Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the

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 Si ...

, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and it is the direct successor to Tactical Air Command. Air Combat Command is headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia, United States. ACC directly operates 1,110 fighter, attack,

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 ( skirmishe ...

combat search and rescue Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones. A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refueling ...

airborne command and control Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

and electronic aircraft along with command, control, computing, communications and intelligence (C4I) systems, Air Force ground forces, conducts global information operations, and controls Air Force Intelligence. Air Combat Command consists of approximately 74,240 active duty Airmen and 10,610 Department of the Air Force Civilians. When mobilized, more than 49,000 additional Airmen of the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commi ...

and the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

, along with over 700 additional aircraft, are operationally-gained and assigned to ACC, bringing total aircraft to more than 1,800 and number of Airmen to 123,240.

Mission

Air Combat Command's mission is to provide air combat forces to the geographic

Unified Combatant Command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, ...

s. ACC organizes, trains, equips, and maintains combat-ready units for rapid deployment abroad while also ensuring

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

of the United States is strong enough for both peacetime and wartime needs. ACC

Numbered Air Force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squ ...

s serve as the air components for United States Central Command, United States Southern Command, and United States Northern Command. ACC augments the forces of the United States European Command, United States Africa Command,

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

, and

United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for strategic nuclear deter ...

History

Air Combat Command was created 1 June 1992 after the inactivation of the Tactical Air Command (TAC),

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 ...

(SAC) and Military Airlift Command (MAC). Upon activation, ACC assumed control of all former-TAC fighters, all bombers, reconnaissance platforms, battle management resources, and

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 weapo ...

s (ICBMs). Furthermore, ACC had some

KC-135 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 transport ...

and KC-10 aerial refueling tankers and

C-130 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 desi ...

tactical airlift aircraft in its composite, reconnaissance, and other combat wings. In 1993, control of the ICBM force was transferred to the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) until transferred again to

Air Force Global Strike Command Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global stri ...

(AFGSC) on 1 December 2009. Following the inactivation of SAC at

Offutt AFB Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the ...

, Nebraska, a new unified command, the

, was activated at Offutt, created to manage the combined strategic nuclear forces belonging to both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. Historically, Combat Command was an earlier air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the tactical air units of the War Department, formerly known as the GHQ Air Force, formed the Air Force Combat Command. The AFCC was dissolved in the reorganization of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, effective 9 March 1942, which created the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a major command of the Army, which functioned as a ''de facto'' independent service branch of the Armed Forces.

Mission Realignments

Combat search and rescue

Not long after activation, ACC underwent organizational and mission changes. The first such major change was the transfer of the

(CSAR) mission from Air Mobility Command to ACC. With the realigning of search and rescue units, ACC gained additional resources, as well as a new mission. The formal transfer took place on 1 February 1993, when the Air Rescue Service (ARS) was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the same year, the ARS was disestablished and rescue units became fully integrated in the same manner as other ACC units reporting to numbered air forces. The USAF Combat Rescue School was subsequently assigned to the 57th Wing at

Nellis AFB Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military O ...

, Nevada.

Flight training

One of the most significant changes for Air Combat Command resulted from an overhaul of flying training responsibilities. Following its activation, ACC was responsible for aircraft-specific aircrew training, including initial weapon system and continuation training. On 1 July 1993, the 58th and 325th Fighter Wings—F-16 and F-15 training units transferred from ACC to

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

(AETC). Concurrently, Luke AFB, Arizona, and Tyndall AFB, Florida, for which those respective wings were the host units, also moved from ACC to AETC ownership. However, on 1 October 2012, both Tyndall AFB and the 325th Fighter Wing returned to the control of ACC.

Tanker and airlift

The next major organizational change resulted from a fine-tuning of

aerial refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

and

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...

resources. From its activation, Air Combat Command had assumed ownership of some

C-130 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 desi ...

theater airlift assets and KC-10 Extender and

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 ...

s. Just as ownership of overseas C-130 resources had already been transferred to USAFE and PACAF commanders, it was decided that all C-130s based in the CONUS would be under the control of ACC, while at the same time, almost all KC-135 tankers would be assigned to Air Mobility Command. There was historical precedent for the reassignment of C-130s to Air Combat Command. During the earliest days of Tactical Air Command (TAC), the command had carried out the "tactical" or combat airborne aspect of airlift operations, leaving the "strategic" or logistical mission to

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

, later redesignated Military Airlift Command (the precursor of today's Air Mobility Command) in 1966. The tactical airlift mission included logistical airlift, airborne operations, aeromedical evacuation, and air support for special operations. This division of the airlift mission continued until 1 December 1974, when TAC transferred its CONUS-based tactical airlift units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard tactical airlift units, to Military Airlift Command (MAC). MAC gained the overseas units from theater commands on 31 March 1975. On 1 October 1993, all Air Mobility Command C-130s with the exception of those permanently under United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and

Pacific 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 (f ...

(PACAF) regions were transferred to ACC, while USAFE and PACAF assumed control of the C-130 permanently based in their respective geographic regions. Concurrently, all KC-10 tankers and all KC-135 tankers except those at

Mountain Home AFB Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is southwest of Mountain Home, which is southeast of Boise via Interstat ...

, Idaho, which supported the fighter and bomber aircraft of the composite wing stationed there, transferred to AMC. ACC also retained two KC-135s at

Nebraska and

Grand Forks AFB 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 C ...

, North Dakota under ACC control until transferring them to AMC on 1 October 1993. McConnell AFB, Kansas; Fairchild AFB, Washington; and their respective air refueling wings were also transferred to AMC in January 1994 and July 1994, respectively. In 1997, a subsequent USAF reorganization of ACC and AMC resulted in all CONUS-based C-130 theater airlift aircraft being reassigned from ACC back to AMC. This change also shifted operational claimancy for all "slick" theater airlift mission C-130s in the

and CONUS-based

. USAFE and PACAF C-130 assets remained in those respective MAJCOMs to include PACAF's operational claimancy for Alaska Air National Guard C-130 and HC-130 assets.

Operational deployments

In Southwest Asia, Air Combat Command provided active duty and reserve component forces for the follow-on to Operation Desert Storm and the establishment of Operation Southern Watch to deter Iraqi aggression. In October 1994, ACC also demonstrated its ability to react quickly to the buildup of Iraqi troops near the border of Kuwait. In addition, ACC, from its inception, has provided indispensable support to counter-drug operations, including

Airborne Warning and Control System Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

(AWACS),

and

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

, as well as

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

and connectivity assets. Participation in humanitarian operations has also been a recurring theme. Air Combat Command supported the humanitarian efforts of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), deploying active duty and air reserve component forces to Provide Promise and Deny Flight in Eastern Europe and Operation Provide Comfort out of

Incirlik AB 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 t ...

, Turkey. Provide Promise offered humanitarian relief airlift support to the city of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

, while Deny Flight enforced the "no-fly" zone against Serb air attacks on Bosnian civilians. Operation Provide Comfort, another humanitarian operation, also provided relief to Kurdish inhabitants of northern Iraq who had undergone fierce repression by the Iraqi government. In addition, ACC supported United States Atlantic Command's humanitarian relief to Haitian refugees associated with Operation GTMO at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Similarly, the command supported Operation Safe Haven and the processing of Cuban refugees during the latter part of the summer of 1994. Across the Atlantic, Air Combat Command units participated in Operation Restore Hope, largely an Air Mobility Command humanitarian operation intended to provide food for Somalia. Also, ACC regular and ACC-gained

C-130 units deployed to Uganda and Kenya to participate in Operation Support Hope. This operation, conducted by the United States European Command, comprised part of the United Nations effort to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the civil war in Rwanda. In keeping with its global responsibilities, ACC initiated a series of "Global Power" missions in 1993. ACC's bomber wings are required to perform out-of-CONUS training flights to demonstrate the capability to perform their "quick reaction" worldwide mission. On one of the global power missions, two B-1 Lancer aircraft of the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, set a B-1 flying time record on the first leg of their round-the-world flight, 11–13 August 1993. The following year, two B-52s from the 2d Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, circumnavigated the globe in 47.2 hours, the longest jet aircraft flight in history.

Global war on terrorism

Air Combat Command units flew operational missions during the 2002

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

– Afghanistan (OEF-A) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq,

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{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 ...

. The task of developing a comprehensive listing of ACC units present in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat areas is particularly difficult as the events of 11 September 2001 and the Global War on Terrorism has made such an effort significantly difficult. The USAF seeks to improve operational security (OPSEC) and to deceive potential enemies as to the extent of American operations, therefore a listing of which units deploying where and when is unavailable. However, it is certain that ACC units are actively flying combat missions in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

Predecessor units merged into Air Combat Command 1992

;

2d Bomb Wing The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was a ...

:: Barksdale AFB, LA : 5th Bomb Wing :: Minot AFB, ND : 7th Bomb Wing :: Carswell AFB, TX (Xfer to Dyess AFB, TX on 1 October 1993) : 9th Reconnaissance Wing :: Beale AFB, CA : 28th Bomb Wing :: Ellsworth AFB, SD : 42d Bomb Wing :: Loring AFB, ME (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1994) :

44th Missile Wing The 44th Missile Wing (44 MW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force, being assigned to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 4 July 1994. For over 40 years the 44th was ...

:: Ellsworth AFB, SD (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) :

55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force 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, Ariz ...

:: Offut AFB NE : 90th Missile Wing :: F E Warren AFB, WY (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) :

91st Missile Wing The 91st Missile Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Twentieth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota as a tenant unit. The 91 MW is one of the Air Force's three inte ...

:: Minot AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993 : 92d Bomb Wing :: Fairchild AFB WA (Xfer to Air Mobility Command, 1 July 1994) : 93d Wing :: Castle AFB, CA (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 96th Wing :: Dyess AFB, TX (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 1 October 1993) : 319th Bombardment Wing :: Grand Forks AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Mobility Command as 319 ARW, 1 October 1993) : 321st Missile Wing :: Grand Forks AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) :

341st Missile Wing The United States Air Force's 341st Missile Wing is an intercontinental ballistic missile unit headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. Up until 1 July 2008, it was designated as the 341st Space Wing. Established as a World War II T ...

:: Malmstrom AFB, MT (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 351st Missile Wing :: Whiteman AFB, MO (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 379th Wing :: Wurtsmith AFB, MI (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 15 June 1993) : 384th Bomb Wing :: McConnell AFB, KS (Wing only BRAC Inactivated; xfer to 384th Bomb Group, 1 October 1994) : 410th Wing :: K. I. Sawyer AFB, MI (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 416th Wing :: Griffiss AFB, NY (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 509th Bombardment Wing :: Whiteman AFB, MO ; Military Airlift Command :

314th Airlift Wing The 314th Airlift Wing (314 AW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Little Rock Air Force Base in Little Rock, Arkansas. Its mission is to carry out Lockheed C-130 Hercules combat airlift training. The wing was activated in Novem ...

:: Little Rock AFB, AR ; Tactical Air Command :

1st Fighter Wing The 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, VA. where it is a tenant unit, being supported by the 633d Air Base Wing. Its 1 ...

:: Langley AFB, VA : 4th Fighter Wing :: Seymour Johnson AFB, NC : 23d Fighter Wing :: Base and wing BRAC Inactivated at England AFB, LA; reactivated as 23d Wing, Pope AFB, NC) : 27th Fighter Wing :: Cannon AFB, NM : 31st Fighter Wing :: Homestead AFB, FL (Moved WOPEWOPE – Without Personnel or Equipment to Aviano AB Italy on 1 April 1994 and assigned to USAFE) : 33d Fighter Wing :: Eglin AFB, FL :

35th Fighter Wing The 35th Fighter Wing is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Misawa Air Base, Japan. The wing is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)'s Fifth Air Force. The wing was first activated in August 1948 at Johnson Ai ...

:: George AFB, CA (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 15 December 1992) :

37th Fighter Wing The 37th Training Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the 2nd Air Force and the Air Education and Training Command. As the host unit to Lackland Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, the 37th TRW is the predomi ...

:: Tonopah AP, NV (Wing Inactivated 8 July 1992; F-117s xfer to 49 FW, Holloman AFB, NM) : 49th Fighter Wing :: Holloman AFB, NM :

53d Wing The 53d Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Comman ...

:: Eglin AFB, FL :

56th Fighter Wing The 56th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing in the United States Air Force. It is the world’s largest Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations. Additionally, it is one of two active-duty F-16 training ...

:: MacDill AFB, FL (Moved WOPE to Luke AFB, AZ on 1 April 1994; reassigned to AETC) : 57th Fighter Wing :: Nellis AFB, NV : 58th Fighter Wing :: Luke AFB, AZ (Moved WOPE to Kirtland AFB, NM on 1 April 1994 :: Reassigned to AETC as 58th Special Operations Wing) : 67th Reconnaissance Wing :: Bergstrom AFB, TX (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1993) : 85th Wing :: NAS Keflavik, Iceland (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 31 May 1993) :

325th Fighter Wing The 325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based in Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Mission The 325th Fighter Wing's primary mission is to provide air dominance training for F-22 Raptor pilots and maintenance per ...

:: Tyndall AFB, FL (Reassigned to AETC 1 July 1993; rejoined ACC 1 October 2012) : 347th Fighter Wing :: Moody AFB, GA (Reassigned to AFSOC as 347 RQW 1 October 2003; merged into ACC 23 WG, 1 October 2006) :

354th Fighter Wing The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force (11 AF). The wing replaced the 343d Fighter ...

:: Myrtle Beach AFB, SC (BRAC Inactivated, 31 March 1993) : 355th Fighter Wing :: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ : 363d Fighter Wing :: Shaw AFB, SC (Inactivated 30 December 1993; replaced by 20th Fighter Wing, 30 December 1993) :

366th Fighter Wing (" Fortune Favors the Bold") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , battles= World War IIVietnam WarDesert StormOperation Enduring FreedomOperation Iraqi Freedom , anniversaries= , decorations= DUC PUC AFOUA w/ V Device RVGC ...

:: Mountain Home AFB, ID :

388th Fighter Wing The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Units 388th Operations Group (388 OG) *4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS) : ...

:: Hill AFB, UT :

475th Weapons Evaluation Group 475th may refer to: *475th Air Base Wing, inactive United States Air Force unit *475th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *475th Fighter Group, World War II predecessor of 53d Weapons Evaluation Group *475th Test Squadron, ...

:: Tyndall AFB, FL : 507th Air Control Wing :: Shaw AFB, SC (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 12 June 1993) :

552d Air Control Wing The 552d Air Control Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force. It has been based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma since July 1976, operating the Boeing E-3 Sentry. It includes the 552d Operations Group, 552d Maintenance Gro ...

:: Tinker AFB OK : 602d Air Control Wing :: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 15 June 1992)

Wings and groups

, Air Combat Command consisted of the following units: * United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) :: HQ:

, Nevada :

, Eglin AFB, Florida :: Includes 53d Test and Evaluation Group,

, Nevada :: and 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, Tyndall AFB, Florida :

57th Wing The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy ...

, Nevada : Nevada Test and Training Range,

, Nevada :

Utah Test and Training Range The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) is a Department of Defense military testing and training area located in Utah's West Desert, approximately west of Salt Lake City, Utah. UTTR is currently the largest contiguous block of over-land superson ...

, Hill AFB, Utah : 99th Air Base Wing,

, Nevada : 505th Command and Control Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida * First Air Force (AFNORTH) :: HQ: Tyndall AFB, Florida : Eastern Air Defense Sector,

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which l ...

(former

Griffiss AFB Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about northwest of Utica. Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, ...

) :

Western Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force c ...

, McChord AFB, Washington : 701st Air Defense Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Florida : 702d Computer Systems Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Florida : 722d Air Control Squadron, North Bay (CFB North Bay), Canada * Ninth Air Force (AFCENT) :: HQ:

Shaw AFB Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...

, South Carolina * Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH) :: HQ: Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona *

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 ...

:: HQ:

, South Carolina :

(F-22A, T-38A), Langley AFB, Virginia : 4th Fighter Wing (F-15E),

Seymour Johnson AFB Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

, North Carolina : 20th Fighter Wing (F-16C/D),

, South Carolina :: Includes Poinsett Electronic Combat Range, South Carolina :

23d Wing The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Mission The mission of the 23rd Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunder ...

(HH-60, HC-130J, A/OA-10C), Moody AFB, Georgia :: Includes Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida : 93d Air Ground Operations Wing, Moody AFB, Georgia :

(F-22A, T-38A), Tyndall AFB, Florida : 355th Fighter Wing (A/OA-10C), Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona :

(F-15E),

, Idaho :

(F-35A), Hill AFB, Utah :

432d Wing The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles. The group operates unman ...

(MQ-1, MQ-9), Creech AFB, Nevada :

461st Air Control Wing The 461st Air Control Wing is a joint Air Force/Army unit flying the E-8 J-STARS aircraft. The wing is assigned to Air Combat Command's Ninth Air Force, and is stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It was activated on 1 October 2011. ...

(E-8C), Robins AFB, Georgia :

(E-3B/C), Tinker AFB, Oklahoma : 633d Air Base Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia :

495th Fighter Group The 495th Fighter Group is an active duty fighter group in the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Fifteenth Air Force of Air Combat Command and stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, with additional units at multiple active Ai ...

, South Carolina *

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 ...

:: HQ: Lackland AFB, Texas : 9th Reconnaissance Wing (U-2S, RQ-4, MC-12), Beale AFB, California :

55th Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force 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, Ariz ...

(EC/OC/WC/RC-135),

, Nebraska :: Includes 55th Electronic Combat Group (EC-130H), Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona :

67th Cyberspace Wing The 67th Cyberspace Wing is a United States Air Force wing stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. It was activated in October 1993 as a military intelligence unit and is assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force. The wing was first activate ...

, Lackland AFB, Texas :: Includes 567th Cyberspace Operations Group, Scott AFB, Illinois : 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort Meade, Maryland :

319th Reconnaissance Wing The 319th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command. It is stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is the host unit at Grand Forks. The wing operates E/RQ-4B Global Hawk r ...

, North Dakota : 363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia : 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia : 557th Weather Wing,

, Nebraska :

624th Operations Center The 624th Operations Center (624 OC) is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was inactivated on 16 March 2020 and last located at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, with its responsibilities transferred to the newly activated 616th ...

, Lackland AFB, Texas : 688th Cyberspace Wing, Lackland AFB, Texas :: Includes 5th Combat Communications Group, Robins AFB, Georgia :: Also includes 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma : Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida In 2009, responsibility for nuclear-capable bombers, specifically the

B-2 Spirit The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying w ...

and the

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

, along with their associated units, bases and personnel, were transferred from ACC to the newly established

( AFGSC). On 1 February 2010, the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forc ...

transferred to the

. The 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, and the 28th Bomb Wing at

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Str ...

also transferred to AFGSC on 1 October 2015, thus, ending 23 years of operational bomber service in ACC. In October 2019 units from Twenty-Fourth Air Force and Twenty-Fifth Air Force were merged into the reactivated

. Sixteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. In August 2020 units from Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force were realigned under the reactivated

. Fifteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. In addition, units from

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, and numerous other state and District of Columbia

units are allocated to Air Combat Command when activated to federal service.

Aircraft

: * Attack ** Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II ** General Atomics MQ-1 Predator **

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the Un ...

* Fighters ** McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle **

McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without rel ...

** General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon **

Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, t ...

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...

* Combat Search and Rescue ** Lockheed HC-130P Combat King and HC-130J Combat King II * Command and Control ** Boeing E-3B/C Sentry ** Boeing E-8C Joint STARS * Reconnaissance ** Boeing OC-135;RC-135S/U/V/W;TC-135;WC-135 ** Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk ** Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady ** Beechcraft MC-12 Liberty ** Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel * Helicopter **

Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems ...

* Trainer ** Northrop T-38A, AT-38B and T-38C Talon

Lineage

* Constituted as Air Combat Command and activated on 1 June 1992 * Consolidated with Tactical Air Command on 26 September 2016

Assignments

Headquarters, United States Air Force The Air Staff is one of the Department of the Air Force's two statutorily designated headquarters staffs: the other staff is the ''Office of the Secretary of the Air Force'', also known as the ''Secretariat''. The Air Staff is headed by the Ch ...

, 1 June 1992 – present

Stations

* Langley Air Force Base, Hampton, Virginia, 1 June 1992 – presentActive Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1989

Major components

; Air Forces :

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the C ...

: 1 June 1992 – present :

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 June 1992 – 1 July 1993 :: Transferred to Air Education and Training Command :

: 1 June 1992 – 2009 :: Transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, 2009 : Ninth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – present : Twelfth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – present :

: 20 August 2020 – present :

: 11 October 2019 – present : Twentieth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993 :: Transferred to Air Force Space Command, 1993 :: Transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, 2009 : Twenty-Fourth Air Force: 17 July 2018 – 11 October 2019 : Twenty-Fifth Air Force: 29 September 2014 – 11 October 2019 ; Centers : Air & Space Expeditionary Force Center: 1 October 2002 – 29 August 2006 : Aerospace Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (later, Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Center (see Agencies below): 29 July 1997 – 30 April 2002. On 17 June 2010, the GCIC was officially redesignated the Air Force Command and Control Integration Center or AFC2IC as a direct reporting unit to Air Combat Command (ACC). : Air Force Contingency Supply Support Office (later, Air Force Contingency Supply Squadron; ACC Regional Supply Squadron; Combat Air Forces Logistics Support Center): 12 June 1992 – 1 July 1994; 1 December 1998 – present : Air Warfare Center (later, USAF Warfare Center): 1 June 1992 – present :

Air Force Network Integration Center The Cyberspace Capabilities Center (CCC), located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the primary organization that develops cyber domain requirements in the United States Air Force. The center's goals are to attain a unity of effort of func ...

: 17 July 2018 – present : Air Force Spectrum Management Office: 17 July 2018 – present ; Agencies : Air and Space Command and Control Agency (later, Aerospace Command and Control Agency; Aerospace Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center; Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center): 29 July 1997 – 30 April 2002. : Air Intelligence Agency: 1 February 2001 – 8 August 2006 ; Groups : Air Combat Command (ACC) Air Force Targeting Center: 2008–present : Air Combat Command (ACC) Communications Group: 1 June 1992 – present : Air Combat Command (ACC) Logistics Support Group: 1 July 1994 – 16 September 1999. source for lineage, assignments, stations, components

List of commanders

References

External links

Air Combat Command website

Air National Guard website

Tenth Air Force website
{{Authority control Major commands of the United States Air Force Military units and formations in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1992