436th Airlift Wing
Encyclopedia
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. It is assigned to the 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....
Eighteenth Air Force
Eighteenth Air Force
Eighteenth 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...
, and 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:...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
Known as the "Eagle Wing", the 436 AW consists of the operations, logistics, support, and medical groups; in addition to 12 divisions and two detachments. The wing has over 4,000 active-duty military and civilian employees. The wing's 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...
and 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...
aircraft provides 25 percent of the nation's inter-theater airlift capability, providing worldwide movement of outsized cargo and personnel on scheduled, special assignment, exercise and contingency airlift missions. The 436th is the only combat-ready C-5 Galaxy wing capable of employing airdrop and special operations tactics in support of worldwide airlift.
The wing routinely flies airlift missions missions throughout the world projecting global reach to more than 90 countries on six different continents including Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North and South America. Additionally, the Eagle Wing operates the largest and busiest aerial port in the Department of Defense with its passenger terminal moving over 100,000 passengers in 1998.
Units
436th Operations Group436th Operations Group
The 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....
(436 OG)
- 3d Airlift Squadron3d Airlift SquadronThe 3d Airlift Squadron is a squadron of the 436th Airlift Wing of the USAF. It is based at Dover Air Force Base near Dover, Delaware.-History:...
(3 AS) - 9th Airlift Squadron9th Airlift SquadronThe 9th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and flying the C-5 Galaxy.-Mission:...
(9 AS) - 436th Operations Support Squadron (436 OSS)
436th Maintenance Group (436 MXG)
- 436th Maintenance Squadron (436 MXS)
- 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (436 AMXS) (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...
) - 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (736 AMXS) (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...
) - 436th Maintenance Operations Squadron (436 MOS)
436th Mission Support Group (436 MSG)
- 436th Contracting Squadron (436 CONS)
- 436th Security Forces Squadron (436 SFS)
- 436th Force Support Squadron (436 FSS) (Created after the Services and Mission Support Squadrons merged in February 2009)
- 436th Aerial Port Squadron (436 APS)
- 436th Aerial Port Mobility Flight (436 APMF)
- 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron (436 LRS) (Created after the Supply and Transportation Squadrons merged in 2003)
- 436th Communications Squadron (436 CS)
- 436th Civil Engineering Squadron (436 CES)
436th Medical Group (436 MDG)
- 436th Medical Operations Squadron (436 MDOS)
- 436th Aerospace Medicine Squadron (436 AMDS)
- 436th Medical Support Squadron (436 MDSS)
- 436th Dental Squadron (436 DS)
Additionally, the 436th Comptroller Squadron (436 CPTS) reports directly to the wing staff.
Cold 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...
.
In January 1966 the 436th was called to active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
and replaced the 1607th Air Transport Wing in as the host wing 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:...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
when Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
replaced the 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...
. The wing initially flew strategic airlift missions with propeller-driven 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....
and C-133 Cargomaster
C-133 Cargomaster
The 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...
aircraft. However the C-124s were replaced by 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...
jet transports in the late 1960s, and the C-133s were replaced by 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...
in 1971. In 1973, the 436th exchanged their C-141s with the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, which sent their C-5s to Dover, making the 436th an exclusively C-5 Galaxy wing.
During 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...
, the wing flew numerous missions 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...
, although the wing flew routes worldwide to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It participated in joint training with U.S. Army, taking part in numerous tactical
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
exercises
Military exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
in the United States and overseas, particularly in support of NATO. Additionally, it flew worldwide airlift missions, including hauling mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
and other high priority cargo, conducting aeromedical evacuation, serving as personnel transport, participating in humanitarian
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
relief, and diplomatic missions.
Wing aircrews were also augmented by attached Reserve aircrews from the 512th Airlift Wing
512th Airlift Wing
The 512th Airlift Wing, an associate C-5 Galaxy Air Force Reserve unit is located at Dover AFB, Delaware. The 512 AW helps maintain, repair and flies the same aircraft as its active duty counterparts...
. It airlifted personnel and equipment for operations in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, 24 October 1983 – 18 December 1983; and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, 19 December 1989-14 January 1990. The 436th deployed an Airlift Control Element (ALCE) at Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
, Panama on 19 December 1989. It also provided airlift of personnel and equipment, and logistical support for operations in 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...
, August 1990-May 1991.
Modern era
In the years since Desert Storm and Military Airlift CommandMilitary Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
morphing into 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....
, the 436th has served as the only combat ready C-5 Galaxy airlift wing capable of airdrop and special operations
Special operations
Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
procedures in support of tactical forces and national objectives.
The wing's 436th Operations Group
436th Operations Group
The 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....
, is Air Mobility Command's main active-duty heavy-lift organization, flying missions worldwide, and supporting combat operations in Southwest Asia and in Afghanistan . The wing flies special mortuary airlift missions from 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....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and operated the only joint services mortuary on the East coast since 1991.
Lineage
- Established as 436th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 10 May 1949
- Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949
- Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951
- Inactivated on 16 April 1951
- Activated in the Reserve on 18 May 1955
- Inactivated on 15 May 1958
- Redesignated 436th Military Airlift Wing, and activated, on 27 December 1965
- Organized on 8 January 1966, assuming personnel and equipment of 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...
(MATS) which was discontinued. - Redesignated 436th Airlift Wing on 1 December 1991.
Assignments
- Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe 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....
, 27 June 1949 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 1 August 1950-16 April 1951; 18 May 1955 - 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....
, 25 March-15 May 1958 - Twenty-First Air ForceTwenty-First Air ForceThe 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command. It is headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey$3...
, 8 January 1966 - 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...
, 1 October 2003–present
Components
Groups- 436th Troop Carrier (later, 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....
: 27 June 1949-16 April 1951; 18 May 1955-15 May 1958; 1 December 1991–present
Squadrons
- 1st Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966-30 June 1971
- 3d Military Airlift Squadron: 1 August 1973-1 December 1991
- 9th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966-8 September 1968; 1 April 1971-1 December 1991
- 20th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966-1 August 1973
- 31st Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966-8 April 1969; 1 October 1989-1 December 1991
- 39th Military Airlift Squadron39th Military Airlift SquadronThe 39th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 436th Military Airlift Wing, Military Airlift Command, stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It was inactivated on 31 March 1971.-History:...
: 8 January 1966-31 March 1971 - 52d Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1967-8 February 1969 (detached)
- 58th Military Airlift Squadron: 1 July 1966-15 August 1971.
Stations
- Godman AFBGodman Army AirfieldGodman Army Airfield is a military airport located on the Fort Knox United States Army post in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. It has four runways and is used entirely by the United States Army Aviation Branch.-History:...
, 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...
, 27 June 1949 - Standiford Muni Aprt (later, Standiford Field)Louisville International AirportLouisville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport centrally located in the city of Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA. The airport covers 1,200 acres and has three runways. Its IATA airport code SDF is based on the airport's former name, Standiford 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...
, 20 October 1950-16 April 1951 - New York NAS (later, USNAS, New York)Floyd Bennett FieldFloyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
, New York, 18 May 1955-15 May 1958 - Dover AFB, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, 8 January 1966–present
Aircraft
- C-45 Expeditor, 1949; 1955–1957
- 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...
, 1949–1951 - 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...
, 1955–1957 - 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...
, 1957 - 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....
, 1966–1969
- 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...
, 1966–1971 - 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...
, 1966–1973 - 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...
, 1971–present - 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
Expeditions
- Operation Urgent Fury
- Operation Just Cause
- Operation Desert Shield
- Operation Desert StormGulf WarThe 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...
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Operation Iraqi Freedom