
: ''See
46th Bomb Squadron for the
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 ...
squadron''
The 22nd Attack Squadron is a
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 assigned to the
432d Wing
The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles.
The group operates unmann ...
Air Combat Command at
Creech Air Force Base
Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe. ...
near
Indian Springs, Nevada
Indian Springs is an unincorporated town and a census-designated place located on U.S. Route 95 next to Creech Air Force Base in northwestern Clark County and southern Nevada.
The population was 912 at the 2020 census.
History
The communit ...
. It flies
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
s.
It has been in active service on five occasions, and saw combat service in the early years 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 ...
and in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
History
World War II
The
squadron was first activated at
March Field
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...
, California in January 1941 as the 46th Bombardment Squadron, one of the three original squadrons of the
41st Bombardment Group. The squadron moved to
Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona and trained there with
Douglas B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...
s. Following 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 moved to
Muroc Bombing Range and conducted
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 ...
patrols off the Pacific Coast from bases in California until the summer of 1942.
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 97-98]
The squadron moved to the Atlantic Coast in July 1942 and its air echelon was attached to Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, whi ...
in October and continued its patrols in this area. The squadron formally joined Antisubmarine Command in March 1943, when it became the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) equipped with B-24. In June, 1943 the air echelon moved to England, conducting operations over the Bay of Biscay. The ground echelon remained in the United States and was inactivated in October 1943 as US Navy assumed the antisubmarine mission. The squadron assisted in the transition until the air echelon was disbanded in November.[
Antisubmarine patrol flights were conducted in the squadron's assigned areas, producing a situation map that was continuously updated with enemy and friendly forces, convoys, and other pertinent information. The antisubmarine patrols also produced an enemy dispersion chart showing the disposition of all known enemy submarines in the entire Atlantic area.
]
Vietnam War
The 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron (Light) was organized at Binh Thuy Air Base
Binh Thuy Air Base (also known as Can Tho Air Base and Trà Nóc Air Base) was a United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' ...
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
, on 8 May 1965. It provided aircrews in Vietnam to direct air strikes for tactical aircraft operating within the Tactical Air Control System. Visual reconnaissance, convoy escort, and other missions were conducted as directed by the Tactical Air Commander, and aircraft and maintenance were provided in support of these operations within IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to:
France
* 4th Army Corps (France)
* IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...
, South Vietnam, as directed by Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea.
The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...
. The squadron provided aircraft and personnel in support of the Theater Indoctrination School, and field and transient maintenance support of USAF aircraft at Binh Thuy Air Base. The 22nd operated the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft that first flew on December 14, 1949, and entered service in 1950 as the L-19 in the Korean War. It went to serve in many branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, was not retired until t ...
aircraft, 1965–1971; and the Cessna O-2 Skymaster
The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010.
Design and develop ...
aircraft, 1967–1971.[
In January 1970, 22nd TASS completed the turn over of all its forward operating locations in IV Corps and handed its mission of supporting the ]Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...
(ARVN) in IV Corps to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force
The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; ; ) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF), was the aerial branch of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the official military of the Repub ...
(RVNAF). It relocated its headquarters to Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the norther ...
in III Corps
III or iii may refer to:
Companies
* Information International, Inc., a computer technology company
* Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company
* 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company
Other uses
* I ...
. 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron
19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number.
Mathematics
Nineteen is the eighth prime number.
Number theory
19 forms a twin prime with 17, a cousin prime with 23, and a sexy prime with 13. ...
, also based at Bien Hoa, transferred to 22nd TASS all the personnel, aircraft and other equipment supporting ARVN forces in III Corps. 19th TASS retained for itself the assets supporting the American ground forces in the region. Within a year, 22nd TASS completed in III Corps the task it had accomplished in IV Corps. It turned over control of all the forward operating locations and the mission of supporting ARVN forces based in III Corps to the RVNAF. On 15 January 1971, the remaining personnel and other resources of the 22d were absorbed by the 19th TASS, and the 22d was unmanned and non-operational until it transferred W/O/P/E to Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, on 15 May 1971.
Over the course of the war, the 22d suffered four killed in action
Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
. Aircraft losses were 13 O-1s and three O-2s.[Hobson, p. 253.]
Hawaii service
At Wheeler the 22d, using the Cessna O-2, organized, trained, and equipped assigned personnel to provide the Air Force Component Commander with a joint force, capable of operating and maintaining a tactical air support subsystem for ground forces requiring close air support, tactical air reconnaissance and tactical airlift.
The squadron also provided Direct Air Support Center and Tactical Air Control Party personnel and equipment to support US Army units in Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. During 1982, the 22d participated in a number of exercises and prepared plans for conversion to the North American OV-10 Bronco
The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a forw ...
. Converted to the OV-10 aircraft, August–October 1983. Supported U.S. Army on the ground with TACPs creating a network which provided the Army with immediate air support and, in the air, with OV-10 forward air control support. Participated in numerous exercises with US and allied army ground units throughout the Far East
The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
.
It was inactivated on 22 September 1988. It was then redesignated 22d Tactical Air Support Training Squadron on 1 October 1988 and reactivated on 14 October 1988. Its inactivation was on 30 September 1991.
Lineage
; 22d Antisubmarine Squadron
* Constituted as the 46th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940
: Activated on 15 January 1941
: Redesignated: 22d Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 3 March 1943
: Disbanded on 11 November 1943
* Reconstituted and consolidated with the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron on 19 September 1985[
; 22d Attack Squadron
* Constituted as the 22d Tactical Air Support Squadron, Light and activated on 26 April 1965 (not organized)
: Organized on 8 May 1965
* Consolidated with the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron on 19 September 1985][
: Inactivated on 22 September 1988
* Redesignated 22d Tactical Air Support Training Squadron on 1 October 1988
: Activated on 14 October 1988
: Inactivated on 30 September 1991
* Redesignated 22d Reconnaissance Squadron
: Activated on 10 September 2012
: Redesignated 22d Attack Squadron on 15 May 2016][
]
Assignments
* 41st Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941 (air echelon attached to Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command on 13 October 1942, to 25th Antisubmarine Wing
The 25th Antisubmarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was the principal United States Army Air Forces Unit conductin ...
after 20 November 1942)
* Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, 3 March 1943 (remained attached to 25th Antisubmarine Wing)
* 25th Antisubmarine Wing, 8 March 1943
* 479th Antisubmarine Group
The 479th Antisubmarine Group was a group of the United States Army Air Forces. Throughout its existence it was assigned to the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. It was last based at RAF Podington, England. It was inactivated on 11 Novemb ...
, 14 August-11 November 1943[
* ]Pacific Air Forces
The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...
, 26 April 1965 (not organized)
* 2d Air Division
The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 ...
, 8 May 1965
* 505th Tactical Control Group, 8 November 1965
* 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 8 December 1966
* 5th Tactical Control Group, 15 May 1971
* 6486th Air Base Wing, 30 September 1971
* 15th Air Base Wing
In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...
, 1 November 1971
* 326th Air Division, 4 April 1980 – 22 September 1988
* 602d Tactical Air Control Wing, 14 October 1988 – 30 September 1991
* 732d Operations Group 73 may refer to:
* 73 (number)
* One of the years 73 BC, AD 73, 1973, 2073
* ''73'' (magazine), a United States-based amateur radio magazine
* 73 Best regards, a popular Morse code abbreviation
* '' No. 73'', a British 1980s children's TV show
*N ...
, 10 September 2012 – present[
]
Stations
* March Field, California, 15 January 1941
* Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 18 May 1941
* Muroc Bombing Range, California, 10 December 1941
* Hammer Field
Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military–public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It ...
, California, 26 February 1942
* Naval Air Station Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station mostly in Alameda, California, with a slight portion of it within San Francisco proper, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and ...
, California, 9 May 1942
* Hammer Field, California, 3 July 1942
* Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...
, North Carolina, 28 August 1942
* Bluethenthal Field
Wilmington International Airport is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha).
During the calendar year of 2024, ILM served a record-high number of pass ...
, North Carolina, 9 April 1943
* RAF Dunkeswell (Station 173),[Station number in Anderson.] England, 20 August 1943 (air echelon)
: Ground echelon remained at Bluethenthal Field until September 1943, then moved to Salt Lake City Army Air Base
Salt Lake City International Airport is a joint civil-military international airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The airport, along with the much smaller Provo Airport (PVU) and Ogden–Hinckley Airpo ...
, Utah, where it was inactivated on 30 October 1943
* RAF Podington
Royal Air Force Podington, more commonly known as RAF Podington, is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station in northern Bedfordshire, England, south-east of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
History
Podingto ...
(Station 109),[ England, 1–11 November 1943 (air echelon)][
* ]Binh Thuy Air Base
Binh Thuy Air Base (also known as Can Tho Air Base and Trà Nóc Air Base) was a United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' ...
, South Vietnam, 8 May 1965
* Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the norther ...
, South Vietnam, 15 January 1970
* Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, 15 May 1971 – 22 September 1988
* Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 14 October 1988 - 30 September 1991
* Creech Air Force Base
Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe. ...
, Nevada, 10 September 2012 – present[
]
Aircraft
* Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1941–1942
* Lockheed A-29 Hudson, 1942–1943
* Boeing 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 ...
, 1942–1943
* North American 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 Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...
, 1943
* Lockheed B-34 Ventura
The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II.
The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in ...
, 1943
* Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
, 1943
* Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft that first flew on December 14, 1949, and entered service in 1950 as the L-19 in the Korean War. It went to serve in many branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, was not retired until t ...
, 1965–1971
* Cessna O-2 Skymaster
The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010.
Design and develop ...
, 1967–1971; 1971–1983
* North American OV-10 Bronco
The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a forw ...
, 1983–1988
* General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...
, 2012–present[
* ]General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...
, 2012–present
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
* Hobson, Chris (2001). ''Vietnam Air Losses: United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961–1973.'' Midland Publications. , 9781857801156.
{{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II
Military units and formations established in 1965
022