9th Special Operations Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 9th Special Operations Squadron (9 SOS) is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing
(1 SOW) at Eglin Air Force Base
, Florida. The squadron operates MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in support of special operations. The 9th SOS specializes in the use of night vision goggles
and close interval formation tactics to refuel large helicopter formations. It is unique among 1 SOW squadrons in that it is physically located at Eglin AFB proper versus nearby Hurlburt Field
.
penetration of enemy territory using low-level formation
procedures to provide aerial refueling
of special operations helicopters and the insertion, extraction, and resupply of special operations forces by low or high altitude airdrop
or airland operations.
squadron in early 1944 as the 39th Bombardment Squadron; trained under Second Air Force
in Nebraska
initially with B-17 Flying Fortresses, and received new B-29s from the Boeing
factory in Wichita
during the late summer. Deployed to the Northern Mariana Islands
in December, being assigned to North Field, Guam under XXI Bomber Command
. Engaged in very long range strategic bombardment raids over the Japanese Home Islands
from 27 January 1945 until the Japanese Capitulation, flying its last combat mission on 14 August. Squadron personnel were demobilized on Guam, being returned to the United States along with aircraft being sent to storage depots in the Southwest. Unit reassigned administratively to Clark Field, Philippines in March, 1946, remained as a paper unit until being inactivated in October 1948.
Reactivated in 1951 as a result of the expansion of the Air Force after the breakout of the Cold War
. Initially equipped with second-line B-29 Superfortress
medium bombers for training; redesignated as a heavy bomb squadron in 1952 and equipped with new B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bombers. Initially was equipped with B-36Fs. Later Featherweight III B-36Js were added, the squadron operating both types. Carried red stripe on the tip of the vertical stabilizer; the lip of the jet intakes and the "nose cone" of the jet itself along with triangle-R tail code. SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953. In 1957 the B-36s were replaced with B-52E Stratofortress aircraft and all squadron markings were eliminated. While retaining combat capability, the 9th trained B-52 crews for Strategic Air Command
from 15 July 1959-September 1963. Remained equipped with the B-52s until the closure of Walker AFB in 1967.
Consolidated with the Vietnam Era 9th Air Commando Squadron (Psychological Operations) in 1985. The 9th ACS operated primarily C-47 Skytrains over South Vietnam
from March 1967-January 1972. The squadron's psychological warfare missions directly or indirectly influenced the surrender of thousands of enemy soldiers. In addition, carried out night combat operations against enemy forces and hamlets through flare drops and minigun saturation fire. Despite the often heavy and accurate enemy antiaircraft fire, used light observation aircraft to perform search and rescue missions to locate and direct recovery forces finding downed airmen over enemy controlled territory. Inactivated in 1972 as part of the drawdown of forces in Indochina
.
Reactivated in 1988 as a special operations unit, the squadron has trained for special operations, refueling and resupply missions using modified C-130 aircraft. It has seen combat in Panama
, 20 December 1989-14 January 1990 and Southwest Asia
, 16 January 1991 – 5 April 1991. It routinely deployed personnel and aircraft to contingency operations in the Balkans
and Southwest Asia from, 1991-2001. The squadron has participated in combat operations in Afghanistan
since October 2001 and Iraq
since March 2003.
1st Special Operations Wing
The 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of two United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command ....
(1 SOW) at Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida. The squadron operates MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in support of special operations. The 9th SOS specializes in the use of night vision goggles
Night vision goggles
A night vision device is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users...
and close interval formation tactics to refuel large helicopter formations. It is unique among 1 SOW squadrons in that it is physically located at Eglin AFB proper versus nearby Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the...
.
Mission
ClandestineClandestine operation
A clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed.The United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental...
penetration of enemy territory using low-level formation
Formation flying
Formation flying is the disciplined flight of two or more aircraft under the command of a flight leader.Military pilots use formations for mutual defense and concentration of firepower....
procedures to provide aerial refueling
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
of special operations helicopters and the insertion, extraction, and resupply of special operations forces by low or high altitude 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...
or airland operations.
History
Established as a B-29 SuperfortressB-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
squadron in early 1944 as the 39th Bombardment Squadron; trained under Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska 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....
initially with B-17 Flying Fortresses, and received new B-29s from the Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
factory in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
during the late summer. Deployed to the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
in December, being assigned to North Field, Guam under XXI Bomber Command
XXI Bomber Command
The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
. Engaged in very long range strategic bombardment raids over the Japanese Home Islands
Japan
Japan 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...
from 27 January 1945 until the Japanese Capitulation, flying its last combat mission on 14 August. Squadron personnel were demobilized on Guam, being returned to the United States along with aircraft being sent to storage depots in the Southwest. Unit reassigned administratively to Clark Field, Philippines in March, 1946, remained as a paper unit until being inactivated in October 1948.
Reactivated in 1951 as a result of the expansion of the Air Force after the breakout of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Initially equipped with second-line B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
medium bombers for training; redesignated as a heavy bomb squadron in 1952 and equipped with new B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bombers. Initially was equipped with B-36Fs. Later Featherweight III B-36Js were added, the squadron operating both types. Carried red stripe on the tip of the vertical stabilizer; the lip of the jet intakes and the "nose cone" of the jet itself along with triangle-R tail code. SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953. In 1957 the B-36s were replaced with B-52E Stratofortress aircraft and all squadron markings were eliminated. While retaining combat capability, the 9th trained B-52 crews for Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
from 15 July 1959-September 1963. Remained equipped with the B-52s until the closure of Walker AFB in 1967.
Consolidated with the Vietnam Era 9th Air Commando Squadron (Psychological Operations) in 1985. The 9th ACS operated primarily C-47 Skytrains over 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...
from March 1967-January 1972. The squadron's psychological warfare missions directly or indirectly influenced the surrender of thousands of enemy soldiers. In addition, carried out night combat operations against enemy forces and hamlets through flare drops and minigun saturation fire. Despite the often heavy and accurate enemy antiaircraft fire, used light observation aircraft to perform search and rescue missions to locate and direct recovery forces finding downed airmen over enemy controlled territory. Inactivated in 1972 as part of the drawdown of forces in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
.
Reactivated in 1988 as a special operations unit, the squadron has trained for special operations, refueling and resupply missions using modified C-130 aircraft. It has seen combat in 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...
, 20 December 1989-14 January 1990 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...
, 16 January 1991 – 5 April 1991. It routinely deployed personnel and aircraft to contingency operations in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Southwest Asia from, 1991-2001. The squadron has participated in combat operations in 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...
since October 2001 and 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....
since March 2003.
Lineage
- Constituted 39 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 28 Mar 1944
- Activated on 1 Apr 1944
- Inactivated on 18 Oct 1948
- Redesignated 39 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 20 Dec 1950
- Activated on 2 Jan 1951
- Redesignated 39 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 16 Jun 1952
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Sep 1963
- Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 9 Air Commando Squadron (Psychological Operations), which was constituted, and activated, on 9 Jan 1967
- Organized on 25 Jan 1967
- Redesignated 9 Special Operations Squadron on 1 Aug 1968
- Inactivated on 29 Feb 1972
- Activated on 1 Mar 1988.
Assignments
- 6th Bombardment Group, 1 Apr 1944-18 Oct 1948; 2 Jan 1951
- 6th Bombardment (later, 6 Strategic Aerospace) Wing, 16 Jun 1952-15 Sep 1963
- Pacific Air Forces, 9 Jan 1967
- 14th Air Commando (later, 14 Special Operations) Wing, 25 Jan 1967
- 315th Tactical Airlift Wing, 30 Sep 1971-29 Feb 1972
- 39th Special Operations Wing, 1 Mar 1988
- 1st Special Operations Wing1st Special Operations WingThe 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of two United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command ....
, 18 Apr 1989 - 1st Special Operations Group1st Special Operations WingThe 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of two United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command ....
, 22 Sep 1992–Present
Stations
- Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, 1 Apr 1944
- Grand Island Army AirfieldGrand Island Army AirfieldGrand Island Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces airfield which operated from 1942 to 1946. After its closure, the base was reopened as Central Nebraska Regional Airport.-History:...
, 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....
, 26 May-18 Nov 1944 - North Field, TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, 28 Dec 1944 - 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...
, 13 Mar 1946 - Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1 Jun 1947-18 Oct 1948
- Walker AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 2 Jan 1951-15 Sep 1963 - Pleiku AB, 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...
, 25 Jan 1967 - Nha Trang AB, 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...
, 1 Sep 1967 - Tuy Hoa AB, 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...
, 5 Sep 1969 - Phan Rang AB, 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...
, 15 Aug 1970-29 Feb 1972 - Eglin AFB, Florida, 1 Mar 1988–Present
Aircraft Operated
- B-17 Flying Fortress (1944)
- B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
(1944–1947, 1951–1952) - B-36 PeacemakerConvair B-36The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
(1952–1957) - B-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
(1957–1963) - 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...
(1967–1972) - U-10 Super CourierHelio CourierThe Helio Courier is a light C/STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company. During the early 1980s, new owners made an attempt to build new aircraft with direct-drive Lycoming engines,...
(1967) - 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...
(1967–1972) - MC-130P Combat Shadow (1988–Present)
Operations
- World War II
- Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe 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...
- Operation Just Cause
- Operation Desert Storm
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Operation Iraqi Freedom