The 530th Air Defense Group is a disbanded

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

organization. Its last assignment was with the 9th Air Division at

Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport in Spokane, Washington, United States, located approximately west-southwest of Downtown Spokane. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and ...

, Washington, where it was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

was originally activated as the 530th Air Service Group, a support unit for the

301st Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Italy and then redeployed to the United States where it continued to support the 301st until it was inactivated in 1945. The group was activated as the 530th Air Defense Group once again in 1953, when

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

(ADC) established it as the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical,

aircraft maintenance Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance ...

, and administrative

squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...

supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 84th Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

World War II

The

was first activated as the 530th Air Service Group toward the end of

to provide support for a flying unit in Italy in 1945 as part of a reorganization of

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(AAF) support groups in which the AAF replaced service groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with air service groups including only Air Corps units, it was designed to support a single combat group.Coleman, p. 208 Its 956th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 780th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The 530th supported the

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

, Italy. The group returned to the United States and briefly supported the 301st Bombardment Group again at Pyote Army Air Field before all units at Pyote were inactivated in late 1945. The 530th was disbanded in 1948.Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units

Cold War

During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

the group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 530th Air Defense Group, and activated at

on 18 February 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 83 with responsibility for air defense of the Northwestern United States. The group replaced the 87th Air Base Squadron as the USAF host organization at Geiger Field. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p. 147 The organizations it supported included its headquarters, the

4702d Defense Wing The 4702nd Defense Wing (Def Wg) is a discontinued wing of the United States Air Force, last assigned to the 25th Air Division at Geiger Field, Washington. It was established in 1952 at Hamilton AFB, California in a general reorganization of Air ...

, and later the 9th Air Division. Its first operational squadron, the

440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Erding Air Station, Germany, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1960. The squadron serv ...

(FIS), was activated at Geiger two days after the group.Maurer, p. 545 flying airborne intercept

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed

North American F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog") is an American transonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was ...

aircraft. In March 1953, a second F-86D squadron, the 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was activated at Geiger and assigned to the group. In July 1954, the 440th FIS moved overseas and was reassigned away from the group. In December 1954, the 530th once again had two flying squadrons, when the

520th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 520th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 530th Air Defense Group, stationed at Geiger Field, Washington, where it was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The squadron was firs ...

, another F-86D unit,Cornett & Johnson, p. 130 was activated. The 530th was inactivated and replaced by the 84th Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1955 as part of

's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars. The group was disbanded again in 1984.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units

Lineage

* Constituted as 530th Air Service Group on 16 December 1944 : Activated on 18 May 1945 : Inactivated on 17 October 1945 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated 530th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown, 1 June 1945 *

20th Bombardment Wing The 20th Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1946. It was later disbanded in October 1948 History The 20 ...

(later VIII Bomber Command), c. July 1945 – 17 October 1945 * 4702d Defense Wing, 16 February 1953 * 9th Air Division 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955

Stations

* Foggia, Italy, 1 June 1945 – c. July 1945 * Unknown, 1945, 18 May 1945 *

Mountain Home Army Air Field A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust Earth's crust is its thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than one percent of the planet's radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a solidified divi ...

, Idaho 17 August 1945 * Pyote Army Airfield, 23 August 1945 – 17 October 1945 * Geiger Field, Washington, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 February 1953 – 1 July 1954 * 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 20 March 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 520th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 8 December 1954 – 18 August 1955 Support Organizations * 530th Air Base Squadron 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 530th Materiel Squadron 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 530th Medical Squadron (later 530th USAF Infirmary) 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 780th Air Materiel Squadron 18 May 1945 – 17 October 1945 * 956th Air Engineering Squadron 18 May 1945 – 17 October 1945

Aircraft

* North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–1955

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956) * * * * Further reading * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
*

External links

{{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II 0530 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 Military units and formations established in 1953