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303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing

The 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Aeronautical Systems Center, 2005–2010. It was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio as a tenant unit.

The wing was first activated during the Cold War. It was organized by the Strategic Air Command as the 303rd Bombardment Wing, a Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber wing in the 1950s and in the 1980s, became a tactical missile wing assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe.

History

Specifically trained for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to meet the Strategic Air Command (SAC)'s global commitments and equipped with B-29 Superfortresses, the wing was deployed to Sidi Slimane Air Base, French Morocco on 5 October to 6th November 1952.

In 1953, the wing replaced its B-29s with Boeing B-47E Stratojet medium bombers. These swept-wing aircraft were capable of high subsonic speeds and were designed to penetrate Soviet airspace. It flew numerous training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet, deploying to RAF Greenham Common, England, 17/03/1954 – 28/04/1954; RAF Fairford, England, 28/04/1954 – 05/06/1954; and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, 04/07/1956 - 04/10/1956 and 05/04/1958 - 05/07/1958.

In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of the SAC's strategic arsenal. The wing began to send its Stratojets to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) in 1963, the last being retired in 1964. It was inactivated on 15 June 1964 after the last B-47 was retired.

The wing was reactivated as a BGM-109G Gryphon cruise missile wing in August 1986. It maintained 64 operational missiles in a combat-ready state. The wing was finally inactivated in January 1989 as a result of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the elimination of the BGM-109G missile from service.

As part of the Aeronautical Systems Center, the 303d designed, developed and delivered aerospace weapon systems and capabilities for the U.S. Air Force, as well as other U.S. military, allied, and coalition-partner war fighters, in support of Air Force leadership priorities.

Its responsibilities also included identifying, coordinating, and implementing horizontal integration/capability planning across weapons systems in support of the Global Strike and Global Persistent Attack concept of operations.

The wing was reorganized as a directorate on 1 July 2010.

Lineage

303d Bombardment Wing
  • Established as the 303d Bombardment Wing, Medium on 27 August 1951
Activated on 4 September 1951
Discontinued and inactivated, on 15 June 1964
Re-designated 303d Tactical Missile Wing on 19 August 1986
Activated on 12 December 1986
Inactivated on 31 January 1989
Consolidated with the 303d Reconnaissance Systems Wing as the 303d Reconnaissance Systems Wing on 23 June 2006
303d Aeronautical Systems Wing
  • Established as the Reconnaissance Systems Wing on 23 November 2004
Activated on 18 January 2005
Consolidated with the 303d Tactical Missile Wing on 23 June 2006
Redesignated 303d Aeronautical Systems Wing on 14 July 2006
Inactivated on 1 July 2010

Assignments

Components

Group

Squadrons

Detachments: Detachment, 96th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 4 July–c. 4 October 1956

Stations

BGM-109G Missile site located at:

Aircraft and missiles

See also

References

External links