303d Aeronautical Systems Wing
Encyclopedia
The 303d Aeronautical Systems Wing (303 ASW) is a 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...

 unit assigned to the Air Force Material Command Aeronautical Systems Center. It is stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 as a tenant unit.

The wing is the successor organization to the 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...

 Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The 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....

 303d Bombardment Group. The group was one of the first VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...

  B-17 Flying Fortress units in England. The "Hell's Angels" were the first B-17 group to complete 25 combat missions in June 1943, going on to fly more than 300 combat missions, more than any other group. The 359th BS B-17F 41-24605 "Knock-out Dropper" was the first aircraft in Eighth Air Force to complete 50, then 75 missions.

During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

, the 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...

 303d Bombardment Wing was a 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 wing in the 1950s, and later became a Tactical Missile Wing assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...

 during the 1980s.

Overview

The 303 ASW has responsibility for program execution to develop, acquire, field and modernize capabilities; and support for life-cycle management for the United States and coalition partners.

Wing responsibilities also include identifying, coordinating and implementing horizontal integration/capability planning across weapons systems in support of the Global Strike and Global Persistent Attack concept of operations.

History

For additional history and lineage, see 303d Bombardment Group
303d Bombardment Group
The 303d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 303d Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was de-activated on 16 June 1952....


Trained for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to meet Strategic Air Command's global commitments, equipped with B-29 Superfortresses. Deployed to Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, 5 Oct-6 Nov 1952.

Replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with new B-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1953, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. Flew numerous training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet, deploying to Greenham Common RAF Station, England, 17 Mar-28 Apr 1954; Fairford RAF Station, England, 28 Apr-5 Jun 1954; and Anderson AFB, Guam, 4 Jul-4 Oct 1956 and 5 Apr-5 Jul 1958.

In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Began sending its stratojets to AMARC in 1963, the last being retired in 1964. Wing was inactivated on 15 June 1964 after the last B-47 was retired.

Reactivated as a BGM-109G Gryphon Cruise Missile wing in August 1996. Maintained 64 operational missiles in a combat-ready state. Inactivated in January 1989 as a result of the INF treaty and the elimination of the BGM-109G missile from service.

As part of the Aeronautical Systems Center, the 303d designs, develops and delivers dominant aerospace weapon systems and capabilities for U.S. Air Force, other U.S. military, allied and coalition-partner warfighters, in support of Air Force leadership priorities.

Lineage

  • Established as 303d Bombardment Wing, Medium, on 27 Aug 1951
Activated on 4 Sep 1951
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Jun 1964
  • Redesignated 303d Tactical Missile Wing on 19 Aug 1986
Activated on 12 Dec 1986
Inactivated on 31 Jan 1989
  • Consolidated (23 Jun 2006) with the 303d Reconnaissance Systems Wing, which was established on 23 Nov 2004.
Activated on 18 Jan 2005
Redesignated 303d Aeronautical Systems Wing on 14 Jul 2006.
Inactivated on 1 Jul 2010 as it was re-stood up as ASC/WI (Aeronautical Systems Center, ISR Directorate) on the same date.

Assignments

  • 36th Air Division, 4 Sep 1951
Attached to: 5th Air Division, 5 Oct-6 Nov 1952
Attached to: 7th Air Division, 4 Mar-5 Jun 1954
Attached to: 3rd Air Division, 4 Jul-4 Oct 1956 and 5 Apr-4 Jul 1958
  • 12th Air (later, 12 Strategic Aerospace) Division, 15 Mar 1960-15 Jun 1964
  • Third Air Force
    Third Air Force
    The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

    , 12 Dec 1986-31 Jan 1989
  • Aeronautical Systems Center, 18 Jan 2005–Present

Components

Group
  • 303d Bombardment Group
    303d Bombardment Group
    The 303d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 303d Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was de-activated on 16 June 1952....

    : 4 Sep 1951-16 Jun 1952 (not operational)


Squadrons
  • 9th Air Refueling Squadron
    9th Air Refueling Squadron
    The 9th Air Refueling Squadron was initially activated in 1951, although its history can be traced back to the 9th Photographic Squadron of World War II...

    : attached 15 Jan-5 Oct 1952 and 15 Nov 1952-25 Apr 1953
  • 43rd Air Refueling Squadron: 15 Mar-15 Nov 1960
  • 303d Air Refueling Squadron
    303d Air Refueling Squadron
    The 303d Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 19th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Homestead AFB, Florida. It was inactivated on 31 April 1961...

    : attached 4 Sep 1951-8 Apr 1952 (not operational); assigned 18 Feb 1953-1 Feb 1956 (detached 19 Apr-2 Jun 1955)

  • 358th Bombardment Squadron
    358th Bombardment Squadron
    The 358th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...

    : attached 4 Sep 1951-15 Jun 1952, assigned 16 Jun 1952-15 Jun 1964
  • 359th Bombardment Squadron
    359th Bombardment Squadron
    The 359th Bombardment Squadron was a United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was deactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...

    : attached 4 Sep 1951-15 Jun 1952, assigned 16 Jun 1952-15 Jun 1964
  • 360th Bombardment Squadron
    360th Bombardment Squadron
    The 360th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...

    : attached 4 Sep 1951-15 Jun 1952, assigned 16 Jun 1952-15 Jun 1964
  • 427th Bombardment Squadron
    427th Bombardment Squadron
    The 427th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 303d Bombardment Wing, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The unit was inactivated on 1 January 1962.-History:...

    : 1 Dec 1958-1 Jan 1962 (not operational, 1 Sep 1961-1 Jan 1962)

  • 87th Tactical Missile Squadron: 12 Dec 1986 to 31 Jan 1989
  • 303d Tactical Missile Maintenance Squadron: 12 Dec 1986 to 31 Jan 1989


Detachments: Det, 96th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 4 Jul-c. 4 Oct 1956.

Stations

  • Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
    Arizona
    Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

    , 4 Sep 1951-15 Jun 1964
  • RAF Molesworth
    RAF Molesworth
    RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...

    , England
    England
    England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

    , 12 Dec 1986-31 Jan 1989
BGM-109G Missile site located at: 52°22′55"N 000°25′41"W
  • Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
    Ohio
    Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

    , 18 Jan 2005–Present

Aircraft and missiles

  • B-29 Superfortress
    B-29 Superfortress
    The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

    , 1951–1953
  • KB-29 Superfortress (Tanker), 1952, 1952–1953
  • 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...

    , 1953–1964
  • KC-97 Stratotanker
    KC-97 Stratotanker
    The 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:...

    , 1953–1956, 1956, 1960
  • BGM-109G, GLCM, 1987-1988.

See also


External links

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