The 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron is an active

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 ...

unit. It is assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Group at

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...

, Florida. The squadron began as the 16th Aero Squadron and redesignated several times over its history. The 16th Aero Squadron, a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

squadron that provided maintenance support for aeronautical units on the Western Front. The 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, which served during the years between the World Wars as an observation squadron, with its

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

s located with various Army schools. During

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 ...

, the squadron served in the Mediterranean, where it was awarded a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...

for its performance from October 1943 to January 1944. The 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, which served as a long range photographic unit during the early years of 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 ...

Mission

The 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS) provides electronic warfare test facilities for mission data and electronic warfare systems test and evaluation. Its personnel assess the maintainability, reliability, suitability, and readiness of electronic warfare systems and support equipment, and perform test and evaluation of new concepts for electronic warfare systems. They also monitor developmental testing conducted by acquisition agencies. The 16th EWS develops, fabricates and maintains test instrumentation and performs acceptance tests of all new electronic warfare related hardware and software and supports training for maintenance and operational units worldwide. The 16th EWS has more than $450 million in assets, including eight system integration laboratories and five mobile test facilities.Eglin AFB Factsheet, 53d Wing
5/9/2013 (retrieved 20 May 2013)

History

The squadron was originally established as an Air Service flying training unit in May 1917, conducting flying training for air cadets in the Midwest throughout the summer. It deployed to France in January 1918, becoming an aircraft maintenance organization in rear areas of the Western Front. It remained in France until May 1919 when squadron returned to the United States and demobilized. The 16th Squadron was established in 1921 as an observation squadron, attached to Army ground units throughout the 1920s and 1930s. It was consolidated with its predecessor in 1924. The 16th carried mail and performed fire observation duties, included carrying mail to President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

vacationing in South Dakota and Wisconsin in August and September 1927, and June to September 1928. After the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

the squadron was reassigned to

antisubmarine Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...

duties along the southeast coast in late 1941, early 1942. It deployed to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

, where it was attached to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

reconnaissance school at

RAF Wattisham Royal Air Force Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham was, between 1939 and 1993, the name of a Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold W ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in late 1942. While in England, the air echelon received modern

Lockheed P-38 The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

long-range photo-reconnaissance aircraft and joined the ground personnel in

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...

shortly after the

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

invasion in November 1942. The squadron was assigned to

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 ...

and engaged in long range intelligence gathering and aerial mapping of Algeria and Tunisia, supporting the

United States Fifth Army The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.

during the North African and Tunisian Campaigns. After the retreat of Axis forces from Tunisia in mid-1942, performed antisubmarine patrols over the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

and also functioned as in in-theater training unit for aerial reconnaissance pilots. Beginning in September 1943, the squadron received specially-equipped

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

heavy bombers equipped with

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 ...

detection and

electronic countermeasure An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

s (ECM) equipment. It performed ECM overflights of enemy territory in advance of

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

heavy bomber formations, jamming enemy Radar and generating false returns to confuse defensive forces. It also continued to fly long range reconnaissance with

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...

medium bombers fitted with aerial cameras.. The Squadron returned to the United States in November 1944 as the need for the unit dissipated as enemy forces were driven out of the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...

. It was inactivated in April 1945. The 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron served with

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

as a long-range reconnaissance unit early in the

. Its mission was absorbed by the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in 1949. In 1985, it was consolidated with its predecessors,Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 Sep 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons but remained inactive until 1993, when it assumed its present mission.

Lineage

16th Aero Squadron * Organized as 3d Aviation School Squadron on 9 May 1917 : Redesignated 16th Aero Squadron (Construction) on 31 Aug 1917 : Redesignated 16th Aero Squadron (Repair) 1918 : Demobilized on 22 May 1919 16th Reconnaissance Squadron * Authorized as 16th Squadron (Observation) on 30 August 1921 : Organized on 7 December 1921 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron (Corps and Army) on 25 January 1923 * Consolidated with 16th Aero Squadron on 8 April 1924 : Inactivated on 15 March 1931 * Activated on 1 Jun 1937 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron (Medium) on 13 Jan 1942 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942 : Redesignated 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bomber) on 31 May 1943 : Redesignated 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, Heavy (Special) on 12 May 1944 : Disbanded on 12 Apr 1945Lineage through May 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 90-92, except as noted. * Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron as 16th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron * Constituted as 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) 1947 : Activated on 16 December 1947 : Inactivated on 1 June 1949 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with 16th Reconnaissance Squadron as 16th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron * Formed on 19 September 1985 by consolidation of 16th Reconnaissance Squadron and 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron * Redesignated 16th Test Squadron : Activated on 15 April 1993. : Redesignated 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron 13 September 1999

Assignments

* Unknown, 9 May 1917 – Jan 1918 * Second Aviation Instruction Center, Jan 1918 – Feb 1919; Feb-22 May 1919 *

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, S ...

(attached to Cavalry School), 7 December 1921 * 7th Division, 24 March 1923Clay, p. 1383 (remained attached to Cavalry School) * 2nd Cavalry Division, 15 August 1927 (remained attached to Cavalry School) *

12th Observation Group The 12th Reconnaissance Group is a disbanded United States Army unit. It was last active as the 12th Observation Group, United States Army Air Corps, assigned to the Eighth Corps Area at Brooks Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 30 June 1937. ...

(remained attached to Cavalry School), 1 October 1930 – 15 March 1931 * Fourth Corps Area, 1 June 1937 (B Flight attached, later assigned, to Infantry School until 20 November 1940) * 44th Observation Group, 17 June 1937 * 32d Observation Group, 1 January 1938 * Armored Force, 3 October 1940 (attached to 2nd Armored Division after 15 November 1940) *

73d Observation Group The 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 8 December 1957. Hist ...

, 1 September 1941 (attached to

68th Observation Group The 53rd Electronic Warfare Group was a component of the 53rd Wing of the Air Force Warfare Center, Air Combat Command, headquartered at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The group (military aviation unit), group was responsible for providing oper ...

from Feb 1942) * HQ Army Air Forces, 12 March 1942 * 68th Observation Group (later Reconnaissance Group, Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 29 March 1942 (attached to XII Air Force Service Command, 25 September 1943;

, 1 Jan 1944;

, 18 Feb 1944; Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 27 March 1944;

Northwest African Air Forces Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its command ...

, 20 September 1943;

Mediterranean Allied Air Forces The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) was the major Allied air force command organization in the Mediterranean theater from mid-December 1943 until the end of the Second World War. Formation The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) be ...

, 10 December 1943; Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 1 January 1944 – 26 May 1944 * Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 26 May 1944 * Hq, Army Air Forces, 3 November 1944 – 12 April 1945 (attached to 311th Photographic Wing after 21 November 1944) * 311th Reconnaissance Wing (later 311th Air Division), 16 December 1947 – 1 June 1949 (attached to 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 10 November 1948 – 1 June 1949) * 68th Electronic Warfare Group, 15 April 1993 * 53d Electronic Warfare Group, 10 November 1998 * 350th Spectrum Warfare Group, 25 June 2021 – present

Stations

* Memphis Airdrome, Tennessee, 9 May 1917 * Chicago Air Park, Illinois, 20 May 1917 *

Chanute Field Chanute may refer to: *Chanute, Kansas, United States **Chanute High School *Octave Chanute Octave Chanute (February 18, 1832 – November 23, 1910) was a French-American civil engineer and aviation pioneer. He advised and publicized many aviat ...

, Illinois, c. 12 Jul 1917 *

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

, New York, 4 Nov-4 Dec 1917 * St Maixent, France, a Jan 1918 * Tours, France, 24 Jan 1918 * St Gervais, Gironde, France, c. 12 Feb 1919 * Bordeaux, France, 17–23 Apr 1919 *

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People and fictional characters *Mitchell (surname), including lists of both people and fictional characters *Mitchell (given name), lists of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Ca ...

, New York, c. 7–22 May 1919 *

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

, Kansas, 7 Dec 1921 – 15 Mar 1931 : Detachment operated between: North Platte Airport, Nebraska, and Rapid City Airfield, South Dakota, 1 Aug–Sep 1927 : Detachment operated between:

Chicago Municipal Airport Chicago Midway International Airport is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district, and divided between the city's Clearing and ...

, Illinois, and Superior Airport, Wisconsin, Jun-14 Sep 1928 *

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, North Carolina, Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal A ...

, North Carolina (flight at

Lawson Field Lawson may refer to: Places Australia * Lawson, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Lawson, New South Wales, a town in the Blue Mountains Canada * Lawson, Saskatchewan * Lawson Island, Nunavut United States * Lawson, Arkansas ...

, Georgia), 1 Jun 1937 * Lawson Field, Georgia, 24 Oct 1940 *

Daniel Field Daniel Field is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 kilometre, km) west of the central business district of Augusta, Georgia, Augusta, a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Augusta ...

, Georgia, 9 Feb 1942 * Greensboro Airport, North Carolina, 7 Jul 1942 *

Morris Field Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...

, North Carolina, 15 Aug 1942 *

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Langley Wakeman Collyer (1885–1947), one ...

, Virginia, 3–23 Oct 1942 : Detachment at

(AAF-377),Station Number in Anderson, p. 26. England, c. 5–21 Oct 1942 * Fedala, French Morocco, 9 Nov 1942 (Ground echelon) * Casablanca-Anfa Airport, French Morocco, 12 Nov 1942 *

Angads Airport Oujda Angads Airport () is an airport serving Oujda, a city in the Oriental region in Morocco. it is located about north of Oujda and about northeast of Casablanca, near the Algerian border. History During World War II, the airport was used ...

Oujda Oujda (, ) is a major city in northeast Morocco near the Algeria–Morocco border, border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental (Morocco), Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of 506,224 people (2024 censu ...

, French Morocco, 30 Dec 1942 * Berrechid Airfield, French Morocco, 24 Mar 1943 *

Berteaux Airfield Berteaux Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in Algeria, which was located approximately 9 km east of Telerghma; 35 km southwest of Constantine, Algeria, Constantine. The airfield wa ...

, Algeria, 6 Sep 1943 * Foch Field, Tunisia, 26 Sep 1943 : Detachments operated intermittently from several points in Italy and adjacent islands during period Oct 1943 – Mar 1944 : Operated primarily from

Foggia Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Forces' Fifteenth Air Force as part of the st ...

, Italy, after 28 Mar 1944 * Foggia Airfield, Italy, 3 May-30 Oct 1944 : Detachment operated from Poretta Airfield, Corsica, until Sep 1944 * Bradley Field, Connecticut, 20 Nov 1944 *

Buckley Field Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First lieutenant, First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units includin ...

, Colorado, 1 Dec 1944 – 12 Apr 1945 *

MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Florida, 16 December 1947 *

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is unde ...

, New Jersey, 16 August 1948 – 1 June 1949 *

, Florida, 15 April 1993 – present

Aircraft

* JN-4, 1917 * DH-4, c. 1922–1926, * O–2, 1926-1930 * JNS-1, O-1, and apparently JN-4 and JN-6, 1921–1930 * O-25, 1930–1931 * O-46, 1937-C. 1939, O-47, 1938–1942, and O-49, 1941–1942 * YG-1, and O-43, 1937–1940 * O-51 and O-9, 1940–1941 * DB-7, L-4, P-40, and P-43, 1942 * A-20 and P-39, 1942–1943 * P-38, P-39, P-40, and Spitfire, 1943 * B-17, 1943–1944 * B-25, 1945

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, origyear=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180455/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , url-status= dead , archive-date= 20 December 2016 , edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402

016 The Home Guard Special Division 016 (; abbreviated as HV-016) is a former military unit of Norway, that was a part of the Home Guard. It was established after 1985 to "stop terror- or sabotage actions that could weaken or paralyze Norway's abili ...