3d Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
436th Airlift Wing
The 436th Airlift Wing is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force, and is based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware....
of the USAF
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...
. It is based at Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base located two miles southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware.-Units:...
near Dover, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
.
History
The 3d Airlift Squadron goes back to the days of World War IIWorld 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...
when it was activated at Pope Field, Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina, in March 1942, as a ferrying squadron. During the war, the 3rd was stationed at Chabau, Upper Assam, India. Later, it transferred to the India-China Wing of the Air Transport Command and carried supplies and equipment back and forth across the treacherous "Hump." The squadron was disbanded in late 1943.
During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the 3rd was reconstituted at Brookley Field, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and began flying regularly scheduled airlift missions in its eight C-124 Globemaster II
C-124 Globemaster II
The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
s to the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. In June 1958, the squadron moved to Charleston AFB, South Carolina, where it continued to fly C-124s until August 1965, when it transitioned into jets with the arrival of the first C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
.
In June 1970, the 3rd Military Airlift Squadron received the first operational C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
to be assigned to a Military Airlift Command flying organization. Three years later, the 3rd was transferred to its present home with the 436th Airlift Wing
436th Airlift Wing
The 436th Airlift Wing is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force, and is based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware....
at Dover AFB.
Aircrews of the 3rd AS flew support missions for French troops in the Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
peacekeeping effort. For their efforts, they were co-recipients with a 9th MAS crew of the Mackay Trophy
MacKay trophy
The Mackay Trophy was established on 27 January 1911 by Clarence Hungerford Mackay, who was then head of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company and the Commercial Cable Company. Originally, aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year or the War Department could award the...
for the 1978 airlift operation.
The 3rd has proven itself and the C-5 to be highly mission-ready by setting AMC records for departure reliability. In 1986, the 3rd received the 436th Military Airlift Wing's Flying Eagle award four times for having the highest percentage of on-time departures.
In April 1988, a 3rd MAS crew, overcoming the difficulties of flying into unfamiliar territory, airlifted drilling equipment into Semipolitinsk, U.S.S.R. The mission was part of a joint nuclear weapons detonation monitoring agreement signed by the United States and 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....
. The crew was subsequently awarded the Mackay Trophy
MacKay trophy
The Mackay Trophy was established on 27 January 1911 by Clarence Hungerford Mackay, who was then head of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company and the Commercial Cable Company. Originally, aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year or the War Department could award the...
for the "most meritorious flight of the year".
The 3rd AS continues its distinct history and support of AMC by flying humanitarian and contingency missions into such places as Southwest Asia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Haiti. The 3rd AS participated in the first-ever six-ship formation flights of C-5’s in support of the Strategic Brigade Airdrop Test.
In October 2003 a crew from the 3rd Airlift Squadron landed the first C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
at Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport, originally Saddam International Airport, , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate...
. Until 2004 the unit was also the only Special Operations Low Level SOLL capable unit to fly the C-5 Galaxy. While this capability was transferred to the smaller and more modern C-17, the 3rd Airlift Squadron’s mission capability still includes clandestine delivery, extraction, and airdrop of special operations forces and equipment.
In 2007 the 3rd AS transitioned from operation of the C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
to the newer C-17 Globemaster III
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...
.
Lineage
- Constituted 3d Air Corps Ferrying Squadron on 18 Feb 1942
- Activated on 7 Mar 1942
- Redesignated 3d Transport Squadron on 24 Mar 1943
- Disbanded on 1 Dec 1943
- Reconstituted, and redesignated 3d Air Transport Squadron, Heavy, on 20 Jun 1952
- Activated on 20 Jul 1952
- Redesignated: 3d Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966
- Redesignated: 3d Airlift Squadron on 1 Dec 1991.
Assignments
- 1st Ferrying (later, 1st Transport) Group, 7 Mar 1942-1 Dec 1943
- 1703d Air Transport Group1703d Air Transport GroupThe 1703d Air Transport Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 1701st Air Transport Wing, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at Brookley Air Force Base, Alabama...
, 20 Jul 1952 - 1700th Air Transport Group, 18 Jun 1957
- 1608th Air Transport Wing1608th Air Transport WingThe 1608th 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 Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina...
, 24 Nov 1957 - 1608th Air Transport Group, 18 Jun 1958
- 1608th Air Transport Wing, 18 Jan 1963
- 437th Military Airlift Wing, 8 Jan 1966
- 436th Military Airlift Wing, 1 Aug 1973
- 436th Operations Group436th Operations GroupThe 436th Operations Group is an active United States Air Force unit. It is the flying component of the Eighteenth Air Force 436th Airlift Wing, stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware....
, 1 Dec 1991-Present
Stations
- Pope Field, North Carolina, 7 Mar 1942
- Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina, 17-19 Mar 1942
- Karachi Airport, India, 15 May 1942
- New Malir Cantonment, India, 17 May 1942
- Chabua Airfield, India, 1 Aug 1942-1 Dec 1943
- Brookley AFB, Alabama, 20 Jul 1952
- Charleston AFB, South Carolina, 18 Jun 1958
- Dover AFB, Delaware, 1 Aug 1973-Present
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...
, 1942-1943 - 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....
, 1952-1965 - C-74 GlobemasterC-74 GlobemasterThe Douglas C-74 Globemaster was a United States heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California.The Globemaster was developed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The long distances across the Atlantic, and especially the Pacific Ocean to the combat...
, 1955 - C-141 StarlifterC-141 StarlifterThe Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
, 1965-1970 - C-5 GalaxyC-5 GalaxyThe Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
, 1970-2007 - C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe 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...
, 2007-Present