1st Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
89th Airlift Wing
The 89th Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force is based at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility and has an operational force of over 1,000 personnel...
at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It conducts transport of various high-level U.S. military and government officials.
Mission
Provides global Special Air Mission (SAM) airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, Combat Commanders
Unified Combatant Command
A Unified Combatant Command is a United States Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission. These commands are established to provide effective command and control of U.S. military forces, regardless of...
, senior leaders and the global mobility system as tasked by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
.
History
Established under Air Transport CommandAir Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
in 1944 to provide aerial transportation in China-Burma-India Theater
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
from May 1944–May 1945 and in Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
from c. September–December 1945. The unit was equipped first with the Curtiss C-46 Commando, and then converted to the Consolidated C-87 in 1944.
Re-established under Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
in November 1953, providing airlift of personnel and equipment initially flying Douglas C-47s until re-equipping with C-54 Skymasters. Converted to long range Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs and provided long range heavy strategic transport on a global scale. In 1960 converted to the C-133A Cargomaster and provided very heavy strategic airlift until the end of the C-133's service in 1971.
Reactivated in 1977 at Andrews AFB, Maryland and assigned to the Special Air Mission
Special Air Mission
The United States Air Force Special Air Mission is the safe, comfortable, and reliable air transportation for the President, Vice President, Cabinet, members of Congress, and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries....
supporting transportation for the President and other high-ranking dignitaries of US and foreign governments, and C–12 training for personnel from all branches of the military in 1977. At Andrews, has operated a variety of aircraft including the Beechcraft VC-6, Douglas VC-9, Beechcraft C-12, Boeing VC-135, Lockheed C-140, Gulfstream C-20 and the Boeing VC-137. These aircraft were used to transport VIPs throughout the United States and around the world.
It also transported personnel to Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
from August 1990–April 1991 during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
Lineage
- Constituted as 1 Air Transport Squadron (Mobile) on 13 Mar 1944
- Activated on 23 Mar 1944
- Inactivated on 25 Mar 1946
- Disbanded on 8 Oct 1948
- Reconstituted, and redesignated as 1 Air Transport Squadron, Medium, on 1 Sept 1953
- Activated on 18 Nov 1953
- Redesignated as: 1 Air Transport Squadron, Heavy, on 8 Sept 1954
- Redesignated as: 1 Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966
- Inactivated on 30 Jun 1971
- Activated on 12 Sept 1977
- Redesignated as 1 Airlift Squadron on 12 Jul 1991
Assignments
- Caribbean Wing, Air Transport Command, 23 Mar 1944
- India-China Wing (later, India-China Division), Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, c. 2 May 1944
- Attached to XX Bomber CommandXX Bomber CommandThe XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
, 17 May-20 Nov 1944- XX Bomber CommandXX Bomber CommandThe XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
, 21 Nov 1944
- XX Bomber Command
- Attached to 22 Air Depot Group, Nov-Dec 1944
- United States Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas (later, US Army Strategic Air Forces), c. 20 Jun 1945
- 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....
, 31 Jul 1945 - Okinawa Air Depot, 10 Sept 1945
- Far East Air Service Command, 9 Jan 1946
- IV Air Service Area Command, 15 Jan-25 Mar 1946
- 1607th Air Base Group, 18 Nov 1953
- 1607th Air Transport Group, 1 Jan 1954
- 1607th Air Transport Wing1607th Air Transport WingThe 1607th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware...
, 18 Jan 1963 - 436th Military Airlift Wing, 8 Jan 1966-30 Jun 1971
- 89th Military Airlift Wing, Special Mission (later, 89 Military Airlift Group; 89 Military Airlift Wing)89th Airlift WingThe 89th Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force is based at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility and has an operational force of over 1,000 personnel...
, 12 Sep 1977 - 89th Operations Group89th Operations GroupThe 89th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 89th Airlift Wing. It is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland....
, 12 Jul 1991-Present
Stations
- Homestead Army Airfield, Florida, 23 Mar-21 Apr 1944
- Kalaikunda Airfield, India, 3 May 1944
- Air echelon operated from Kharagpur Airfield, India, 7 May-4 Aug 1945
- Naha Air BaseNaha Air BaseNaha Air Base is an airbase of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It was formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport, Okinawa, Japan....
, Okinawa, 20 Jun 1945-25 Mar 1946 - Dover AFB, Delaware, 18 Nov 1953-30 Jun 1971
- Andrews AFB, Maryland, 12 Sept 1977-Present
- Naha Air Base
Aircraft
- C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
(1944–1946) - C-87 Liberator ExpressC-87 Liberator Express|-References:NotesBibliography* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
(1944) - C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
(1945) - C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
(1953–1955) - C-124 Globemaster IIC-124 Globemaster IIThe Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
(1954–1960) - C-133 CargomasterC-133 CargomasterThe Douglas C-133 Cargomaster was a large cargo aircraft built between 1956 and 1961 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for use with the United States Air Force. The C-133 was the USAF's only production turboprop-powered strategic airlifter, entering service shortly after Lockheed's better known C-130...
(1960–1971) - VC–6 (1977–1985)
- VC-9 (1977–1988)
- C-12 HuronC-12 HuronThe C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps...
(1977 – Present) - VC-135C-135 Stratolifter|-See also:-External links:* at Globalsecurity.org...
(1977–1991) - VC-140Lockheed JetStarThe Lockheed JetStar is a business jet produced from the early 1960s through the 1970s. The JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service. It was also one of the largest aircraft in the class for many years, seating ten plus two crew...
(1977–1987) - C-20Gulfstream G400/G450The Gulfstream IV and derivatives are a family of twin-jet aircraft, mainly for private or business use. The aircraft was designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, United States from 1985 until 2003.-Design and development:Gulfstream, in...
(1983–1988) - VC-137VC-137C SAM 26000SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. It used the callsign Air Force One when the President was on board, SAM 26000 otherwise.A VC-137C serial number 62-6000, SAM 26000 was...
(1987–2001) - VC-25Boeing VC-25The Boeing VC-25 is the designation of a United States Air Force passenger transportation aircraft, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner. The A-model is the only variant of the VC-25....
(1990 – Present) - C-32A (June 1998–Present)
- C-40B ClipperC-40 Clipper-See also:-External links:* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* *...
(Dec 2002–Present)