52d Fighter Wing
Encyclopedia
- See 52d Operations Group52d Operations GroupThe 52d Operations Group is the flying component of the 52d Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Overview:...
for complete lineage and timeline information.
The 52d Fighter Wing (52 FW) is a wing
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...
stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
, Germany.
Mission
The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives. The wing supports the Supreme Allied Commander Europe with mission-ready personnel and systems providing expeditionary air power for suppression of enemy air defenses, close air supportClose air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
, air interdiction, counterair, air strike control, strategic attack, combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, and theater airspace control. The wing also supports contingencies and operations other than war as required.
Overview
The Wing conducts operations at Spangdahlem Air BaseSpangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
, Germany, one of 16 major operating locations in USAFE. The wing is authorized about 5,560 active-duty members and about 210 Department of Defense civilians. The wing is organized with four groups responsible for operations, maintenance, mission support and medical operations, and has headquarters staff.
In concert with USAFE wings at Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
, Germany, the 52d Fighter Wing directly supports the strategic mobility mission once conducted at Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, Germany. The wing provides logistics support for 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...
and 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...
aircraft, crew, passengers and cargo to sustain air mobility operations throughout Europe, Africa and 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...
.
The 52d Fighter Wing also supports USAFE's Joint Fires Center of Excellence, whose mission is to conduct joint and combined training focused on the effective integration and application of tactical fires.
Subordinate organizations
52d Operations Group (52 OG)- 52d Operations Support Squadron (52 OSS)
- 81st Fighter Squadron81st Fighter SquadronThe 81st Fighter Squadron is part of the 52d Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...
(81 FS) - 480th Fighter Squadron480th Fighter SquadronThe 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
(480 FS) - 606th Air Control Squadron (606 ACS)
52d Maintenance Group (52 MXG)
- 52d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (52 AMXS)
- 52d Maintenance Operations Squadron (52 MOS)
- 52d Equipment Maintenance Squadron (52 EMS)
- 52d Component Maintenance Squadron (52 CMS)
52d Medical Group (52 MDG)
- 52d Aerospace Medicine Squadron (52 AMDS)
- 52d Dental Squadron (52 DTS)
- 52d Medical Operations Squadron (52 MDOS)
- 52d Medical Support Squadron (52 MDSS)
52d Mission Support Group (52 MSG)
- 52d Civil Engineer Squadron (52 CES)
- 52d Communications Squadron (52 CS)
- 52d Contracting Squadron (52 CONS)
- 52d Force Support Squadron (52 FSS)
- 52d Logistics Readiness Squadron (52 LRS)
- 52d Security Forces Squadron (52 SFS)
- 470th Air Base Squadron (470 ABS) NATO Air Base, GeilenkirchenGeilenkirchenGeilenkirchen is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km north-east of Heerlen and 20 km north of Aachen....
, Germany
52d Munitions Maintenance Group (52 MUNG) (custody and storage of tactical nuclear weapons)
- 701st Munitions Support Squadron (701 MUNS) Kleine Brogel Air Base, Belgium
- 702nd Munitions Support Squadron (702 MUNS) Buechel Air Base, Germany
- 703rd Munitions Support Squadron (703 MUNS) Volkel Air Base, Netherlands
- 704th Munitions Support Squadron (704 MUNS) GhediGhediGhedi is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on November 24, 2001....
Air Base, Italy
Cold War
The 52d was reactivated on 18 August 1955 and designated 52d Fighter Group (Air Defense). It was assigned to Air Defense Command and equipped with F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
aircraft. It served once more as an air defense unit in the northeastern United States.
In December 1971, it became the host wing at Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
, Germany, and inherited tactical squadrons from the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing
36th Wing
The United States Air Force's 36th Wing is the host wing for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It is part of United States Pacific Air Forces Thirteenth Air Force...
at nearby Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg, 20 miles north of Trier, and 135 miles west of Wiesbaden....
. The wing participated in numerous tactical exercises, operations, and tests of USAFE and NATO and provided close air support, interdiction, and base defense operations. It cooperated with other NATO forces in frequent "squadron exchange" programs and hosted US-based units on temporary duty in Europe. In January 1973, a Wild Weasel
Wild Weasel
A Wild Weasel is an aircraft specially equipped with radar seeking missiles, and tasked with destroying the radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems....
defense suppression mission was added. After October 1985, using the F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
model aircraft, defense suppression became the wing's sole tactical mission. In 1987, the 52d acquired F-16 Falcons and became the first wing to integrate F-16Cs with F-4Gs to form hunter/killer teams within individual fighter squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
s.
It deployed aircraft and personnel to strategic locations in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in support of the liberation of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
from September 1990 – March 1993. Near the end of 1992, it began receiving A/OA-10
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
aircraft. It received F-15 Eagles in 1994 but lost its F-4Gs. From January–December 1999, the wing supported Operations Northern Watch, Allied Force, and Decisive Forge with numerous deployments toHItaly and Turkey.
Modern era
Following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in the United States on September 11, 2001, the 52d Fighter Wing began preparations for possible combat tasking amidst an already hectic deployment schedule.
Within one month of the attacks on the United States, the wing had deployed people and equipment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in and around 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...
. The 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron began flying operations at a deployed location in support of the war on terrorism within 100 hours of tasking notification.
Personnel assigned to the 52d FW continue to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom today.
In April 2010 the wing's strength was reduced by one third. 20 F-16Cs were flown to the 148th Fighter Wing
148th Fighter Wing
The 148th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Minnesota National Guard based at Duluth International Airport. It falls under 1st Air Force and Air Combat Command...
, Minnesota Air National Guard
Minnesota Air National Guard
The Minnesota Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is, along with the Minnesota Army National Guard, an element of the Minnesota National Guard.-Mission:...
, one F-16 was transferred to Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. All aircraft were from the 22nd Fighter Squadron. As a result of the drawdown of F-16s, the 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons were decativated on 13 August 2010 and formed the a single "new" squadron, the 480th Fighter Squadron
480th Fighter Squadron
The 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
.
Lineage
- Established as 52d Fighter Wing, All Weather, on 10 May 1948
- Activated on 9 June 1948
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter-All Weather Wing on 20 January 1950
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 May 1951
- Inactivated on 6 February 1952, personnel and subordinate units assigned to 4709th Air Defense Wing.
- Redesignated 52d Fighter Wing (Air Defense), and activated, on 11 April 1963
- Organized on 1 July 1963
- Inactivated on 30 September 1968
- Redesignated 52d Tactical Fighter Wing on 12 November 1971
- Activated on 31 December 1971
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991.
Note: 52d Fighter Group activated at Suffolk County AFB on 18 August 1955 and was host unit at base until 1 July 1963 when the 21st Air Division assumed control of base and reactivated 52d FW as host unit; inactivating the 52d FG and absorbing its subordinate units.
Assignments
- 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....
, 9 June 1948
- Attached to Eastern Air Defense ForceEastern Air Defense ForceThe Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
, 10 November 1949 – 31 August 1950- Eastern Air Defense ForceEastern Air Defense ForceThe Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
, 1 September 1950 – 6 February 1952 - Air Defense Command, 11 April 1963
- New York Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1963
- 21st Air Division, 1 April 1966
- 35th Air Division, 1 December 1967 – 30 September 1968
- Eastern Air Defense Force
- Seventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
, 31 December 1971 - 65th Air Division, 1 June 1985
- Seventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
, 30 June 1991 - Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 31 July 1996 - United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe 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...
, 1 November 2005 - Air Command Europe, 18 November 2005
- Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe)Third Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 1 December 2006-Current
Components
Wing- 84th Fighter Wing (All Weather): attached 1 June 1949 – 2 June 1951
Group
- 52d Fighter (later, 52d Operations)52d Operations GroupThe 52d Operations Group is the flying component of the 52d Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Overview:...
: 9 June 1948 – 6 February 1952; 31 March 1992–present
Squadrons
- 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1968
- 22nd Fighter Squadron: 31 December 1971 – 13 August 2010 (detached 17 January – 15 March 1991)
- 23rd Fighter Squadron23rd Fighter SquadronThe 23d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
: 31 December 1971 – 13 August 2010 (detached 17 January – 15 March 1991) - 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron: 31 December 1971 – 1 January 1973
- 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 8–22 August 1975
- 81st Tactical Fighter (later, 81st Fighter): 15 January 1973-present
- 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron98th Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command New York Air Defense Sector stationed at Suffolk County AFB, New York. It was inactivated on September 30, 1968....
: 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1968 - 105th Fighter-Interceptor105th Airlift SquadronThe 105th Airlift Squadron flies the C-130H Hercules. It is a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 118th Airlift Wing.-History:...
: attached 1 April 1951 – 6 February 1952 - 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 9–23 September 1975
- 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 11–25 July 1975
- 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 29 August – 20 September 1976
- 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 13–27 August 1977
- 480th Tactical Fighter (later, 480th Fighter)480th Fighter SquadronThe 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
: 15 November 1976 – 31 March 1992; 13 August 2010-present - 562nd Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 12–30 August 1977
Stations
- Mitchel Field (later, AFB), New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 9 June 1948 - McGuire AFB, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 4 October 1949 – 6 February 1952 - Suffolk County AFB, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1968 - Spangdahlem AB, West Germany (later Germany)GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 31 December 1971–present
Aircraft operated
}- P/F-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1947–1948) - F-82 Twin MustangF-82 Twin MustangThe North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
(1948–1952) - F-94 StarfireF-94 StarfireThe Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...
(1950–1952) - F-47 Thunderbolt (1951–1952)
- F-101 VoodooF-101 VoodooThe McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
(1963–1968) - B-66 DestroyerB-66 Destroyer|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
(1971–1972) - F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
(1971–1994) - B-57 CanberraB-57 CanberraThe Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
, 1974,1975 - A-7 Corsair IIA-7 Corsair IIThe Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
(1976) - F-105 ThunderchiefF-105 ThunderchiefThe Republic F-105 Thunderchief, was a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F-105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it has the dubious distinction of being the only US aircraft to have been...
(1976–1977) - F-15 EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
(1994–1999) - F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
(1987–present) - A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
(1992–present)