List of MAJCOM Wings of the United States Air Force
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This is a list of Major Air Command (MAJCOM)
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 e ...
s of the
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 ...
(USAF), a designation system in use from the summer of 1948 to the mid-1990s. From 1948 to 1991 MAJCOMs had the authority to form wings using manpower authorizations under their control. Each MAJCOM or other organization reporting directly to USAF was assigned a block of four digit numbers to use for units it organized. The system terminated in 1991 when USAF assumed control of all units except for provisional ones. While the majority of the wings on the list were support units, combat commands could (and did) create combat units on their own as shown below.


Background


Army Air Force Base Units

In 1944, The Army Air Forces (AAF) faced a problem with its
units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * Unit (album), ...
in the United States. At the time, most AAF units were involved with training and preparing individuals and units for
deployment Deployment may refer to: Engineering and software Concepts * Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers * Continuous deployment, a software e ...
to combat theaters or with meeting the
logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
requirements of overseas units. Standard military units, based on relatively inflexible
tables of organization A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the u ...
, were proving to be poorly adapted to this mission. Accordingly, the AAF adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. Under this system, each command reporting to the AAF was given a bulk allotment of manpower and then received the flexibility to form units to carry out its mission by "customizing" the units on each station. AAF commands then organized their manpower into numbered "AAF Base Units." To prevent duplication, commands were allotted blocks of numbers to use when organizing their units, ranging from 100-199 for First Air Force to 4000-4999 for Air Technical Service Command. When the
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 ...
(USAF) became a separate service, the AAF Base Units became AF Base Units.


Wing Base Organization

In August 1947, the AAF began a service test of the wing base organization model.Ravenstein. ''Combat Wings'', page 10 This test was limited to combat
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 e ...
s, and unified the combat
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 ...
and all support elements on a base under a single wing, which carried the same number as the combat group. The test proved the wing base plan to the satisfaction of the new USAF and was implemented in all combat commands in the summer of 1948. The success of the plan also led to its implementation in support commands and the support units of combat commands as well. Beginning in the late spring of 1948 AF Base Units were replaced by wings, groups, and
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, ...
s. By July 1948 Headquarters, USAF began to allot blocks of numbers to its major subordinate formations, the Major Commands (MAJCOMs), in the same way that it had allotted blocks for AF Base Units. Because the new units controlled by MAJCOMs would be wings, groups, and squadrons, just like those controlled by Headquarters, USAF, the allotted blocks began at 1100, and numbers below 1000 were reserved for USAF use. Numbers originally ranged from 1100-1199 for
Bolling Field Command The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from a ...
to 4900-4999Ravenstein, ''Lineage and Honors'', page 11This may be a typo in Ravenstein, because overseas commands used numbers between 5000 and 7599 as early as July 1948 as shown in Fletcher, page 151. for
Special Weapons Command The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) is a USAF Named Unit, assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The AFNWC operates at the Center level of the AFMC. It is currently under the command of Maj ...
. Eventually, the numbers were expanded as high as 9999 for
Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
units.The highest numbered unit was the 9999th Air Reserve Squadron, which was composed of members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives who were also members of the Air Force Reserve.


MAJCOM wings

The term used by USAF to denote wings (and other units) controlled by MAJCOMs varied during the first decade the system was used. Originally, they were called Table of Distribution (T/D) Units.Ravenstein, ''Lineage and Honors'', p. 4This term contrasted them with
Table of Organization A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the un ...
Units controlled by Hq, USAF.
Later they were referred to as Designated Units.Ravenstein, ''Lineage and Honors'', p. 6This term contrasted them with Constituted Units controlled by Hq, USAF. From the late 1950s the accepted term was MAJCON (from Major Command Controlled) Units, while units controlled by Hq USAF were called AFCON (Air Force Controlled) Units. All provisional units were MAJCON units. Although Headquarters, USAF occasionally authorized MAJCOMs to number provisional wings outside the blocks of numbers allotted to the commands, only four digit provisional wings are included in this list. Provisional wings numbered outside the four digit system, such as the Strategic Wing, Provisional 72d at Andersen AFB during the
Viet Nam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...
or the Bombardment Wing, Provisional, 806th at
RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an ...
during
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 ...
are not included in the list. Under the USAF organization and lineage system MAJCON units' lineages (histories, awards, and battle honors) ended when the units were discontinued and could never be revived.Ravenstein, ''Lineage and Honors'', p. 12 USAF considered MAJCON wings "temporary", though many stayed in existence for a very long time.''e.g.'' The
88th Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 88th Air Base Wing is a base support unit located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The wing has been stationed at Wright-Patterson, known familiarly as 'Wright-Patt', since its activation in 1944 as the 40 ...
(the 2750th ABW when it was a MAJCON wing) has been active continuously since 1944.
Some MAJCON wings appear to have been revived, but even when they have the same number and name, USAF regards them as two entirely separate units, as shown in the two entries for the 1500th Air Base Wing in the list. Although USAF policy during this era stated MAJCON units could not be reactivated, when the MAJCON system was being ended in 1991–1992, numerous MAJCON units were converted to AFCON units and assigned two or three digit numbers. Also, since 1991 discontinued MAJCON units have been reestablished and "consolidated" (merged) with AFCON units.''e.g.'' Other former MAJCON units have been revived as AFCON units.


Conversion of MAJCON Wings to AFCON Wings

During the period covered by this list, there were several occasions when Major Commands received approval from the Department of the Air Force to replace MAJCON Wings under their control with AFCON Wings. One reason for these changes was to retain the lineage of existing combat units or to revive and perpetuate the lineage of inactive units with illustrious combat records. In 1963 SAC discontinued its Air Refueling Wings and Strategic Wings equipped with combat aircraft and replaced them with AFCON units.Hopkins & Goldberg, pp. 117-118. ADC had acted similarly in 1955 with Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars, although Project Arrow involved groups and squadrons, not wings. On occasion, Hq, USAF provided that an AFCON Wing replacing a MAJCON Wing inherited the honors, but not the history, of the wing being replaced. For example, when the 320th Bombardment Wing and the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing replaced the 4134th Strategic Wing and the 4126th Strategic Wing in 1963, they inherited honors (not lineage) from the MAJCON wings they replaced.Department of the Air Force Letter, AFOMO 929m, 15 November 1962, Subject: Organization of the Headquarters, 320th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, and Certain Other USAF Unit Actions This inheritance occurred because SAC was aware of the historical significance of the accomplishments of the Strategic Wings and the need to perpetuate this lineage as well as the lineage of illustrious units that were no longer active. In practice, this inheritance of honors has been limited to the adoption of emblems. While the 320th decided to use the emblem approved for it earlier, the 456th chose to replace the emblem approved for it when it was a troop carrier wing with the emblem of the 4126th.


FEAF Tactical Support Wings

In July 1950, USAF planners did not foresee that 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 ...
would be of long duration. Consequently, when it came time for
Far East Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...
to deploy tactical units to Korea, it retained its permanent wings in Japan since they were heavily committed to the air defense of Japan.Endicott, pp. 89-91 However, by the following month, it became apparent that the Air Base Squadrons originally deployed to Korea to support tactical units did not have sufficient personnel and equipment. Therefore, five Tactical Support Wings were organized for operational control of the tactical groups in Korea. This proved a temporary expedient, and at the start of December 1950 the permanent wings were deployed to Korea to control their tactical groups already located there, replacing the existing Tactical Support Wings.


SAC Strategic and Air Refueling Wings

When the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress dispersal program began in the late 1950s, the new SAC units created to support this program were MAJCON Strategic Wings and given four-digit designations. Although these wings were MAJCON units, typically each included a Bombardment Squadron, an Air Refueling Squadron, and a Munitions Maintenance Squadron, all of which were AFCON units. Some also included an AFCON Strategic Missile Squadron.For example, the 4126th Strategic Wing included the 31st Bombardment Squadron, 63d Munitions Maintenance Squadron,
851st Strategic Missile Squadron The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinen ...
, and
903d Air Refueling Squadron The 903d Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 17th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. For much of its existence, the squadron focused on refueling SR-71 Bl ...
in addition to MAJCON support units.
SAC also used the strategic wing concept for the command of forward-deployed (Operation Reflex)
Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
and
Boeing 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 ...
units. SAC also had several MAJCON air refueling wings whose flying squadrons were AFCON units. The reorganization process, which took place between January and September 1963, applied to 22 B-52 Strategic Wings, three Air Refueling Wings, and the 4321st Strategic Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, which had a strategic missile squadron assigned. "These units were discontinued and two and three-digit AFCON units were activated. In most cases, the bombardment squadron that had been assigned to the strategic wings were inactivated and bombardment squadrons that had previously been assigned to the newly-activated wings were activated. While these actions were almost tantamount to redesignation, they were not official redesignations." Overseas strategic wings, which had AFCON units attached for operational control, but not assigned, did not convert to AFCON wings until 1966.''e.g.'' the 95th Strategic Wing replaced the 4082d Strategic Wing. Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 134


MATS Air Transport Wings

When the MAJCON system was established in 1948 strategic airlift and tactical airlift were treated differently. Tactical airlift (called troop carrier) units operated within a
theater of operations In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are in progress. A theater can include the entirety of the airspace, land and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations. T ...
and were considered AFCON combat units. Strategic airlift (called air transport) units operated mostly outside theaters of operations and were considered support units. As support units, they were MAJCON units. All air transport wings were assigned to Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and numbered within the block of 1250 to 1750. In 1952, however, MATS MAJCON air transport squadrons were replaced by AFCON Squadrons,.''e.g.'' The 3d Air Transport Squadron replaced the 1258th Air Transport Squadro
AFHRA Factsheet, 3d Airlift Squadron
. Retrieved 17 September 2012
By being MAJCON wings with AFCON squadrons assigned, MATS air transport wings resembled SAC strategic wings. In January 1966, MATS was replaced by
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 th ...
and its seven existing MAJCON Air Transport Wings were replaced by AFCON Military Airlift Wings.''e.g.'' The 436th Military Airlift Wing replaced the 1607th Air Transport Wing and adopted its emblem, Ravenstein, pp. 232-233


Flying Training Wings

The Air Force considered all training units support units. Although they were assigned the mission of advanced training, combat crew training wings operated the same kinds of aircraft as combat wings and retained a capability to augment combat forces.Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 131Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 240 SAC's 93d Bombardment Wing and MAC's 443d Military Airlift Wing were AFCON units conducting the same crew training mission for
bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...
, air refueling, and airlift. In October 1969, Tactical Air Command (TAC) joined them and replaced its MAJCON combat crew training wings for fighter and
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
aircraft with AFCON fighter training wings.Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 94Reconnaissance training was already under the aegis of the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, whose subordinate training squadrons were involved in the MAJCON to AFCON conversion. The final conversion of MAJCON to AFCON wings occurred between 1972 and 1973. The remaining MAJCON flying training units in the Air Force were assigned to Air Training Command (ATC). ATC followed TAC's example and replaced its MAJCON pilot training wings and navigator training wing with AFCON flying training wings.Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 54


End of the MAJCOM system

During the
Gulf War 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, ...
of 1990-91 MAJCON wings, such as the
7440th Composite Wing The 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional) was a List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force, Major Air Command-controlled (MAJCON) temporary Wing (air force unit), wing of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), active in Turkey in 19 ...
(Provisional) at
Incirlik Air Base Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of ...
, Turkey, and the 801st Bomb Wing (Provisional)During both the
Viet Nam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...
and
Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, SAC obtained permission to number some of its MAJCON provisional units with three digits
at
Morón Air Base Morón Air Base is located at in southern Spain, approximately southeast of the city of Seville. The base gets its name from the nearby town of Morón de la Frontera while is located inside Arahal municipality territory. Currently the bas ...
, Spain served alongside AFCON wings. The MAJCON system was in existence up until 30 April 1991, when all units became AFCON units. A number of MAJCOM wings were converted to AFCON status while retaining their four digit designation or redesignated with one to three digits. "At the same time, the Air Force withdrew the authorization for major commands to create MAJCON organizations. Those four digit organizations active on 30 April 1991, changed to organizations under the direct control of Headquarters USAF for organizational actions, eliminating all MAJCON organizations. Among the former MAJCON organizations were about twenty active four-digit wings. Within a few years, however all those wings were inactivated, consolidated with, or replaced by lower numbered wings." An example is the 4404th Wing in Saudi Arabia, which was only replaced by a three-digit AFCON wing, the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing, on 1 December 1998. Four digit wings are still permitted if they are provisional organizations, although the wing number is based on the unit's area of responsibility, not the command it is assigned to. However, most USAF provisional units are now expeditionary units. Although expeditionary wings are activated as needed by MAJCOMs, their numbers are controlled by Hq, USAF and their lineage and honors can be inherited.AF Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and Heraldry, Chapter 2, 12 May 2008, Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC


List of MAJCOM Wings

Abbreviations: ABG=Air Base Group, ABW=Air Base Wing, CCTW=Combat Crew Training Wing, CSG=Combat Support Group, TFW=Tactical Fighter Wing, TTG=Technical Training Group


See also

*
List of USAF Provisional Wings assigned to Strategic Air Command Provisional Wings were United States Air Force Strategic Air Command wings that were established on paper to allow other Wings to provide support, both aircraft and personnel, at temporary locations outside the continental United States for period ...
* List of USAF Strategic Wings assigned to the Strategic Air Command


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956) * * * * * * * * * (An updated, but abbreviated version of this work is available a
A Guide to USAF Lineage and Honors
* * "The Four Digit Wings", article in a British aviation periodical, probabl

1990-93 period (exact date not known) * USAF Directories :: SS-OL1 Directory of United States Air Force Organizations 31 October 1962 ''(Declassified from Secret - 17 January 2006)'' Document is on file at the United States National Archives. :: Air Force Manual 10-4, Directory of Air Force Addresses, 1 November 1973, Vol. I (Unclassified), Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC :: Air Force Manual 10-4, Directory of Air Force Addresses, 15 May 1976, Vol. I (Unclassified), Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC :: Air Force Manual 10-4, Directory of Air Force Addresses, 1 September 1978, Vol. I (Unclassified), Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC :
Air Force Regulation 4-16, Air Force Address Directory
1 March 1989, Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC * (through 317th Maintenance Squadron) * (from 317th Motor Vehicle Squadron) * * (renumbered AF Pamphlet 36-2801)


External links

* * * * Access to this site has been limited due to attempted spamming * {{DEFAULTSORT:Majcom Wings Of The United States Air Force Lists of United States Air Force units and formations