810th Strategic Aerospace Division
Encyclopedia
The 810th Strategic Aerospace Division (810th SAD) is an inactive United States Air Force
organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command
, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force
, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base
, North Dakota
. It was inactivated on June 30, 1971.
Activated in 1952 as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, the 810th Air Division assured the manning, training, and equipping of assigned units to conduct long range bombardment missions with its assigned B-50D Superfortress and B-36 Peacemaker strategic bombardment Wings using either nuclear or conventional weapons. With the phaseout of the B-36 in the late 1950s, the Division controlled B-47 Stratojet
medium bomber wings.
In 1962 the organization was redesignated as a Strategic Aerospace Division after taking command of several intercontinental ballistic missile wings equipped with SM-65 Atlas and LGM-30A Minuteman I missiles and trained for strategic aerospace warfare.
Between 1966 and 1973, 810 AD subordinate organizations loaned KC-135 Stratotanker
and B-52 Stratofortress
aircraft and crews, at various times, to Strategic Air command organizations flying Arc Light
combat missions in Southeast Asia
. In the spring of 1968, some aircraft and crews deployed to Okinawa in response to the Pueblo Incident, when the USSS Pueblo
, a United States Navy
vessel, was seized on the high seas by the armed forces of the People's Republic of Korea
(North Korea).
The 810th also participated in tactical exercises such as Club Car, Snow Bank, and Bar None. It was inactivated in 1971 as a result of budgetary reductions.
Squadrons
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...
organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base
Minot Air Force Base
Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot. In the 2010 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5,521....
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. It was inactivated on June 30, 1971.
Activated in 1952 as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, the 810th Air Division assured the manning, training, and equipping of assigned units to conduct long range bombardment missions with its assigned B-50D Superfortress and B-36 Peacemaker strategic bombardment Wings using either nuclear or conventional weapons. With the phaseout of the B-36 in the late 1950s, the Division controlled B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
medium bomber wings.
In 1962 the organization was redesignated as a Strategic Aerospace Division after taking command of several intercontinental ballistic missile wings equipped with SM-65 Atlas and LGM-30A Minuteman I missiles and trained for strategic aerospace warfare.
Between 1966 and 1973, 810 AD subordinate organizations loaned KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
and B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
aircraft and crews, at various times, to Strategic Air command organizations flying Arc Light
Arc Light
Arc Light is the debut novel by Eric L. Harry, a techno-thriller about limited nuclear war published in 1994 and written in 1991-2.As China and Russia clash in Siberia in June 1999, nuclear missiles strike the United States. The U.S. retaliates against Russia, and World War III begins...
combat missions in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. In the spring of 1968, some aircraft and crews deployed to Okinawa in response to the Pueblo Incident, when the USSS Pueblo
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
, a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
vessel, was seized on the high seas by the armed forces of the People's Republic of Korea
People's Republic of Korea
The People's Republic of Korea was a short-lived provisional government organized to take over control of Korea after the Surrender of Japan at the end of the Pacific War. It operated as the government in late August and early September of 1945 until the United States Army Military Government in...
(North Korea).
The 810th also participated in tactical exercises such as Club Car, Snow Bank, and Bar None. It was inactivated in 1971 as a result of budgetary reductions.
Lineage
- Established as 810th Air Division on June 4, 1952
- Activated on June 16, 1952
- Redesignated 810 Strategic Aerospace Division on November 1, 1962
- Inactivated on June 30, 1971.
Assignments
- Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, June 16, 1952 - Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, April 1, 1955 - Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, July 1, 1963 - Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, July 2, 1966 – June 30, 1971.
Stations
- Biggs AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, June 16, 1952 - Minot AFB, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, July 1, 1962 – June 30, 1971.
Components
Wings- 5 Bombardment5th Bomb WingThe 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
(Minot AFB)
- July 25, 1968 – June 30, 1971
- 55 Strategic Reconnaissance55th WingThe 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The unit is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska....
(Ramey AFB)
- 55 Strategic Reconnaissance
- September 1, 1964 – July 2, 1966
- 91 Bombardment (later, 91 Strategic Missile) (Glasgow AFB, Minot AFB)
- February 1 – July 1, 1963
- July 1, 1966 – June 30, 1971 (detached c. February 5 – April 15, 1968)
- 95 Bombardment95th Air Base WingThe 95th Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Flight Test Center. The unit is stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and is the host unit at Edwards....
(Biggs AFB)
- 95 Bombardment
- June 16, 1952 – July 1, 1962 (detached July 23 – November 19, 1955)
- 97 Bombardment97th Air Mobility WingThe 97th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus...
(Biggs AFB)
- 97 Bombardment
- June 16, 1952 – July 1, 1959 (detached May 5 – July 4, 1956)
- 98 Strategic Aerospace98th Range WingThe 98th Range Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Air Warfare Center. The unit is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada as a tenant unit....
(Lincoln AFB)
- 98 Strategic Aerospace
- March 25, 1965 – June 25, 1966
- 319 Bombardment319th Air Refueling WingThe 319th Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's USAF Expeditionary Center. It is stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Grand Forks....
(Grand Forks AFB)
- 319 Bombardment
- February 1, 1963 – September 1, 1964
- 341 Strategic Missile341st Missile WingThe United States Air Force's 341st Missile Wing is an intercontinental ballistic missile unit headquartered at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...
(Malmstrom AFB)
- 341 Strategic Missile
- July 2, 1968 – June 30, 1971
- 450 Bombardment (Minot AFB)
- February 1, 1963 – July 25, 1968
- 455 Strategic Missile455th Air Expeditionary WingThe 455th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force Air Combat Command unit. It is one of two AEWs in Afghanistan, presently assigned to Bagram Airfield. Most of the wing personnel are located at the Air Force Village known as Camp Cunningham.The wing's primary mission is to...
(Minot AFB)
- 455 Strategic Missile
- November 1, 1962 – June 25, 1968
- 4128 Strategic: July 1, 1962 – February 1, 1963
- 4133 Strategic: July 1, 1962 – February 1, 1963
- 4136 Strategic: July 1, 1962 – February 1, 1963
- 4141 Strategic: July 1, 1962 – February 1, 1963.
Squadrons
- 34 Air Refueling: April 1 – July 1, 1965
- 4024 Bombardment: April 1, 1955 – August 1, 1956.
Aircraft and Missiles
- B-50 SuperfortressB-50 SuperfortressThe Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for...
, 1952–1955
- RB-50, 1954–1956
- KB-29 Tanker, 1952–1956
- ERB-29, 1954–1956
- B-36 Peacemaker, 1953–1959
- KC-97 StratotankerKC-97 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...
, 1954–1957 - B-47 StratojetB-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
, 1955–1959 - B-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, 1959–1962, 1963–1971 - KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
, 1959–1962, 1963–1971
- EC-135, 1966–1969
- Minuteman I, 1963–1971
- Atlas, 1964–1965
- Minuteman II, 1968–1971
- Minuteman III, 1968–1971.