The 703rd Strategic Missile Wing is an inactive

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. It was last assigned to

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

's 13th Air Division at

Lowry Air Force Base Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field in 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War, serving as the initial 1955–1958 si ...

, Colorado. It was

's first

Titan I The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in use from 1959 until 1962. Though the SM-68A was operational for only three years, it spawned numerous follow-on mod ...

wing, but never achieved full operational status. It was inactivated on 1 July 1961 and its assets transferred to another

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 expres ...

History

The 703rd was the first

HGM-25A Titan I The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in use from 1959 until 1962. Though the SM-68A was operational for only three years, it spawned numerous follow-on mo ...

Intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

wing. It was activated on 25 September 1958,SAC.com: 703d SMW
/ref> but never became fully operational. Partial capability was achieved on 10 December 1958, with training on the operation of the Titan I ICBM until March 1960.Ravensatein, pp.292-293 The missiles, personnel and facilities of the wing were reassigned to the

451st Strategic Missile Wing 451st may refer to: * 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, a provisional United States Air Force Air Combat Command unit, currently in Afghanistan * 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC) is a subordinate command of 79th Sustainment Support Command ...

on 1 July 1961 and the unit was inactivated.

Lineage

* Established as 703rd Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM-Titan) on 5 September 1958 : Activated on 25 September 1958 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 July 1961Lineage through 1977 in Ravensatein, pp.292-293 * Consolidated with the 303rd Fighter Wing on 31 July 1985 as the 503rd Tactical Missile Wing

Assignments

1st Missile Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, 25 September 1958 *

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

, 15 January 1959 * 13th Air Division, 1 July 1959 – 1 July 1961

Components

848th Strategic Missile Squadron The 848th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 703d Strategic Missile Wing at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1961. The squadron (aviation), squa ...

: 1 February 1960 – 1 July 1961 * 849th Strategic Missile Squadron: 1 August 1960 – 1 July 1961

Stations

, Colorado, 25 September 1958 – 1 July 1961

Missiles

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{Strategic Air Command Military units and formations established in 1958

703 __NOTOC__ Year 703 (Roman numerals, DCCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 703rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 703rd year of the 1st mi ...

1958 establishments in the United States