966th Airborne Air Control Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron (966 AACS) is part of the 552d Air Control Wing
at Tinker Air Force Base
, Oklahoma
. It operates the E-3 Sentry
aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.
, warning and control of strategic
, tactical
, and special mission forces.
surveillance from 1962–1969 and rotated aircrews to Southeast Asia
from c. 4 April 1965 – c. December 1969. The 966th has trained aircrews since 1977.
552d Air Control Wing
The 552d Air Control Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing flies the E-3 Sentry aircraft.-History:...
at Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. It operates the E-3 Sentry
E-3 Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force...
aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.
Mission
Provide the Combat Air Force with airborne systems and personnel for surveillanceSurveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, warning and control of strategic
Military strategy
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops...
, tactical
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
, and special mission forces.
History
The squadron conducted replacement training from August 1942 – November 1943 and flew evacuation missions and light transport services for ground forces in Burma from 13 November 1944 – 10 May 1945. It provided airborne radarRadar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
surveillance from 1962–1969 and rotated aircrews to 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...
from c. 4 April 1965 – c. December 1969. The 966th has trained aircrews since 1977.
Lineage
- 466th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)
- Constituted on 9 July 1942
-
- Activated on 15 July 1942
- Inactivated on 1 April 1944
-
- Consolidated (19 September 1985) with the 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando)
-
- Constituted on 9 August 1944
- Activated on 3 September 1944
- Inactivated on 3 November 1945
- Consolidated with 966th Airborne Warning and Control Training Squadron on 19 September 1985,
- Constituted 966th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron
- Consolidated with 966th Airborne Warning and Control Training Squadron on 19 September 1985,
- Activated on 18 December 1961
- Organized on 1 February 1962
- Inactivated on 31 December 1969
-
- Redesignated 966th Airborne Warning and Control Training Squadron on 5 May 1976
-
- Activated on 1 July 1976
- Redesignated 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron on 1 July 1994.
Assignments
- 333d Bombardment Group333d Bombardment GroupThe 333d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 316 Bombardment Wing, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946-History:...
, 15 July 1942 – 1 April 1944 - 1st Air Commando Group1st Air Commando GroupThe 1st Air Commando Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, based at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 3 November 1945....
, 3 September 1944 – 3 November 1945 - Air Defense Command, 18 December 1961
- 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 February 1962
- 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 May 1963
- 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 July 1969
- 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 15 November-31 December 1969
- 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing (later, 552d Airborne Warning and Control Division; 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing; 552d Air Control Wing), 1 July 1976
- 552d Operations Group, since 29 May 1992
Bases stationed
- Topeka Army Air Base, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 15 July 1942 - Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, 22 February 1943 – 1 April 1944
- Burnpur Airfield, India, 3 September 1944
- Yazagyo AirfieldYazagyoYazagyo is the northernmost village in Kale Township, Kale District, of western Burma .The Yazagyo Airfield, where the US 965th and 966th Airborne Air Control Squadrons were stationed during World War II, is located north of the town.-External links:* Maplandia World Gazatteer...
, Burma, 13 November 1944 - Inbaung Airfield, Burma, 12 December 1944
- Burnpur Airfield, India, 19 December 1944
- Detachment operated from Arakan Airfield, Burma, c. 29 December 1944 – 23 January 1945
- Sinthe Airfield, Burma, 4 February 1945
- Burnpur Airfield, India, 14 March 1945
- Ondaw Airfield, Burma, 29 March 1945
- Meiktila Airfield, Burma, 5 April 1945
- Toungoo Airfield, Burma, 27 April 1945
- Burnpur Airfield, India, 14 May – 6 October 1945
- Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 1–3 November 1945 - McCoy AFB, Florida, 1 February 1962 – 31 December 1969
- Tinker AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, since 1 July 1976
Aircraft operated
- B-17 Flying Fortress (1942)
- B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
(1942–1943) - L-5 SentinelL-5 SentinelThe Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of WWII that was purpose-built for military use and had no...
(1944–1945) - C-64 Norseman (1944–1945)
- RC-121Lockheed ConstellationThe Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
(1962–1963)
- TC-121Lockheed ConstellationThe Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
(1962–1963) - EC-121 Warning StarEC-121 Warning StarThe Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a United States Navy and United States Air Force airborne early warning radar surveillance aircraft. A military version of the Lockheed Constellation, it was designed to serve as an airborne early warning system to supplement the Distant Early Warning Line,...
(1963–1969) - WC-135C-135 Stratolifter|-See also:-External links:* at Globalsecurity.org...
(1977–1979) - E-3 SentryE-3 SentryThe Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force...
(since 1977)
Operations
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
- Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
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| B-17 Flying Fortress (1942) |
B-24 Liberator B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber... (1943–1944) |
L-5 Sentinel L-5 Sentinel The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of WWII that was purpose-built for military use and had no... (1944–1945) |
UC–64 Norseman (1944–1945) |
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| RC-121 Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a... (1962–1963) |
EC-121 Warning Star EC-121 Warning Star The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a United States Navy and United States Air Force airborne early warning radar surveillance aircraft. A military version of the Lockheed Constellation, it was designed to serve as an airborne early warning system to supplement the Distant Early Warning Line,... (1963–1969) |
WC-135 C-135 Stratolifter |-See also:-External links:* at Globalsecurity.org... (1977–1979) |
E-3 Sentry E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force... (since 1977) |