The 53rd Wing is a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

of the

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 ...

based 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

reports to the

United States Air Force Warfare Center The United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The center was founded on 1 September 1966, as the U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center. It was renamed t ...

Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloquialism, colloq.) is a United States Air Force military installation, installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts Aerial warfare, air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exerc ...

, Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Command. The 53d Wing serves as the focal point for the combat air forces in electronic warfare, armament and

avionics Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

defense,

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

, and aircrew training devices. The wing is also responsible for operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of new equipment and systems proposed for use by these air forces. Current wing initiatives include advanced self-protection systems for combat aircraft, aircrew life support systems,

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or Strategy, strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including Artillery observer, artillery spott ...

improvements, new armament and weapons delivery systems, and improved maintenance equipment and logistics support. The 53d Wing, which consists of four groups, numbers almost 2,000 military and civilians at 17 locations throughout the United States.

Units

53d Test and Evaluation Group The 53rd Test and Evaluation Group is a Group (air force), group of the United States United States Air Force, Air Force. It is a part of the 53rd Wing, and is headquarters, headquartered at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The Group was originally activate ...

History

World War II

The group was activated in 1941 as the 53d Pursuit Group with the 13th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 73 14th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 78 and 15th Pursuit Squadrons assigned.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 115–116 The 53d trained fighter pilots with

Seversky P-35 The Seversky P-35 is an American fighter aircraft built by the Republic Aviation, Seversky Aircraft Company in the late 1930s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-35 was the first single-seat fighter in United ...

and

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

aircraft from its activation until December 1941. After the United States entered

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 group moved to the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

to fly patrols in defense of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. In conjunction with the move, the group converted to Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft. There it was redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group. The group returned to Florida in November 1942, where it became a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) training replacement fighter pilots. RTUs were oversized units whose mission was to train individual pilots or

aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...

s. It used P-39s until June 1943 and

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

s thereafter. In early 1943, the group added a fourth squadron, the 438th Fighter Squadron. The AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. The group was disbanded in as a result of this reorganization in 1944 and its personnel, equipment and mission were assumed by the 338th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter).

Cold War Air Defense

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated to replace the 521st Air Defense Group at Sioux City Municipal Airport as part of

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 ...

's Project Arrow to bring back on the active list fighter units that had achieved memorable records in the two World Wars.Buss (ed), Sturm, Volan & McMullen, p. 6 The 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), already at Sioux City transferred from the 521st, while the 13th FIS moved to Sioux City to replace the 519th FIS. Both squadrons flew

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

armed and

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 F-86D Sabres.Cornett & Johnson, p. 114 Between August 1955 and April 1960 the 53d served as an

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

unit, participating in North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) exercises and testing automated air defense systems. It also was the host organization for the USAF and was assigned several support units to carry out this function.''See'' Cornett & Johnson, p. 136Cornett & Johnson, p. 145 In the fall of 1957 both of the group's squadrons upgraded their Sabres to F-86L models with

data link A data link is a means of telecommunications link, connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a t ...

for interception control through the

Semi-Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...

system. In July 1959 the 13th FIS moved to Glasgow AFB, Montana and was reassigned. The group and its remaining components were inactivated in 1960. In 1985, the group was redesignated as the 53d Tactical Fighter Group, but it was never active under that designation.

Test and Evaluation

The USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center was activated in 1963 to improve use of USAF tactical aviation in support of ground forces by operationally testing weapon systems and

tactics Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics In chess, a tac ...

for the joint U.S. Strike Command. It employed a cross-section of tactical aircraft from

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

(TAC) bases across the country. During 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 ...

it tested tactical weapons systems and tactics for use in Southeast Asia. After the war it continued operational testing of new tactical aviation weapon systems. In 1977 the center began an annual series of Air Force-wide exercises to improve command, control, communications, and

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

(C3I) techniques. Around the same time it embarked on the electronic warfare evaluation program, and continued OT&E of aviation weapon systems for TAC and later

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

, the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

, and the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

. From 1983 to present, responsible for the operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of all Air Force aircraft/weapons systems, and providing range control for live-firing missile programs on the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

range and aerial targets, using full scale and subscale drones. In September 1995, the 53d Tactical Fighter Group and USAF Air Warfare Center were consolidated and the consolidated unit was redesignated as the 53d Wing the following month. In 2021 on the activation of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group was inactivated, broken up, and its units transferred to the new wing.

Lineage

Group * Constituted as the 53d Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group on 15 May 1942 : Disbanded on 1 May 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group (Air Defense), on 20 June 1955 : Activated on 18 August 1955 : Discontinued on 1 April 1960 : Redesignated as the 53d Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 31, 1985 : Consolidated with the USAF Air Warfare Center on 25 September 1995 (consolidated unit designated the USAF Air Warfare Center) Center * Designated and organized as the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center on 1 November 1963 : Redesignated as the USAF Air Warfare Center on 1 October 1991 : Consolidated with the 53d Tactical Fighter Group on 25 September 1995 Consolidated Wing * Redesignated as the 53d Wing on 1 October 1995

Assignments

* 22d Pursuit Wing, 15 January 1941 * 3d Interceptor (later III Fighter) Command, 2 October 1941 * Caribbean (later, Sixth) Air Force, 1 January 1942 * 26th Interceptor (later, 26th Fighter, XXVI Fighter) Command, 6 March 1942 * III Fighter Command, 26 November 1942 – 1 May 1944 * 31st Air Division, 18 August 1955 * 20th Air Division, 1 March 1956 * Kansas City Air Defense Sector, 1 January 1960 – 1 April 1960 * Tactical Air Command, 1 November 1963 * Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 *

, 1 October 1985 – present

Stations

* MacDill Field, Florida, 15 January 1941 * Dale Mabry Field,

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, 8 May 1941 – 8 December 1941 * Howard Field,

, 1 January 1942 – 10 November 1942 * Dale Mabry Field, Florida, 26 November 1942 * Drew Field,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, 7 January 1943 * Fort Myers Army Air Field (later Page Field, Florida, 6 February 1943 – 1 May 1944 * Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa, 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960) *

, Florida, 1 November 1963 – present

Components

Wing

* 4485th Test Wing: 16 March 1964 – 30 June 1965

Groups

* 57th Test Group (later 53d Test Management): 1 November 1991 – 1 August 1997, 1 October 2002 – 1 October 2021 * 68th Electronic Combat Group (later 53d Electronic Warfare): 15 April 1993 - 25 June 2021 * 475th Weapons Evaluation Group (later 53d Weapons Evaluation): 23 January 1991 – present * 753d Test and Evaluation Group: 1 October 2021 – present * 4441st Tactical Training Group (Blue Flag) (later 41st Training Group): 1 March 1977 – 15 April 1993 * 4442d Tactical Control Group (later 505th Air Control, 505th Command and Control Evaluation): 1 March 1980 – 1 October 1997 * 4443d Test and Evaluation Group (later 79th Test and Evaluation, 53d Test and Evaluation): 1 July 1988 – present

Squadrons

; Fighter Squadrons * 13th Pursuit Squadron (later 13th Fighter Squadron, 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron): 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944; 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1957. * 14th Pursuit Squadron (later 14th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron): 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944; 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960. * 15th Pursuit Squadron (later 15th Fighter Squadron): 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944 * 438th Fighter Squadron: 20 February 1943 – 1 May 1944 ; Test Squadrons * 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 15 April 1993 * 49th Test Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 15 April 1993 * 513th Test Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 15 April 1993 * 727th Tactical Control Squadron (Test): 1 October 1979 – 1 March 1980 * 3907th Systems Evaluation Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 15 April 1993 * 4484th Fighter Weapons Squadron: 1 October 1978 – 1 June 1984 * 4484th Test Squadron: 15 October 1983 – 1 August 1988 * 4485th Test Squadron: 12 April 1971 – 1 August 1988 * 4486th Fighter Weapons Squadron: 1 October 1985 – 1 August 1988, later 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron * 4487th Electronic Warfare Aggressor (later 87th Electronic Warfare Aggressor) Squadron: 1 October 1990 – 15 April 1993

Flight

* 15th Test Flight: 1 March 2016 – 1 October 2021

Support Units

* 53d USAF Infirmary (later 53d USAF Dispensary), 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960 * 53d Air Base Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960 * 53d Materiel Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960 * 53d Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 8 July 1957 – 1 May 1959

Aircraft flown

* P-35 (1941) * P-39 Airacobra (1942–1943) * P-40 Warhawk (1941) * P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1944) *

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

(1943) * F-86 Sabre (1955–1959) * C-119 Flying Boxcar (1956, 1963–1973) * C-45 Expeditor (1957) * T-33 Shooting Star (1957, 1963–1973) * A-4 Skyhawk (1963–1973) * A-37 Dragonfly (1963–1973) * B-57 Canberra (1963–1973) * C-123 Provider (1963–1973) * C-124 Globemaster II (1963–1973) * H-3 Sea King (1963–1973) * CH-21 Shawnee (1963–1973) * F-100 Super Sabre (1963–1973) * F-101 Voodoo (1963–1973) * F-104 Starfighter (1963–1973) *

F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. It ...

(1963–1973) *

O-1 Bird Dog The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a Liaison aircraft, 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 no ...

(1963–1973) * OV-10 Bronco (1963–1973) * RB-66 Destroyer (1963–1973) * UH-1 Iroquois (1963–1973) *

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

(1964–1974) * F-111 Aardvark (1968–1978) F-86 Sabre (1955–1959) * RF-4 (1964–1994) * F-5 Freedom Fighter (1965–1978) * A-7 Corsair II (1972–1974) * AC-130 Spectre (1972–1978) * McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle (1976–present) *

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

(1978–present) *

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 19 ...

(1978–present) * Boeing E-3 Sentry (1980) * SR-71 Blackbird (1986–89) * F-15 Strike Eagle (1988-present) * E-9 (1996–present) * F-117 Nighthawk (1996–2008) * HH-60 Pave Hawk (1996–present) * HC-130J Combat King II (2010–present) *

F-22A Raptor The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American Twinjet, twin-engine, Jet engine, jet-powered, Night fighter, all-weather, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Ta ...

(2010-present) * F-35A Lightning II (2014-present) * F-15EX Eagle II (2021-present)

Awards and campaigns

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. * * * * * *

External links

53d Wing Home Page
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II Military units and formations in Florida 0053 Military units and formations established in 1941