units are located at the same location as their commanding group.
55th Wing Staff
* 55th Comptroller Squadron
55th Operations Group
* 38th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 38th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is a part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the Boeing RC-135 aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions.
Mission
The mission of the 38th ...
– RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, TC-135W
* 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 ...
– RC-135S Cobra Ball, RC-135U Combat Sent, TC-135W, WC-135W Constant Phoenix
* 55th Intelligence Support Squadron
* 55th Operations Support Squadron
* 82d Reconnaissance Squadron (Kadena AB
(IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
, Japan) – RC-135
* 95th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 95th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group, Air Combat Command, stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron is equipped with several variants of the B ...
(RAF Mildenhall
Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, ...
, United Kingdom) – RC-135
* 97th Intelligence Squadron
* 338th Combat Training Squadron – RC-135, WC-135
* 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron – RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, TC-135W
* 390th Intelligence Squadron
* 488th Intelligence Squadron
55th Communications Group
* 55th Cyber Squadron
* 55th Strategic Communications Squadron
55th Electronic Combat Group
The 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, provides combat-ready EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, crews, maintenance and operational support to combatant commanders. The group is a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) that ...
( Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona)
* 41st Electronic Combat Squadron
The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated unit from its parent wing, the 55 ...
– EC-130H Compass Call
The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counter ...
* 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron
The 42d Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated unit from its parent wing, the 55t ...
– EC-130H Compass Call
* 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron – EC-130H Compass Call
* 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
* 755th Operations Support Squadron
55th Maintenance Group
* 55th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
* 55th Maintenance Squadron
55th Medical Group
* 55th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
* 55th Dental Squadron
* 55th Medical Operations Squadron
* 55th Medical Support Squadron
55th Mission Support Group
* 55th Civil Engineering Squadron
* 55th Contracting Squadron
* 55th Force Support Squadron
* 55th Logistics Readiness Flight
* 55th Security Forces Squadron
Lineage
* Established as the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 29 June 1948
: Activated on 19 July 1948
: Inactivated on 14 October 1949
* Redesignated 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium on 27 October 1950
: Activated on 1 November 1950
: Redesignated: 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 16 August 1966
: Redesignated: 55th Wing on 1 September 1991
Assignments
* 311th Air Division
The 311th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1949. The division was first activated ...
, 19 July 1948 – 14 October 1949
* Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 1 November 1950
* 21 Air (later, 21 Strategic Aerospace) Division, 1 October 1952
: Attached to 5th Air Division
The 5th Air Division (5th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, based at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco. It was inactivated on 15 July 1958.
The unit's origins begin with its predec ...
, 18 May-16 August 1955
* 810th Strategic Aerospace Division
The 810th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command (SAC), assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, where it was inactiva ...
, 1 September 1964
* 12th Strategic Aerospace Division
The 12th Air Division an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Eighth Air Force, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 31 July 1990.
History
The division was established as the ...
, 2 July 1966
* 14 Strategic Aerospace (later, 14 Air) Division, 30 June 1971
* 4th Air Division, 1 October 1976
* 57th Air Division
The 57th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 24 June 1991.
History
"Established as the 8th Pursuit W ...
, 1 April 1980
* 12th Air Division, 1 October 1982
* 14th Air Division
The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.
History
World War II
The organization was in ...
, 1 October 1985
* Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 1 September 1991
* Twelfth Air Force
The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The command is the air component to ...
, 1 July 1993
* Eighth Air Force, 1 October 2002
* Twelfth Air Force, 1 October 2009
* Twenty-Fifth Air Force
Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF), also known as Air Force Intelligence, was a numbered air force (NAF) within the United States Air Force (USAF), and served as the Air Force's premier military intelligence organization. 25 AF was established on ...
, 1 October 2014
* Sixteenth Air Force
The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...
, 11 October 2019 – present
Components
Groups
* 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group (later 55th Operations Group): 19 July 1948 – 14 October 1949; 1 November 1950 - 16 June 1952; 1 September 1991 – present
* 55th Electronic Combat Group
The 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, provides combat-ready EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, crews, maintenance and operational support to combatant commanders. The group is a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) that ...
: 3 February 2003 – present
Squadrons
* 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron
The 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron is part of the 595th Command and Control Group at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the Boeing E-4 aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.
The squadron is one of the ol ...
: 1 November 1975 – 6 October 2016
* 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Provisional): attached 1 September-9 October 1948
* 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 9th Operations Group, Beale Air Force Base, California.
The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is the United States military's oldest flying unit, first establish ...
: attached 10–26 October 1948; attached 14 January-1 June 1949
* 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron: 1 April 1970 – 19 July 1994
* 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron
The 7th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron is part of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. It operates the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft, conducting airborne command and control missions. The squadron has ...
: 19 July 1994 – 1 October 1998
* 23d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality
* Three-dimensional space
** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data
** 3D film, a ...
: attached 1–17 June 1949
* 38th Reconnaissance: attached 6 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1970; assigned 1 April 1979 – Present.
* 24th Reconnaissance Squadron, 7 July 1992 – 30 June 1994
* 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 ...
, 1 July 1994 – Present
* 55th Air Refueling Squadron
The 55th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It formerly operated both the combat crew training school and central flight instructor course for Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The ...
: attached 8 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 18 February 1954; assigned 1 October 1955 – 15 March 1963 (detached 31 October-27 December 1956)
* 55th Mobile Command and Control Squadron: 1984-29 September 2006
* 82d Reconnaissance Squadron: 2 October 1991 – present
* 97th Intelligence Squadron: ?–present
* 323d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
The 323d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 8 November 1957.
...
: attached 19 September-10 October 1949
* 338th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron: attached 25 November 1950 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1963; assigned 25 March-25 December 1967
* 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (later 343d Reconnaissance Squadron): attached 19 July-26 October 1948; attached 4 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 - Present.
* 390th Intelligence Squadron ?–present
* 488th Intelligence Squadron?–present
* 548th Strategic Missile Squadron
The 548th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 40th Strategic Aerospace Wing at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1965. At Forbes, the 548th was e ...
: attached 1–31 August 1964, assigned 1 September 1964 – 25 March 1965
* 922d Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 30 June 1994
Stations
* Topeka Air Force Base (later Forbes Air Force Base
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...
), Kansas, 19 July 1948 – 14 October 1949
* Ramey Air Force Base
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 Airp ...
, Puerto Rico, 1 November 1950
* Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 5 October 1952
* Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 16 August 1966 – present
Aircraft and missiles
* B/RB-17 Flying Fortress, 1948–1949
* B/RB-29 Superfortress, 1948–1949; 1950-1951
* RC-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
, 1948
* RB-50 Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major, Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger s ...
, 1950–1954
* EB/RB-47 Stratojet, 1954–1967
* KC-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
Design and developm ...
, 1956-?
* SM-65 Atlas
The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dy ...
, 1964–1965
* EC-135, 1966–1998
* KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...
, 1966–1998
* RC-135
The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Roya ...
, 1967–present
* Boeing E-4
The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP), the current "Nightwatch" aircraft, is a strategic command and control military aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The E-4 series are specially modified from the Boeing ...
, 1975–2016
* C-135
The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a Cargo aircraft, transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367-80 jet airliner (also the basis for the Boeing 707, 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boe ...
, 1977–1994
* NKC-135, 1983–1994
* TC-135
The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal ...
, 1988–present
* T-38, 1992–1995
* WC-135, 1992–present
* C-21: 1993-1997
* OC-135
The OC-135B Open Skies is a United States Air Force observation aircraft that supports the Treaty on Open Skies. The aircraft, a modified WC-135B, flies unarmed observation flights over participating parties of the treaty. Three OC-135B airc ...
: 1994–present
* EC-130 Hercules, 2002–present
See also
* List of B-29 units of the United States Air Force
This is a list of Boeing B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Del ...
* List of B-50 units of the United States Air Force
* List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
Offut Air Force Base units - 55th Wing
55th Wing Fact Sheet
"A Tale of Two Airplanes"
by Kingdon R. "King" Hawes, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.)
{{Strategic Air Command
0055
Military units and formations in Nebraska