66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
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The 66th Air Base Wing is an inactive
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
wing that was last active in September 2010 at
Hanscom Air Force Base Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...
, Massachusetts, where it had served as the host organization since 1994. It was replaced at Hanscom by the smaller
66th Air Base Group The 66th Air Base Group is a non-flying United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Electronic Systems Center. It is stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. The group is also the host unit at Hanscom Air ...
. The
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
was first activated in January 1953 at
Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...
, South Carolina as the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, replacing an
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
wing that had been called into federal service for the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. After re-equipping and completing training, the wing moved to Europe, where it provided tactical
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
coverage for
United States Air Forces Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
and
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
from bases in Germany, France and the United Kingdom until inactivating in 1970. The wing was reactivated in 1985 as the 66th Electronic Combat Wing. During
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
it deployed forces to Southwest Asia that conducted combat
electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
missions. In addition to its flying mission, the wing supported a number of geographically separated units in Europe. It was inactivated in 1992 when one of its squadrons was reassigned and the other inactivated. Its support mission was transferred to another wing.


History


Tactical reconnaissance

The wing was first activated on 1 January 1953 at
Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...
, South Carolina, where it replaced the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, a
Tennessee Air National Guard The Tennessee Air National Guard (TN ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Tennessee, United States of America. It is, along with the Tennessee Army National Guard, an element of the Tennessee National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...
unit that had been mobilized for the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
that was being returned to National Guard service. The wing completed its training and preparation for overseas service, which included the conversion of the
303d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, 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 or cu ...
from
North American RF-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
s to
Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
s. The
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
departed Shaw in June 1953. The wing arrived at its first station in Europe,
Sembach Air Base Sembach Kaserne is a United States Army post in Donnersbergkreis, Germany, near Kaiserslautern, and is about 19 miles (30 km) east of Ramstein Air Base. Prior to 2010, the installation was a United States Air Force installation and prior t ...
, West Germany, in early July 1953. It provided reconnaissance for USAFE and
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
from 1953 through 1970. On 30 November 1954, the wing's
30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The 30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was first activated in November 1940 as the 30th Army Reconnaissance Squadron, and from 1941 to 1943 was designated the 30th Observation Squadron. It parti ...
received the first
Martin RB-57A Canberra The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...
s to replace its World War II vintage RB-26s. However, engine malfunctions, structural deficiencies and lack of supporting equipment and parts plagued the RB-57A, and the wing soon began to replace them with RB-66s. In August 1955, the 302d and 303d Squadrons started to receive the
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
. On 1 January 1957 a fourth squadron, the
19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...
at
RAF Sculthorpe The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, was transferred to the 66th. The squadron initially flew the North American RB-45C Tornado. The squadron remained at Sculthrope while part of the wing.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'' pp. 103–104 At Sculthorpe, the 19th became one of the first in USAFE to transition to the
Douglas RB-66B Destroyer The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company. The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United Stat ...
aircraft. One year after its assignment to the wing, the 19th was reassigned to the
10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing The 10th Air Base Wing (10 ABW) is a non-flying United States Air Force unit that is the host wing for the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Wing provides all base-level support activities to the Academy ...
.


Electronic Combat

The wing returned to Sembach as the 66th Electronic Combat Wing in 1985. Its
43d Electronic Combat Squadron The 43d Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group, being stationed as a tenant unit at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated uni ...
trained US and NATO forces on
Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counter ...
electronic countermeasures aircraft. The wing's
42d Electronic Combat Squadron The 42d Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated unit from its parent wing, the 55th ...
, stationed at
RAF Upper Heyford RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. In the Second World War the airfield was used by Bomber Command. During the Cold War, Upper Heyford was one ...
, flew EF-111A Raven aircraft under the operational control of the
20th Tactical Fighter Wing The 20th Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina. The wing is assigned to Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. The wing's mission is to provide, project, and sustain c ...
. The wing was assigned host wing responsibilities that included support of numerous geographically separated units and logistical support for flying units of the
601st Tactical Control Wing The 601st Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force organization. It was last active as the 601st Air Base Wing with the Seventeenth Air Force at Sembach Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1995. The ...
located at Sembach. The wing deployed aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia and Turkey, providing tactical and electronic combat operations in
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
against Iraq from 17 January through 28 February 1991. In July 1991, the 42d Squadron was transferred to the 20th Fighter Wing as the Air Force began to transition to the Objective Wing organization, which called for all units on a base to be assigned to one wing. The 43d Squadron was inactivated, leaving the wing without tactical flying squadrons. At the end of March 1992, the wing was inactivated and its support functions transferred to the 601st Support Wing.


Air Base Support

Redesignated the 66th Air Base Wing, and activated in 1994 to replace the 647th Air Base Group, the wing provided support and services to active-duty,
Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
and
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
military personnel, civilians and contractors at
Hanscom Air Force Base Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...
, Massachusetts. Additionally, the wing supports over 100,000 retired military personnel, annuitants and spouses living in the seven-state area of New England and New York. On 26 March 2010 the wing commander, Colonel David "Iron" Orr, was relieved of his position by Lieutenant General Ted Bowlds, commander of the
Electronic Systems Center The Electronic Systems Center was a product center of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Its mission was to develop and acquire command and control, communications, computer, and intelligenc ...
. Bowlds found that Orr had held an unprofessional relationship with a subordinate female lieutenant colonel and had exhibited undue favoritism to the officer with regards to a promotion recommendation. With the mission at Hanscom shrinking, the wing was inactivated on 30 September 2010 and replaced by the smaller
66th Air Base Group The 66th Air Base Group is a non-flying United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Electronic Systems Center. It is stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. The group is also the host unit at Hanscom Air ...
.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing on 15 November 1952 * Activated on 1 January 1953 * Inactivated on 1 April 1970 * Redesignated 66th Electronic Combat Wing and activated on 1 June 1985 * Inactivated on 31 March 1992 * Redesignated 66th Air Base Wing on 16 September 1994 * Activated on 1 October 1994 * Inactivated on 30 September 2010


Assignments

*
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
, 1 January 1953 *
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...
, 7 July 1953 *
United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
, 1 January 1958 *
Seventeenth Air Force The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was 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 (1953–1996) and AFAFRICA, United Sta ...
, 15 November 1959 *
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...
, 1 September 1966 – 1 April 1970 *
65th Air Division The 65th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at Lindsey Air Station, Germany. It was inactivated o ...
, 1 June 1985 * Seventeenth Air Force, 30 June 1991 – 31 March 1992 * Electronic Systems Center, 1 October 1994 – 30 September 2010


Components

;Group * 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group: 1 January 1953 – 8 December 1957Components were stationed with the wing
headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
, except as noted.
; Squadrons *
17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The 17th Attack Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 432d Wing, and stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada. The 17th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. Overview The 17th conducts ...
: 10 May 1959 – 12 January 1970 * 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 June 1959 – 30 January 1970 *
19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...
: 8 December 1957 – 8 March 1958 (attached to the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing after 8 January 1958) :: RAF Sculthorpe * 30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 8 December 1957 – 8 March 1958 (detached 8 January-8 March 1958) *
32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The ROMP is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor designed by IBM in the late 1970s. It is also known as the Research OPD Miniprocessor (after the two IBM divisions that collaborated on its inception, IBM Research and the Offic ...
: attached 8 January-7 March 1958, assigned 8 March 1958 – 1 October 1965 *
38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (26 TRW), stationed at Zweibrücken Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated along with ...
: attached 8 January-7 March 1958, assigned 8 March 1958 – 1 January 1966 * 42d Electronic Combat Squadron: 1 June 1985 – 25 January 1991 (detached 2 June 1985 – 24 January 1991) :: RAF Upper Heyford * 43d Electronic Combat Squadron: 1 October 1986 – 31 July 1991 (attached to 20th Tactical Fighter Wing 17 January – 10 March 1991, 7 – 14 April 1991) * 302d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 8 December 1957 – 20 June 1959 * 303d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 8 December 1957 – 20 June 1959


Stations

* Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1 January – 25 June 1953 * Sembach Air Base, West Germany, 7 July 1953 * Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, 10 July 1958 * RAF Upper Heyford, England, 1 September 1966 – 1 April 1970 * Sembach Air Base, Germany, 1 June 1985 – 31 March 1992 * Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 1 October 1994 – 30 September 2010


Aircraft

* North American RF-51K Mustang, 1953 * Douglas RB-26B Invader, 1953–1955 * Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star, 1953–1956 * Martin RB-57A Canberra, 1954–1955, 1955–1958 * Martin B-57A Canberra, 1955–1956 *
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
, 1955–1959 * Douglas RB-66B Invader, 1957–1958 * North American RB-45C Tornado, 1957 *
McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a long-range bomber escort (known as a '' ...
, 1958–1970 *
McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...
, 1969–1970 * EF-111A Raven, 1985–1991 * Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call, 1986–1991


Awards and campaigns

* Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jan-31 Dec 1962; 1 Apr 1987 – 1 Mar 1989; 1 Jun 1989 – 31 May 1991; 1 Jun 1991 – 31 Mar 1992; 1 Jan 1996 – 31 Dec 1997. Air Force Organizational Excellence Award: 1 Jan 2003 – 31 Dec 2004.


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

* * {{USAF Material Command Military units and formations in Massachusetts 0066