15th Airlift Wing
Encyclopedia
- See 15th Operations Group15th Operations GroupThe 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
for complete lineage and timeline information.
The 15th Wing (15 WG) is a wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of the United States Air Force
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...
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is a United States military facility adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy Naval Base Pearl Harbor, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:Joint Base Pearl...
, Hawaii. It is the airlift arm of Pacific Air Forces and United States Pacific Command
United States Pacific Command
The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...
and reports directly to the commander, Pacific Air Forces.
Mission
The mission of the 15 WG states: Warrior Airmen projecting peace and power in the Pacific and beyond.The first priority of the wing is ensure safe and reliable mission execution---effectively providing the Combatant Commander with flight-in-place capability and deployable forces.
The second priority is to maintain the health of the fleet to ensure safe and reliable mission execution---parternship with the 15th and 154th Maintenance Groups to provide persistent weapons systems sustainment and mission readiness in support of Design Operational Capability statements and OPlan taskings.
The third priority is to optimize the human weapons system and enhance family readiness---maintaining professional, fit and resilient Airmen who feel a sense of community and whose families are supported and understand their role in maximizing their role in mission readiness.
The fourth priority is to ensure seamless integration of installation support into the 15 WG's combat mission execution---creating zero road blocks in the ability of the wing to accomplish assigned missions.
A major responsibility of the wing is providing maintenance and refueling for aircraft transiting JBPHH between the Continental U.S. and the Western Pacific, as well as housing and feeding transient personnel. Aircraft assigned are one specially configured C-40 and one C-37 aircraft flown by the wing's 65th Airlift Squadron
65th Airlift Squadron
The 65th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-37 and C-40 Clipper aircraft providing executive airlfit in the Pacific theater.-History:...
which provide command airlift.
Units
The 15 WG is composed of three groups each with specific functions. The operations group controls all flying and airfield operations. The maintenance group performs aircraft and aircraft support equipment maintenance. The medical group provides medical and dental care. The remaining members of the wing fall under the Wing Staff Agencies (WSA).JBPHH is also host to numerous tenant organizations. The Air Force side of the installation supports 140 tenant and associate units.
- Wing Staff Agencies
- 15th Maintenance Group
- 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 15th Maintenance Squadron
- 15th Maintenance Operations Squadron
- 15th Operations Group15th Operations GroupThe 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
- 15th Operations Support Squadron
- 96th Air Refueling Squadron96th Air Refueling SquadronThe 96th Air Refueling Squadron is an associate unit of the 15th Wing at Hickam AFB, Hawaii and partners with the 203th ARS of the Hawaii Air National Guard-Mission:...
(KC-135) - 19th Fighter Squadron19th Fighter SquadronThe 19th Fighter Squadron is part of the 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.-Mission:The 19th FS operates the F-22 Raptor aircraft conducting strategic attack, interdiction, offensive counterair , suppression of enemy air defenses, as well as offensive and defensive counterair ...
(F-22) - 535th Airlift Squadron535th Airlift SquadronThe 535th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing airlfit in the Pacific theater.-History:...
(C-17) (tail code: HH) - 65th Airlift Squadron65th Airlift SquadronThe 65th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-37 and C-40 Clipper aircraft providing executive airlfit in the Pacific theater.-History:...
(C-37, C-40)
- 15th Medical Group
- 15th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron
- 15th Medical Operations Squadron
- 15th Medical Support Squadron
Lineage
- Established as 15th Tactical Fighter Wing and activated, on 17 April 1962
- Organized on 1 July 1962
- Inactivated on 1 October 1970
- Redesignated 15th Air Base Wing on 20 October 1971
- Activated on 1 November 1971
- Redesignated 15th Airlift Wing on 28 April 2003
- Redesignated 15th Wing on May 18 2010
Note: 15th Tactical Fighter Wing consolidated with 15th Air Base Wing, 31 January 1984
Assignments
- Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, 17 April 1962 - 836th Air Division836th Air DivisionThe 836th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona...
, 1 July 1962-1 October 1970 - Pacific Air Forces, 1 November 1971
- Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air ForceThe Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, since 6 October 2006
Components
Group- 15th Operations Group15th Operations GroupThe 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
: since 13 April 1992
Squadrons
- 9th Airborne Command and Control: 1 November 1971 – 31 March 1992
- 13th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical: 8 February 1969 – 1 October 1970 (detached 15 September – 1 October 1970)
- 22d Tactical Air Support: 1 November 1971 – 4 April 1980
- 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron: 8 January 1964 – 15 July 1970 (detached 17 August 1965 – c. 4 January 1966)
- 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 1 July 1962 – 1 October 1970 (detached 4 April – 10 August 1965)
- 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron46th Tactical Fighter Squadronthumb|Planes and hangars burning at [[Wheeler Field]] during the Japanese attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], 7 December 1941.The 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tactical Air Command 1st Tactical Fighter Wing stationed at MacDill...
: 1 July 1962 – 1 October 1970 (detached 11 May – 22 August 1965 and 1–10 November 1965) - 47th Tactical Fighter47th Fighter SquadronThe 47th Fighter Squadron is part of the 917th Fighter Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and falls under the operational control of the 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.-World War II:...
: 1 July 1962 – 1 October 1970 (detached 22 July – 27 November 1965) - 65th Airlift Squadron65th Airlift SquadronThe 65th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-37 and C-40 Clipper aircraft providing executive airlfit in the Pacific theater.-History:...
: 10 March – 13 April 1992 - 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron: 25 April – 1 July 1967
- 4424th Combat Crew Training: 15 October 1968 – 1 October 1970
Stations
- MacDill AFB, Florida, 1 July 1962 – 1 October 1970
- Hickam AFB, Hawaii, since 1 November 1971
Operations
On 1 July 1962, the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at MacDill AFB, Florida on 1 July 1962 and assigned to Ninth Air ForceNinth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
. Operational squadrons of the wing and squadron tail codes were:
- 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron (FC)
- 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron46th Tactical Fighter Squadronthumb|Planes and hangars burning at [[Wheeler Field]] during the Japanese attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], 7 December 1941.The 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tactical Air Command 1st Tactical Fighter Wing stationed at MacDill...
(FD) - 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron47th Fighter SquadronThe 47th Fighter Squadron is part of the 917th Fighter Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and falls under the operational control of the 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.-World War II:...
(FE) - 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron43d Fighter SquadronThe 43d Fighter Squadron is part of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It conducts advanced fighter training for F-22 Raptor pilots.-Mission:...
(FB)
(Activated on 8 January 1964 as part of a wing transition from three squadrons of 25 aircraft each to four squadrons of 18 aircraft each.)
Initially equipped with the obsolete Republic F-84F Thunderjet which was obtained from Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
units, in 1964 the wing upgraded to the tail-coded McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
. The 15 TFW was the second wing to be equipped with the F-4.
The mission of the 15 TFW was to conduct tactical fighter combat crew training. The wing participated in a variety of exercises, operations and readiness tests of Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. Trained pilots and provided logistical support for the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing. Reorganized as a mission-capable unit at the time of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, returning afterwards to a training mission.
With the departure of the 12 TFW in 1965, the 15 TFW became the host unit at MacDill with unit's mission becoming a training unit for F-4 aircrews prior to their deployment to Southeast Asia. The wing deployed 16 F-4s at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, during the Pueblo crisis in 1968.
In 1965, the wing deployed its 43d, 45th, 46th and 47th Tactical Fighter Squadrons 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...
, where they participated in the air defense commitment for the Philippines from Clark AB and flew combat missions from Cam Rahn Bay Air Base in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base
Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base
Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility and is the home of Wing 21 of the RTAF 2nd Air Division. It is located in East-Central Thailand, near the city of Ubon Ratchathani, in the Ubon Ratchathani Province. It is approximately 305 miles North-East of Bangkok...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Members of the 45 TFS achieved the first U.S. Air Force aerial victories of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The 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...
when they destroyed two MIGs on 10 July 1965.
Captains Thomas S. Roberts, Ronald C. Anderson, Kenneth E. Holcombe, and Arthur C. Clark received credit for these kills.
Beginning on 8 February 1969, the 13th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical began Martin B-57G
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
(Tail Code: FK) light bomber aircrew training. The squadron was deactivated on 1 October 1970 and redesignated as the 4424th Combat Crew Training Squadron.
The 43d TFS was reassigned to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska on 4 January 1970. The 15th was inactivated on 1 October 1970, being redesignated and activated as the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing when the 1st TFW was reassigned from the Aerospace Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1946 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the integrated air defense system of the Continental United States , exercise direct control of all active...
to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
and assigned to MacDill.
Pacific Air Forces
One year later, on 20 October 1971 , the 15th Air Base Wing was activated the 15th Air Base Wing and activated at Hickam AFB, Hawaii on 1 November 1971. Assigned to Pacific Air Forces, the 15th assumed the mission and duties previously performed by the 6486th Air Base Wing, which was simultaneously inactivated. This reactivation reestablished the organization in Hawaii, where the 15th Pursuit Group was formed in 1940, and the lineage, history and honors of the 15th Fighter Group were bestowed on the Wing. The 15th Tactical Fighter Wing history and lineage and that of the 15th Air Base Wing were formally consolidated on 31 January 1984.The 15th ABW managed Hickam, Wheeler, Dillingham, and Johnston Island Air Force Bases, Bellows Air Force Station, and several smaller subsidiary bases. Responsibility for Johnston Island subsequently transferred to the Defense Nuclear Agency on 1 July 1973; but on that same date, the 15th ABW assumed operational responsibility for Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
. Dillingham later transferred to Army control on 27 February 1975 , as did Wheeler AFB on 1 November 1991. In 1999, the 15th ABW once again assumed responsibility for Johnston Island . Operational control of Wake Island transferred to the 36th Air Base Wing (13th Air Force), Andersen AFB, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, on 1 October 2000.
On 1 April 1992 the 15th Operations Group
15th Operations Group
The 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
was activated as a result of the 15th Air Base Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. Immediately upon activation, the 15th Operations Group was bestowed the lineage, history and honors of the 15th Fighter Group, which was activated originally at Wheeler Field on 1 December 1940 and suffered the loss of many personnel and aircraft during the Pearl Harbor Attack. Upon activation, the 15th OG assumed responsibility from the 15 Air Base Wing for managing operational matters at Hickam AFB and Bellows AFS, Hawaii; and Wake Island Airfield. Also provided command and control for the defense of the Hawaiian Islands and directed tactical control of Hawaii Air National Guard alert F-15 aircraft.
On 28 April 2003 , the wing was redesignated the 15th Airlift Wing and begun preparation to stand up a first-of-its-kind active duty/associate Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
C-17
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
organization.
Almost three years later, on 8 February 2006 the wing welcomed in the first of eight C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets changing Hickam's identity and mission from strictly en route support to include performing local and worldwide airlift operations in support of combat and humanitarian missions.
On 18 May 2010, the wing was redesignated the 15th Wing.
External links
- 15th Wing official site
- Air Force Historical Research Agency, 15th Airlift Wing
- www.armyairforces.com
- 15th Wing at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- Commanders lead Airmen in changing times, 15th Airlift Wing History Office
- 15th Airlift Wing Heritage Site