403d Wing
Encyclopedia
403d Wing is a unit
of the United States Air Force
assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command
. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base
in Mississippi
, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.
403d Wing performs dual missions: tactical airlift support during peace- and war-time contingencies, and aerial weather reconnaissance
in support of the Department of Commerce.
, when it was activated as a troop carrier group. The wing was inactivated after the war and reactivated in the Air Force Reserve in 1949. The unit has been called to active duty twice: in support of the war effort in Korea
and in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
.
Its most memorable accomplishments, however, have been while flying reserve-status humanitarian airlift missions such as those flown during Operation Provide Relief, rescue missions supporting the space shuttle program, providing airlift support to U.S. Southern Command
and U.S. embassies within Central and South America, and participating in real-world war contingencies such as Operations Just Cause
, Desert Shield
, Desert Storm
, Provide Promise
, Provide Comfort
, Uphold Democracy
, and Provide Relief
.
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...
assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.
403d Wing performs dual missions: tactical airlift support during peace- and war-time contingencies, and aerial weather reconnaissance
Hurricane Hunters
The Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the United States, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in...
in support of the Department of Commerce.
History
403d Wing's history dates to 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 as a troop carrier group. The wing was inactivated after the war and reactivated in the Air Force Reserve in 1949. The unit has been called to active duty twice: in support of the war effort in Korea
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...
and in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
Its most memorable accomplishments, however, have been while flying reserve-status humanitarian airlift missions such as those flown during Operation Provide Relief, rescue missions supporting the space shuttle program, providing airlift support to U.S. Southern Command
United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command , located in Miami, Florida, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning and operations in Central and South America, the Caribbean The United States Southern Command...
and U.S. embassies within Central and South America, and participating in real-world war contingencies such as Operations Just Cause
United States invasion of Panama
The United States Invasion of Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989. It occurred during the administration of U.S. President George H. W...
, Desert Shield
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, Desert Storm
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, Provide Promise
Operation Provide Promise
Operation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from 2 July 1992, to 9 January 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history....
, Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
, Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
, and Provide Relief
Operation Provide Relief
Operation Provide Relief was part of United Nations endorsed effort called The Unified Task Force to secure and facilitate humanitarian relief for the people of Somalia, an effort that was assisted by the UN UNOSOM I mission beginning in 1991 in light of a severe famine, initiated and exacerbated...
.
Assignments
- Fourth Air ForceFourth Air ForceThe Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
(1949–1951) - 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...
(1951) - Eighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It was activated on 1 October 2003 and headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...
(1951–1953)- Attached: 315th Air Division315th Air DivisionThe 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
(14 April 1952-1 January 1953)
- Attached: 315th Air Division
- Fourth Air Force (1953–1957)
- Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
(1957–1960) - Fifth Air Force Reserve Region (1960–1969)
- Central Air Force Reserve Region (1969–1971)
- Eastern Air Force Reserve Region (1971–1976)
- Western Air Force Reserve Region (1976)
- Fourth Air Force (1976–1992)
- Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
(1992–1993) - Twenty-Second Air ForceTwenty-Second Air ForceTwenty-Second Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command . It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
(1993–1994) - Tenth Air Force (1994–1997)
- Twenty-Second Air Force (1997–present)
Previous designations
- 403d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium (1949–1967)
- 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1967–1969)
- 403d Composite Wing (1969–1971)
- 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1971–1976)
- 403d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing (1976–1977)
- 403d Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing (1977–1987)
- 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1987–1992)
- 403d Airlift Wing (1992–1994)
- 403d Wing (1994–present)
Squadrons assigned
- 403d Operations Group
- 403d Operations Support Flight
- 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters"
- 815th Airlift Squadron815th Airlift SquadronThe 815th Airlift Squadron is part of the 403d Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates C-130J Hercules aircraft providing global airlfit....
"Flying Jennies"
- 403d Maintenance Group
- 403d Maintnenance Squadron
- 403d Maintenance Operations Flight
- 403d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 403d Aeromedical Staging Squadron
- 403d Maintnenance Squadron
- 403d Mission Support Group
- 403d Mission Support Squadron
- 403d Civil Engineer Squadron
- 403d Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 403d Security Forces Squadron
- 403d Communications Flight
- 403d Services Flight
- 41st Aerial Port Squadron
- 96th Aerial Port Squadron (Little Rock AFB)
Stations
- Bowman Field, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 12 December 1942 - Alliance AAFAlliance Municipal Airport-Top Destinations:-See also:* Troop Carrier Command* Nebraska World War II Army Airfields* List of airports in Nebraska-Other sources:* * Maurer, Maurer . Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.-External links:*...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 18 December 1942 - Pope Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth 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...
, 3 May 1943 - Baer FieldFort Wayne International Airport-Top Destinations:-Airfield infrastructure:As of 2006, the airport's main Runway 5/23's usable dimensions are long and wide while the grooved-surface dimensions are long and wide, large enough to accommodate the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter, Boeing 747s, and military air mobility and aerial...
, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, 20 June-c. 15 July 1943 - Luganville AirfieldSanto-Pekoa International AirportSanto-Pekoa International Airport is an airport in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu . Airports Vanuatu Limited provides aviation services for the airport.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
, Espiritu SantoEspiritu SantoEspiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, 15 September 1943 - Momote Airfield, Los Negros IslandLos Negros IslandLos Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus Island via a highway and bridge...
, Admiralty IslandsAdmiralty IslandsThe Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, 30 August 1944 - Mokmer AirfieldFrans Kaisiepo Airport-History:Mokmer Airfield was part of a complex of airfields built on Biak Island by the Japanese , of which Mokmer was the main USAAF facility after the island was taken by the United States after fierce fighting in late May and June 1944....
, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 4 October 1944 - Nielson FieldNielson FieldNielson Field was the location of the Far East Air Force headquarters. Most of the aircraft of the FEAF were based at either Clark Field or Nichols Field.- Laurie Reuben Nielson :...
, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 25 June 1945 - Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, January 1946 - ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, c. June-15 October 1946 - Portland Army Air BasePortland Air National Guard BasePortland Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Portland International Airport, Oregon. It is located northeast of Portland, Oregon.-Overview:The base is the home of the 142d Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 27 June 1949-29 March 1952 - Ashiya AB, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 14 April 1952-1 January 1953 - Portland International AirportPortland International AirportPortland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
, Washington, 1 January 1953 - Selfridge AFB (later, AGB), MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 16 November 1957 - Keesler AFB, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, 1 November 1983–present
Aircraft operated
- T-7 Navigator (1949–1951)
- T-11 Kansan (1949–1951)
- C/TC-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...
(1949–1952, 1953–1957) - C/VC-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...
(1952, 1957 - Unknown) - 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...
(1952) - C-119 Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying BoxcarThe Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
(1952, 1957–1969, 1970) - U-3 Blue Canoe (1969, 1970–1971)
- O-2 SkymasterO-2 SkymasterThe O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster utilized as an observation and forward air control aircraft...
(1970–1971)
- A-37 DragonflyA-37 DragonflyThe Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
(1970–1971) - C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
(1971–1976, 1977, 1987) - HH-1 Huey (1976–1987)
- HH-3 Jolly Green Giant (1976–1987)
- CH-3 Jolly Green Giant (1976–1977)
- UH-1 IroquoisUH-1 IroquoisThe Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
(1979–1987) - HC-130 Hercules (1976–1987)
- C-130E Hercules (1983–1998)
- C-130J Super HerculesC-130J Super HerculesThe Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any...
(1998 – present) - WC-130A/B/E/H Hercules, (1965–2005)
- WC-130J Super Hercules, (1998–present)
See also
- 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...
- United States Air Force In South KoreaUnited States Air Force In South KoreaThe United States Air Force In South Korea is composed of units assigned to Pacific Air Forces Seventh Air Force. The mission of the personnel, equipment and aircraft is to deter, protect and defend the Republic of Korea from attack from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or more commonly...