535th Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 535th Airlift Squadron (535 AS) is part of the 15th Wing at Hickam Air Force Base
, Hawaii
. It operates C-17 Globemaster III
aircraft providing airlfit in the Pacific theater
.
flying training from June 1949-April 1951 and again from June 1952-February 1953.
On activation in 1967, the squadron took over C-7A aircraft of 57th Aviation Company (U.S. Army) and tactical
airlift mission in South Vietnam
. It operated from several locations in addition to its primary base. The 535th airlifted routine cargo and passengers, provided support for Army special forces
and radio relay for ground units, airdrop
ped troops and cargo, performed emergency resupply and medical evacuations
, and flew other combat airlift missions. It earned a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, as well as a Presidential Unit Citation combat device for airlift support of Khe Sanh
and other forward bases from January to May 1968. It earned a second Presidential Unit Citation for action between April and June 1970 for participation in aerial resupply of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp, evacuation of over 2000 refugees from Cambodia
, and transportation of the Presidential Southeast Asia Investigation Team to various remote locations in South Vietnam.
It was reactivated in 2005 to provide theater airlift in the Pacific.
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It operates 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 providing airlfit in the Pacific theater
Theater (warfare)
In warfare, a theater, is defined as an area or place within which important military events occur or are progressing. The entirety of the air, land, and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations....
.
History
The 535th provided replacement crew, advanced flying, and basic flying training, December 1943-April 1944. It conducted reserveMilitary reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
flying training from June 1949-April 1951 and again from June 1952-February 1953.
On activation in 1967, the squadron took over C-7A aircraft of 57th Aviation Company (U.S. Army) and 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...
airlift mission in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. It operated from several locations in addition to its primary base. The 535th airlifted routine cargo and passengers, provided support for Army special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
and radio relay for ground units, airdrop
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
ped troops and cargo, performed emergency resupply and medical evacuations
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
, and flew other combat airlift missions. It earned a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, as well as a Presidential Unit Citation combat device for airlift support of Khe Sanh
Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam , between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War...
and other forward bases from January to May 1968. It earned a second Presidential Unit Citation for action between April and June 1970 for participation in aerial resupply of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp, evacuation of over 2000 refugees from Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and transportation of the Presidential Southeast Asia Investigation Team to various remote locations in South Vietnam.
It was reactivated in 2005 to provide theater airlift in the Pacific.
Lineage
- 535th Fighter Squadron (1943–1944)
- 535th Fighter Squadron, Two-Engine (1949–1950)
- 535th Fighter-Escort Squadron (1950–1952)
- 535th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1966)
- 535th Troop Carrier Squadron (1966–1967)
- 535th Tactical Airlift Squadron (1967–2005)
- 535th Airlift Squadron (2005–Present)
Assignments
- 87th Fighter Group (1943–1944)
- 87th Fighter-Escort Group (1949–1951)
- 87th Troop Carrier Group (1951–1953)
- 403d Troop Carrier Group (1945–1946)
- Pacific Air Forces (1966–1967)
- 483d Tactical Airlift Wing (1967–1972)
- 15th Wing (2005–Present)
Bases stationed
- RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
Army Air Base, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(1943–1944) - Camp Springs Army Air BaseAndrews Air Force BaseJoint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(1944) - Bergstrom Air Force BaseBergstrom Air Force BaseBergstrom Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1949–1951) - Atterbury Air Force BaseBakalar Air Force BaseBakalar Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located north-northeast of Columbus, Indiana.Opened during World War II, the base was a training base for medium-range C-46 and C-47 troop carrier planes and glider pilots. It also was used for training B-25 Mitchell and B-26...
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...
(1952–1953) - Vung Tau AirfieldVung Tau AirportVung Tau Airport is a small airport in southern Vietnam. The airport serves the city of Vung Tau and is located near the downtown of the city.-Facilities:There is a 1,800 m paved runway...
, South VietnamSouth VietnamSouth Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
(1967–1970) - Cam Ranh Air BaseCam Ranh BayCam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
, South Vietnam (1970–1972) - Hickam Air Force BaseHickam Air Force BaseHickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
(2005–Present)
Aircraft operated
- P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
(1943–1944) - A-24 BansheeSBD DauntlessThe Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was largely replaced by the SB2C Helldiver...
(1943–1944) - 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...
(1949–1950) - T-6 TexanT-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
(1950) - T-33 Shooting StarT-33 Shooting StarThe Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
(1950) - F-84 ThunderjetF-84 ThunderjetThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
(1950–1951) - 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...
(1952–1953) - C-7 CaribouDe Havilland Canada DHC-4 CaribouThe de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
(1967–1972) - 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...
(2005 – Present)