45th Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. It is assigned to the 45th Space Wing
45th Space Wing
The 45th Space Wing is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Fourteenth Air Force, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. It is also the host unit at Patrick AFB.-Overview:...
, stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, Florida.
Overview
The 45th Operations Group is responsible for program management and operation of five squadrons which perform all Eastern Range launch operations including Delta II, Delta III, Atlas II, Atlas III, Titan IV, Space Shuttle, Pegasus, and Athena space launch vehicles. The Operations Group also provides support to Naval Ordnance Test Unit operations. In support of space launch operations, the Operations Group coordinates training for the wing, manages all wing spacecraft services systems and facilities, and manages the Patrick AFB air traffic complex, handling more than 24,000 aircraft operations annually.Components
- 1st Range Operations Squadron (1 ROPS)
- Provides world-wide customers: high quality, requirements tailored, range operations, operations support management, and scheduling services.
- Det 1, Antigua Air Station, West Indies
- Provides telemetry and radar tracking data to support space launches out of the Eastern Range. When not supporting its primary mission, the unit has the secondary mission of providing radar tracking data for locating and cataloging space objects in support of U.S. Space Command's Space Surveillance Network.
- Det 2, Ascension Auxiliary Air Field
- Provides telemetry and radar tracking data to support space launches out of the Eastern Range. When not supporting its primary mission, the unit has the secondary mission of providing radar tracking data for locating and cataloging space objects in support of the United States Space Command Space Surveillance Network.
- 45th Operations Support Squadron (45 OSS)
- Promote assured access to space to fulfill war-fighting, CINC and national requirements by providing policy decisions, training, and airfield operations for the 45th Operations Group, while managing all airfield and air traffic control services for the 45th Space Wing.
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- 45th Launch Operations Support Flight
- Provides behind-the-scenes support for all launches. Acting as protocol, the launch operations support flight helps coordinate tours and launch viewing for distinguished visitors and coordinating launch critical briefings and conferences.
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- 45th Airfield Operations Flight
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- Manages the Patrick AFB airfield and provides air traffic control services in support of the space range and the National Airspace System.
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- Current Operations Flight
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- Coordinates and implements Wing-level policies and procedures which provide the structure for launch operations.
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- Spacelift Operations Training Flight
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- Provides Wing training policy and guidance for more than 100 space launch operators.
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- 45th Range Management Squadron (45 RMS)
- Provide operations and maintenance services for all range instrumentation and critical launch facilities and quality assurance support to wing and delegated contractual efforts
- 45th Space Communications Squadron (45th SCS)
- 45th OG Standardization & Evaluation
- 45th Weather Squadron
History
- See 45th Space Wing45th Space WingThe 45th Space Wing is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Fourteenth Air Force, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. It is also the host unit at Patrick AFB.-Overview:...
and 45th Launch Group45th Launch GroupThe 45th Launch Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 45th Space Wing, stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.-Overview:...
for additional lineage and history information
Organized in early 1941 as a First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
bombardment group equipped with A-20 Havocs, and later B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
s. After the United States entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the group was ordered to search for German U-Boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys off mid and southeast Atlantic east coast from Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, then from South Florida, expanding its patrols to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and Florida Straits.
Reassigned to Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy U-boat threat.-Lineage:...
in October 1942 and inactivated shortly afterwards, its component squadrons being redesignated Antisubmarine Squadrons and reassigned to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing
25th Antisubmarine Wing
The 25th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was inactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
.
Reactivated and re-designated in 1991 under Air Force Space Command. Operated "Down-Range" facilities at Antigua, Ascension Island, and Cape Canaveral, Florida; launched DOD payloads into orbit; and collected flight data for evaluation of ballistic missile systems launched from Eastern Launch sites for DOD, NASA, and commercial customers. Provided support for DOD, NASA, and commercial manned and unmanned space programs.
There were several organizational changes in the Wing in 1997 and 1998. Detachments 1 and 2 of the 45th Operations Group were inactivated on Antigua and Ascension on 1 June 1997, but they were replaced by Detachments 1 and 2 of the 45th Logistics Group on the same day. The 5th Space Launch Squadron was inactivated at Cape Canaveral Air Station on 29 June 1998, and its resources were absorbed by the 3rd Space Launch Squadron.
Launch operations reassigned to 45th Launch Group
45th Launch Group
The 45th Launch Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 45th Space Wing, stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.-Overview:...
on 1 December 2003
Lineage
- Constituted as 45th Bombardment Group (Light) on 20 September 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Redesignated 45th Bombardment Group (Medium) on December 1941
- Inactivated on 8 December 1942
- Re-designated 45th Operations Group on 1 Nov 1991
- Activated on 12 Nov 1991.
Assignments
- 16th Bombardment Wing, 15 Jan 1941
- 1 Air Support Command, 21 Aug 1941
- I Bomber Command, 5 Jan 1942
- Army Air Forces Antisubmarine CommandArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine CommandThe Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy U-boat threat.-Lineage:...
, 13 Oct 1942 - 26th Antisubmarine Wing26th Antisubmarine WingThe 26th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at Miami Airport, Florida. It was deactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
, 20 Nov-8 Dec 1942 - 45th Space Wing45th Space WingThe 45th Space Wing is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Fourteenth Air Force, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. It is also the host unit at Patrick AFB.-Overview:...
, 12 Nov 1991-Present
Squadrons
- 78th Bombardment Squadron (later 7th Antisubmarine Squadron)851st Strategic Missile SquadronThe 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 456th Strategic Missile Wing, based at Beale Air Force Base, California...
: 15 January 1941-8 December 1942 - 79th Bombardment Squadron (later 8th Antisubmarine Squadron) : 15 January 1941-8 December 1942
- 80th Bombardment Squadron (later 9th Antisubmarine Squadron)835th Bombardment SquadronThe 835th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 486th Bombardment Group, based at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945.-History:...
: 15 January 1941-8 December 1942 - 433d Bombardment Squadron (later 10th Antisubmarine Squadron)867th Bombardment SquadronThe 867th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 494th Bombardment Group, based at Fort Lawton. Washington. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946.-History:...
: 15 January 1941-8 December 1942 - 76th Bombardment Squadron (Attached), 21 May-13 August 1942
- 1st Space Launch Squadron, 12 Nov 1991-1 Dec 2003
- 3d Space Launch Squadron, 1 Apr 1992-1 Dec 2003
- 5th Space Launch Squadron, 14 Apr 1994-29 Jun 1998.
Stations
- Savannah AABHunter Army AirfieldHunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 15 January 1941 - Grenier Field, New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, 18 June 1941 - Dover AAF, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, 16 May 1942 - Miami AAFMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 1 August-8 December 1942. - Patrick AFB, FL, 12 Nov 1991
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, 1 Nov 1998-.