The 553d Reconnaissance Squadron 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 ...

unit. It was last assigned to the

388th Tactical Fighter Wing The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Units 388th Operations Group (388 OG) *4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS) ...

and stationed at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. It was first active during

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as the 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron.

History

Constituted in 1942 as the 10th Photographic Squadron, the squadron conducted replacement training in Oklahoma for aircrew and photographic technicians. Established as the 553d Reconnaissance Squadron in 1967 at

Otis AFB Otis Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard installation located within Joint Base Cape Cod, a military training facility located on the western portion of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It was known a ...

, Massachusetts. Moved to Thailand as an electronic warfare squadron to detect vehicles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Indochina. If enemy vehicles could be detected then stopped, then a major quantity of enemy supplies into South Vietnam would be halted. The "electronic fence" concept envisioned using Navy sonobuoys delivered along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by air, with special receivers in the 553d Reconnaissance Wing EC-121 aircraft to pick up the signals. The EC-121 would, when in range, automatically relay the signals picked up to the Infiltration Center at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB. Several target areas along the Ho Chi Minh Trail were outside of the range of the relay equipment; during out of range flights the signals were processed manually by the crew on board the EC-121R, then radioed via High Frequency Single Side Band radio directly to Seventh Air Force Headquarters in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, South Vietnam.

Lineage

10th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron * Constituted as the 10th Photographic Squadron on 7 May 1942 : Activated on 14 May 1942 : Redesignated 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 9 June 1942 : Redesignated 10th Photographic Squadron (Light) on 6 February 1943 : Redesignated 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943 * Disbanded on 1 May 1944. * Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with the 553d Reconnaissance Squadron as the 553d Tactical Intelligence SquadronDepartment of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 Sep 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons 553d Tactical Intelligence Squadron * Constituted as 553d Reconnaissance Squadron and activated on 9 February 1967 (not organized) : Organized on 25 February 1967 (not operational until 28 February) : Inactivated on 31 December 1971. * Consolidated with the 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron as the 553d Tactical Intelligence Squadron (not active under this designation)

Assignments

* 2d Photographic Group (later 2d Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group, 2d Photographic Reconnaissance Group), 14 May 1942 - 1 May 1944 *

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

, 8 February 1967 (not organized) * 553d Reconnaissance Wing, 25 February 1967 *

, 15 December 1970 – 31 December 1971 (not operational after 6 December 1971)Ravenstein, pp. 209-211

Stations

* Colorado Springs: Colorado, 14 May 1942 *

Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Oklahoma: 13 October 1943 *

Woodward Army Air Field West Woodward Airport is in Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States, seven miles west of Woodward, which owns it. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''general aviation'' airport. History Second A ...

: Oklahoma, 11 December 1943 * Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma: 13 Mar 1944 - 1 May 1944 * Otis Air Force Base: Massachusetts, 25 February 1967 * Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base: Thailand, 31 October 1967 – 31 December 1971

Aircraft

Lockheed P-38 Lightning 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 by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

(and F-4 and F-5 reconnaissance models), 1942-1944 * North American B-25 Mitchell (and F-10 reconnaissance model), 1942-1944 * Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, 1967-1971

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{cite book, last=Ravenstein, first=Charles A., title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave, year=1984, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-912799-12-9, url-access=registration

553 __NOTOC__ Year 553 ( DLIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 553 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

Military units and formations established in 1967