310th Space Wing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 310th Space Wing | |
|---|---|
 310th Space Wing emblem |
|
| Active | 1952-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Space Operations |
| Role | Combat Support |
| Part of | Tenth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Schriever Air Force Base |
The 310th Space Wing (310 SW) is a Reserve space wing of the United States Air Force. It's headquarters is at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado and reports to the Tenth Air Force.
Contents |
[edit] Mission
Provide specialized expertise, continuity and combat ready personnel, projecting space power for U.S. interests worldwide[1]
[edit] History
The 310th has a long heritage dating back to World War II when it began as the 310th Bombardment Group on March 15, 1942. The unit flew B-25 Mitchell bombers in support of operations in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Sardinia, France, Austria, and Yugoslavia during the war. The group perfected "skip bombing" techniques against bridge, airborne, rail yard, and marshaling yard targets. The group was inactivated Sept. 12, 1945.
The 310th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1952 and trained on the B-29 Superfortress before converting to the B-47 Stratojet. The wing deployed to Royal Air Force station Upper Heyford, England, from March 10 to June 8, 1955 and to RAF Greenham Common, England, from Oct. 3, 1956 to Jan. 19, 1965.
[edit] 310th Training and Test Wing
On 1 September 1991, the third wing to hold the "310" designation, the 310th Training and Test Wing (310 TTW), assumed the ICBM testing and training mission from the Strategic Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB, California under the Twentieth Air Force. After removal of ICBMs from alert status at the end of the Cold War, the 310 TTW continued to train Minuteman crews and to test accuracy and reliability of Minuteman and Peacekeeper missiles. The 310 TTW also assisted in testing the Global Positioning System (GPS) April 1992-May 1992. It was reassigned to Air Combat Command on 31 May 1992. It was inactivated on July 1, 1993.
[edit] 310th Space Group
The 310th designator was again activated with the stand up of the 310th Space Group Sept. 4, 1997. The group was created around its original squadron, the 7th SOPS, and has grown rapidly with the realization of the critical role the Air Force Reserve can play in the future of space operations. The group has been tremendously successful in its initial missions and has been tasked with reviewing future active/Reserve partnerships in space to identify potential areas where the AF Reserve can add value in the space arena.
[edit] 310th Space Wing
Air Force Reserve Command officials are expanding the role reservists play in space operations by establishing AFRC's first space wing at Schriever Air Force Base. Command officials activated the 310th Space Wing on March 7, 2008. An activation ceremony is currently scheduled for April 4 at Peterson AFB.[1]
[edit] Subordinate units
- 6th Space Operations Squadron (DMSP backup for NOAA)
- 7th Space Operations Squadron (associate unit to 1 SOPS)
- 8th Space Warning Squadron (operates SBIRS at Buckley AFB)
- 9th Space Operations Squadron (supports the Fourteenth Air Force Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB)
- 14th Test Squadron (associate unit to 17th Test Squadron)
- 19th Space Operations Squadron (associate unit to 2 SOPS)
- 310th Security Forces Squadron
- 310th Communications Flight (augments INOSC West at Peterson AFB)
- Reserve National Security Space Institute (associate unit to the NSSI)
- 380th Space Control Squadron (augments 16th Space Control Squadron at Peterson AFB)
[edit] Assignments[2]
[edit] Major Command
- Strategic Air Command (1952-1965)
- Air Force Space Command (1992-1993)
- Air Force Reserve Command (1997-Present)
[edit] Numbered Air Force
- Fifteenth Air Force (1952-1965)
- Twentieth Air Force (1991-1993)
- Tenth Air Force (1997-Present)
[edit] Previous designations
- 310th Bombardment Wing, Medium (1952-1962)
- 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing (1962-1965)
- 310th Test and Training Wing (1991-1993)
- 310th Space Group (1997-2008)
- 310th Space Wing (2008-present)
[edit] Stations
- RAF Upper Heyford, England (1955)
- RAF Greenham Common, England (1956-1965)
- Forbes AFB, Kansas (1952)
- Schilling AFB, Kansas (1952-1965)
- Vandenberg AFB, California (1991-1993)
- Schriever AFB, Colorado (1997-Present)
[edit] Aircraft, Missiles, and Satellites Operated
- B-29 (1952-1954)
- KC-97 (1952-1963)
- B-47 (1954-1965)
- CGM-16 Atlas Missile (1962-1965)
- KC-135 (1964-1965)
- Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (1997-Present)
- Global Positioning Satellite (1997-Present)
- Space-Based Infrared System (2006-Present)
[edit] Campaign Streamers
World War II European-Middle Eastern Theater:
- Tunisia 1942-43
- Central Europe 1945
- North Apennines 1944-45
- Rome-Arno 1944
- Sicily 1943
- Po Valley 1945
- Rhineland 1944-45
- Southern France 1944
- Napples-Foggia 1943-44
- Air Combat 1941-45
[edit] Decorations
Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards:
- Jan. 1, 1956 - Jan. 1, 1959
- Sept. 4, 1997 - Nov. 1, 1998
- Oct. 1, 2000 - Sept. 30, 2002
- Oct. 1, 2002 - July 30, 2004
[edit] References
- ^ 310th SG Factsheet
- ^ Charles A. Ravenstein, Air Force Combat Wings: Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947-1977 (Washington: USGPO, 1984)
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
