Tactical Air Command
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| Tactical Air Command | |
|---|---|
 Tactical Air Command |
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| Active | 1946 - 1992 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces (1946-1947) United States Air Force (1947 - 1948) (1950 - 1992) |
| Type | Major Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Langley Air Force Base |
Tactical Air Command (TAC) (1946 - 1992) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) charged with battlefield-level (tactical) air combat, including light bombardment, close air support of ground troops, interdiction of enemy forces, and air transport of ground troops. TAC was also responsible for tactical ballistic missiles.
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[edit] History
World War II showed the effectiveness of tactical air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the rapid demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees and victory in Europe had been downsized to a shadow of its former self.
Headquarters United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had little money and most of the wartime personnel had returned to civilian life. Many of its aircraft were being sent to storage or the scrapyards, although the increasing tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military forces were was still needed. The big questions were how much and what kind of forces.
A major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major command divisions within the Continental United States (CONUS) were formed. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission.
[edit] Origins
Tactical Air Command (TAC) was activated on 21 March 1946. The other major divisions were Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Air Defence Command (ADC).
The mission of Tactical Air Command was to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for light bombardment and other airplanes. These included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carriers, assault, reconnaissance and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world.
During its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission.
The first headquarters for TAC was established at MacDill Army Airfield, near Tampa Florida on 21 March 1946, however, on 26 May the headquarters was moved to Langley Army Airfield Virginia, in an attempt to bring the command closer to Washington, D.C..
TAC's original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men. Aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars. TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force.
[edit] Berlin Airlift
- See also: Berlin Blockade
On 18 September 1947 the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. Just a few months later, in March 1948 the first test of the United States' resolve began with the blockade of Berlin by the Soviet Union, and the need for tactical air power in Europe to underscore the airlift mission was necessary.
At the time there was only one USAFE tactical air unit available in Europe, the 86th Composite Group at Neubiberg Air Base near Munich, flying P-47Ds. TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86th FG. The 36th Fighter Group was transferred from Howard AAF in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base flying Lockheed F-80B "Shooting Stars".
In addition to the tactical fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47s to Europe, transferring them to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), created on 1 June 1948 by the merger of Air Force and Navy transport units. In spite of its title, MATS did not include all military airlift, nor would it. While MATS was responsible for meeting the air transportation needs of the Department of Defense and its agencies, the role of supporting combat troops remained with the Troop Carrier Command, which fell under the Tactical Air Command, as well as PACAF and USAFE overseas in later reorganizations. The troop carrier, or tactical or combat airlift, mission remained separate from MATS and its descendant, Military Airlift Command, until 1975 and the end of the Vietnam War. MATS remained a purely logistical organization, with no combat mission.
Soviet forces harassed but did not attack the cargo aircraft, although fighter pilots and antiaircraft gunners occasionally opened fire near the corridors, and searchlights that might temporarily blind a pilot sometimes played upon the aircraft by night. By the spring of 1949, it was obvious these tactics of harassment had failed to deter the airmen involved in the airlift of supplies to Berlin.
Consequently, the Soviet Union entered into negotiations which culminated in an agreement, signed on 5 May 1949, that resulted in the lifting of the blockade, but it did not settle the basic issue of freedom of access. Despite the resumption of surface traffic into the city, the airlift continued until 30 September to mass a reserve of food, fuel, and other supplies in the event the Soviets reimposed the blockade.
[edit] Continental Air Command
With the end of the 1940s TAC's assets were changed, transferred or retired. On 1 December 1948, Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Command were brought together to form Continental Air Command (CONAC). HQ TAC was reduced to the status of an operational headquarters under CONAC.
When organized Continental Air Command assumed jurisdiction of all Air Force units to be used in either air defense or tactical operations. Two years later, on 1 December 1950, the Air Force reestablished Tactical Air Command as a major command and removed it from assignment to CONAC in large part due to the need to deploy personnel and aircraft to Japan and South Korea due to the Korean War.
[edit] Korean War
- See also: Korean War
On the morning of 25 June 1950, the peace in South Korea was shattered by the clanking of tanks. The North Korean army had crossed the 38th parallel and were driving south towards the South Korean capital of Seoul. The United States Air Force, weakened by demobilization and preoccupied with the threat of the Soviet Union, was thrust into its first war as a separate service when North Korea invaded South Korea.
At the time, there were very few United States Air Force tactical air assets in the area. There were three North American F-82 Twin Mustang squadrons and the Lockheed F-80s of the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing based at Itazuke Air Field, Japan to support the United Nations resolution to aid the South Koreans.
First blood was drawn on 28 June when F-82s from the 68th Fighter (All Weather) Squadron downed three Yakovlev Yak-9s. That same day, four Ilyushin Il-10s were shot down by F-80s from the 35th FBS. The 3rd Bomb Group from Johnson AFB. Japan began operations on 28 June in support of the retreating ground forces. The group's Douglas B-26 Invaders hit bridges near Seoul in an attempt to cut usable roadways for the advancing North Korean tanks.
Air bases in the United States went on mobility alert to prepare for overseas movement in response to the Korean Emergency. Units from SAC and CONAC were deployed to Japan and South Korea. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units were called up to active duty and placed under Federal Service in case they were needed. What started out as an Emergency turned into a "Police Action", which was, in reality, a bona-fide war. The Korean War marked the creation of a professional Air Force that would grow in size and strength for decades to come.
From the start, the deployed tactical fighters and bombers to South Korea were effective. For example, on 10 July a North Korean armored column was trapped at a bombed-out bridge near Pyongtaek. F-80s, B-26s, and F-82s destroyed 117 trucks, 38 tanks, and seven half-tracks. This attack, along with others, gutted North Korea's single armored division. Had it survived, it could easily have punched through the UN defensive line at Pusan and driven UNC forces into the sea.
By the end of August 1950, the initial North Korean onslaught was reversed and Seoul was retaken. As the United Nations forces advanced into North Korea, forces from the Communist China stepped in to help their North Korean allies. The UN advance ground to a halt in December, then retreated south in early 1951, tactical aircraft continued to support of United Nations forces. Eventually the line stabilized along the 38th Parallel, where a stalemate ensued for the next two years.
[edit] North American F-86 Sabre
- See also: MiG Alley
Early in the conflict a sleek swept wing fighter appeared from the North. USAF planners were taken by complete surprise by the Soviet built MiG-15. The USAF had no idea that such an aircraft existed, and had nothing in the area that could battle the MiG on equal terns.
The first combat with Soviet MiG-15s came on 8 November 1950. A flight of the swept-wing MiG interceptors jumped F-80Cs of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, escorting B-29s in an attack on Sinuiju airfield. Lt. Russell J. Brown, with five of his six .50-caliber machine guns jammed, put his F-80C Shooting Star behind a MiG-15 and shot it down, thus becoming the victor in the first jet-fighter-vs.-jet-fighter combat in history.
It was obvious, however, that the F-80 was no match for the MiG-15. However, in 1950 there were only about 150 North American F-86 "Sabres" available for continental air defense and that fewer than a dozen per month were being built. Nonetheless, on 9 November 49 Sabres of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing based at Wilmington, Delaware and equipped with the F-86A Sabre was ordered to Korea to take on the MiG menace.
The MiG-15 and the F-86As were well-matched opponents, with the MiG's lighter weight conferring a speed and altitude advantage that often permitted it to dictate whether or not combat would take place. The F-86A was a superior gun platform. It was also more ruggedly built and equipped with redundant flight control systems for safety. Later models of the F-86E, with upgrades derived from the combat in Korea later arrived, along with better trained pilots and pilots from WWII activated for combat duty. The tide in the air turned.
The strip of airspace in western Korea just south of the Yalu River soon became known as MiG Alley to the Sabre pilots. The Sabres would arrive for their 25-minute patrols in five minute intervals. The MiGs would usually cruise back and forth at high altitude on the other side of the Yalu, looking for an opportune time to intervene. Very often they would remain on the north side of the river, tantalizingly out of reach. When the MiGs did choose to enter battle, the Sabres would usually have only a fleeting chance to fire at the enemy before the MiGs broke off and escaped back across the Yalu.
While F-86s battled for air supremacy over MiG Alley, other TAC air assets supported the ground war. Lessons that had been hard learned in WWII were painfully relearned in Korea. After three years of bloody fighting the final peace agreement was signed on 27 June 1953. Korea remained divided along the 38th parallel, which was roughly where it was divided before the war began.
[edit] Known TAC Units and Aircraft Deployed to Korea (1950-1953)
- 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group/Wing (F-86) (New Castle AP, DE)
- 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (F-94) (McChord AFB, WA)
- 474th Fighter-Bomber Group/Wing (F-84) (Clovis AFB, New Mexico)
- 452nd Bombardment Group/Wing (Light) (B-26) (George AFB, CA)
- 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group/Wing (RF-80, RF-86, RB-26) (March AFB, CA)
- 314th Troop Carrier Group/Wing (Medium) (C-119) (Smyrna AFB TN)
- 403rd Troop Carrier Group/Wing (Medium) (C-119, C-47, C-54) (Portland AP, OR)
[edit] United States Air Forces in Europe
Even with the active war in Korea raging, in the early 1950s Europe received a higher priority of air power than Korea by the Truman Administration and the Department of Defense. Deterring the threat of a Communist takeover of Western Europe was considered more important to our long-term survival than a Communist victory in Korea.
In September 1950, NATO’s Military Committee had called for an ambitious buildup of conventional forces to meet the Soviets, subsequently reaffirming this position at the February 1952 meeting of the Atlantic Council in Lisbon which had established a goal of ultimately fielding 96 divisions in the event of a conventional war in 1954. In support of this, the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), which consisted of 16 wings totaling 2,100 aircraft, was programmed to expand to 28 wings, 22 of them in NATO’s Central Region alone, backed by deployed Strategic Air Command units sent from CONUS.
The USAF transferred thirteen combat wings from TAC and relocated the units to USAFE during the period from April 1951 through December 1954. Eight wings were regular Air Force wings, four wings were federalized Air National Guard units, and one wing was a mobilized Air Force Reserve unit.
Four of these wings deployed to the United Kingdom, three into West Germany, and six wings were deployed to France. These wings gave USAFE/NATO approximately 500 fighters, 100 light bombers, 100 tactical reconnaissance aircraft, 100 tactical airlift transports, and 18,000 personnel.
With the phase-out of the B-47 Stratojet from SAC in the mid 1960s, the need for SAC "Reflex" European bases diminished. The Sixteenth Air Force was turned over to the USAFE on 15 April 1966. With the USAFE takeover of the base, Tactical Air Command transferred the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing from England Air Force Base Louisiana to USAFE on a permanent basis to Torrejon Air Base Spain on 27 April to perform host functions at the base and to support the rotational TDY duty to Italy and Turkey for NATO alerts. However, with the 401st's fighter squadrons deployed to South Vietnam, squadrons from Homestead AFB and Myrtle Beach AFB were utilized to fill the need in Spain. These squadrons remained in Europe until 1970 when the drawdown in Vietnam allowed the squadrons from the 401st to rejoin their home unit.
[edit] Composite Air Strike Force
In aftermath of the Korean War, TAC developed the Composite Air Strike Force (CASF) concept, a mobile rapid-deployment strike concept designed to respond to "brush fire" conflicts around the world. A CASF included fighter bomber aircraft for both conventional and nuclear attack missions, as well as transport, tanker, and tactical reconnaissance assets. TAC composite air strike forces were intended to augment existing combat units already in place as part of U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), or the Alaskan Air Command (AAC).
In addition, the new Century Series of TAC fighters were making their first fights, designed from the lessons learned in the air over Korea. As these new fighters and new transport aircraft cane online there were problems with each one. TAC pilots risked life and limb to iron out the problems and make these aircraft fully operational.
Also, with the development of air refueling, TAC could now flex its muscles and demonstrate true global mobility. Deployments to Europe and the Far East because a way of life for TAC units. When Strategic Air Command abandoned its fighter escort force in 1957, those aircraft were transferred to TAC, further augmenting its strength.
The first deployment of the Composite Air Strike Force took place in July 1958 in response to an imminent coup d'etat in Lebanon. TAC scrambled forces across the Atlantic to Turkey, where their presence was intended to force an end to the crisis. A similar CASF was deployed in response to conflicts between China and Taiwan in 1958.
CASF received another test in 1961, when the Berlin Crisis resulted in TAC quickly deploying 210 aircraft to Europe, consisting of 144 North American F-100D Super Sabres and 54 Lockheed F-104C Starfighters, but also including 6 McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo and 6 Douglas RB-66C Destroyer reconnaissance aircraft. Also as part of the CASF, the Air National Guard subsequently deployed 36 Lockheed F-104A Starfighters, 54 North American F-86H Sabres, and 90 Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks.
TAC had gone from a meager postwar force to a force capable of putting the right amount of assets in the right place when they were needed.
[edit] Tactical Ballistic Missiles
In 1949 TAC began testing the Martin MGM-1 Matador surface-to-surface cruise missile at Holloman AFB New Mexico. Like so many of the missiles, the initial flight ended in a crash. Testing continued with 46 prototype missiles until March 1954, then with 84 production models between December 1952 and spring 1954. In 1954, another model, the Martin CGM/MGM-13 Mace began development at Holloman, with its first launch in 1956. The Mace was launched from a mobile trailer or a hardened bunker using a solid fuel booster rocket for initial acceleration and an Allison J33 turbojet for flight.
By 1958 development of these tactical missiles was advanced enough to deploy them to Japan and West Germany with operational missile squadrons, where they were active until the late 1960s, by then the Army had largely assumed the tactical missile program until the 1980s when the General Dynamics BGM-109G "Tomahawk" GLCM was deployed along with the Army's Pershing II missile to counter to the mobile medium- and intermediate- range ballistic nuclear missiles deployed by the Soviet Union in Eastern Bloc.
This entire class of weaponry was eliminated by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF treaty), and thus reducing both the number and the threat of nuclear warheads.
[edit] Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cold War took on a frightening phase in October 1962. Routine photo reconnance (sic) flights over Cuba revealed that the Soviet Union was in the process of placing nuclear missies on that island. In response the United States let it be known that any use of those missies against any country in the hemisphere would be considered an attack on the United States and a full nuclear response would be the result. The United States and the Soviet Union stood eyeball to eyeball at the brink of nuclear exchange.
Large numbers of Tactical Air Command units were deployed to Homestead, McCoy, MacDill and Patrick AFB in Florida within hours of the call to prepare for movement. Civilian airports in Miami Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach also received TAC Units. TAC recon RF-101 "Voodo" aircraft from Shaw AFB were flying over Cuba on a daily basis photographing suspected missile sites and Cuban military bases to keep an eye on what was going on. In some cases the films were flown directly to Washington, D.C and onto the President's desk within hours of being taken.
The United States and Soviet Union stepped back from the brink, and the crisis was resolved without armed conflict. Never in the history of the Cold War had we come so very close to mutual nuclear destruction.
[edit] Vietnam War
- See also: Vietnam War
With the Kennedy Administration, there was the onset of low intensity guerrilla wars, and wars of insurgency. New methods of fighting these types of wars became part of TAC. Air Force Special Forces units, known as Air Commando and later Special Operations units became part of the command. Aircraft of Special Ops units consisted primarily of C-47 air transports but it also contained gliders, fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and liaison aircraft.
On 22 November 1963 the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas brought a new administration to the White House. With the Johnson administration came a new challenge to Tactical Air command.
During 1963, the situation in South Vietnam was heating up on a daily basis. More and more "advisors" were being sent to that small country in Southeast Asia. In response to what has become known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, Tactical Air Command pilots and support personnel found themselves deployed to places like Da Nang, Takhli, Korat and Phan Rang.
Initially TAC began deploying squadrons of F-100 Super Sabre, RF-101 Voodoo and F-105 Thunderchief aircraft to Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) bases in South Vietnam and Thailand. As the American effort in Southeast Asia increased, TAC permanently deployed entire wings of the new F-4 Phantom II and increased the number of rotated tactical fighter and recon squadrons from CONUS based wings on rotating Temporary Duty commitments to PACAF bases in Vietnam and Thailand, along with units to South Korea, Japan and the Philippines.
For the next decade, TAC would be consumed by operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. On a daily basis, flight crews would hurl themselves and their planes at targets across the area of operations. Over the skies of North Vietnam,
In 1970 the war was winding down as the conflict was being Vietnamized. Units from the South Vietnamese Air Force took on more and more combat to defend their nation. USAF tactical air strength was being reduced as several air bases were turned over to the SVNAF.
[edit] 1972 Spring Invasion
- See also: Easter Offensive
Bombing of North Vietnam (Operation Rolling Thunder) had ended in 1968, and as a result North Vietnamese forces had built up their air defenses and continued to pour men and equipment into the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. By the beginning of 1972 there were only about 235 USAF tactical combat aircraft in Southeast Asia.
Vietnamization was severely tested by the Easter Offensive of 1972, a massive conventional invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnamese Army forces in spring 1972. On 30 March 1972 the PAVN launched an all out invasion of South Vietnam with over 13 divisions, pushing South Vietnamese units aside with little difficulty. President Nixon stepped up air strikes to turn back the invasion, or at least to slow it down.
Although U.S. troop withdrawals continued in the face of the attack, American airpower came to the aid of the South Vietnamese with Operation Linebacker. For the first time, deployed Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers were turned loose on targets in North Vietnam. Targets selected would deny resupply of the North Vietnamese Army in the south by hitting the sources in the North supplying them. Tactical Air Forces flew strikes against POL, supply depots, railroads, bridges, maintenance sites, airfields, and Surface To Air Missile sites.
North Vietnamese Air Force MIG-21 interceptors were a real threat and were engaged by Thailand-based TAC F-4Es whenever they appeared. On 10 May 1972, eleven MiG-21 aircraft were shot down by F-4s. After that incident, many of North Vietnam's MiGs were withdrawn to bases in southern China. Operations continued with increased ferocity through the summer. Give and take on both sides became the watchwords as the South Vietnamese Army eventually turned back the NVA forces invading the South under the increasing threat of death from above.
By October 1972 the effect of the air campaign was being felt in North Vietnam. North Vietnamese delegates returned to the bargaining table in Paris to engage in peace talks in a serious manner. Besides the pressure from USAF Tactical Air Fighter-Bombers, the political climate in Moscow and Beijing had changed to encourage the North Vietnamese to agree to a settlement.
[edit] Linebacker II
- See also: Operation Linebacker II
However, on 13 December, the North Vietnamese delegation again walked out of the peace talks. President Nixon made the decision to bring them back one-way or another. Operation Linebacker II began on 18 December with attacks by SAC B-52s and massive waves of Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers attacking targets in and around Hanoi and Haiphong. During the next eleven days aircrews faced the toughest air defenses of the war, however these air defenses were slowly attacked and taken down. The full effect of aerial bombing started to be felt by the North Vietnamese.
The all-out air campaign crippled the North Vietnamese war effort. They expended or lost nearly 2.000 SAMs defending against the aerial strike forces. During Linebacker II, Tactical fighter-bombers flew thousands of strike sorties, the effect being that most of North Vietnam was left without fuel and electricity. The effect of this wave of attacks forced North Vietnamese representatives back to the bargaining table in Paris, and the peace talks resumed.
On 27 January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed with an effective date of 28 January 1973. For TAC the war in SEA was almost over. With the official end of hostilities came the long awaited release of American Prisoners of War from inside North Vietnam. The last USAF aircraft left South Vietnam at the end of January 1973, and the final group of Americans was released from North Vietnam on 29 March 1973.
[edit] Laos And Cambodia - 1973
The accords effectively ended United States military operations in North and South Vietnam. Laos and Cambodia, however, were not signatories to the Paris agreement and remained in states of war with their internal rebel forces.
The United States was helping the Royal Laotian government achieve whatever advantage possible before working out a settlement with the Laotian Communists and their allies.
The USAF flew combat sorties over Laos during January and February 1973. On 17 April, the USAF flew its last mission over Laos, working a handful of targets requested by the Laotian government.
In Cambodia there was no peace in 1973. Local Communist insurgents of the Khmer Rouge kept up their attacks on the Cambodian capitol, Phnom Penh, so the Cambodian Government urgently called upon the U.S. for help and the USAF in Thailand was ordered to carry out a massive bombing campaign against the insurgents on the outskirts of the city.
The Cambodian Army would attempt to attack Khmer Rouge forces, however the rebels would simply slip away and move somewhere else. This tactic effectively succeeded in wearing down the government forces. In July and August 1973, the Khmer Rouge focused on taking Phanom Penh and other major cities. In addition, it was reported that the Khmer Rouge was utilizing tear gas in its attacks.
Congressional pressure in Washington grew against these bombings, and on 30 June 1973, the United States Congress passed Public law PL 93-50 and 93-52, which cut off all funds for combat in Cambodia and all of Indochina effective 15 August 1973. Air strikes by the USAF peaked just before the deadline, as the Cambodian Army engaged a force of about 10,000 Khmer Rouge rebels that encircled Phnom Penh.
The last shot fired in anger in Southeast Asia was by at Tactical Air command A-7D of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base over the suburbs of Phnom Penh. By the end of 1975 all Tactical Air Command units were withdrawn from Southeast Asia.
[edit] Known TAC Units and Aircraft Deployed to Southeast Asia (1964-1975)
- 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) England AFB LA
- 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, F-4) Seymour Johnson AFB NC
- 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) George AFB CA
- 12th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) MacDill Air Force Base FL
- 23d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, A-7D) McConnell AFB KS, England AFB LA
- 27th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) Cannon AFB NM
- 31st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) Homestead AFB FL
- 33d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) Eglin AFB FL
- 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) George AFB, CA
- 49th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) Holloman AFB NM
- 347th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-111) Cannon AFB NM
- 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, A-7D), Myrtle Beach AFB SC
- 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, A-7D) McConnell AFB KS, Davis-Monthan AFB AZ
- 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-4) Cannon AFB NM
- 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-4) McConnell AFB KS
- 474th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-111) Cannon AFB NM
- 479th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) George AFB
- 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RB/EB-66) Shaw AFB SC
- 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-101, RF-4C) Shaw AFB SC
- 315th Tactical Airlift Wing (C-130) Smyrna/Sewart AFB TN
- 507th Tactical Control Group Shaw AFB SC
[edit] Post-Vietnam Era
Hard lessons had been learned during the Southeast Asia war. New methods of projecting global air power had been perfected, and several new types of aircraft were developed as a result of some of the lessons and shortcomings that had been learned in the skies over Hanoi. The first F-15A was delivered to TAC's 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley AFB Virginia in November 1974. Training on the new type began at once. The close air support tank busting A-10 began arriving in March 1977 to Myrtle Beach AFB South Carolina, equipping the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing. The first F-16A were assigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB Utah in January 1979.
[edit] Red Flag Aggressor Training
The 57th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB Nevada began giving regular units some of the most intense combat training ever achieved through the Red Flag program, beginning in 1976.
The origin of Red Flag was the unacceptable performance of U.S. Air Force pilots in air combat maneuvering (ACM) (air-to-air combat) during the Vietnam War in comparison to previous wars. Air combat over North Vietnam between 1965 and 1973 led to an overall exchange ratio (ratio of enemy aircraft shot down to the number of own aircraft lost to enemy fighters) of 2.2:1 (for a period of time in June and July 1972 during Operation Linebacker the ratio was less than 1:1).
The Aggressors were originally equipped with readily available T-38 aircraft to simulate the Soviet Union's MiG-21. Northrup F-5 Tiger II fighters, painted in color schemes commonly found on Soviet aircraft, were added shortly thereafter and became the mainstay until the F-16 was introduced in the mid/late 1980s.
The Red Flag exercises, conducted in four-to-six cycles a year by the 414th Combat Training Squadron are very realistic aerial war games. The purpose is to train pilots from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries for real combat situations. This includes the use of "enemy" hardware and live ammunition for bombing exercises within the Nellis Air Force Range.
[edit] Air Defense Mission
As part of realignment of military assets. the Aerospace Defense Command was deactivated in the summer of 1979. The air assets of ADC were assigned to TAC. With this move many Air National Guard units that had an air defense mission also came under the control of TAC, which established a component called Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). ADTAC was headquartered at North American Aerospace Defense Command, Ent AFB Colorado. In essence, Tactical Air Command became the old Continental Air Command.
Former ADC active-duty Convair F-106A/B "Delta Dart" squadrons were assigned to TAC under six air divisions (20th, 21st, 23d, 24th, 25th and 26th). ADC Air National Guard squadrons under state control were administratively assigned to TAC though their state ANG control for the air defense mission.
On 9 December 1985 these ADTAC AD were placed under the newly activated First Air Force. This arrangement remained in effect until the last F-106 was retired by the 177th FIG New Jersey ANG. ADTAC was transferred to Air Combat Command along with the rest of TAC on 1 June 1992.
ADTAC squadrons were:
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[edit] Operation Eagle Claw
In 1978, the unrest in Iran against the monarch Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his autocratic rule boiled over into a revolution. In January 1979, the Shah fled Iran to exile in Egypt and Iran was turned into an "Islamic Republic". On 22 October 1979 the Shah was allowed to travel to the United States for medical treatment. This caused widespread anger in Iran. Furious at what was called "evidence of American plotting" by Iranian revolutionaries, the American Embassy in Tehran was taken over with the entire staff became hostages. While the situation was trying to be resoled through diplomatic means no real ground was gained for the release of the hostages. In a bold plan, U.S. military forces were instructed to come up with a plan to go into Iran and get the hostages by force of arms.
In April 1980, TAC air assets were deployed to areas close to Iran to be ready if and when Washington gave the "go". Operation Eagle Claw got underway on 24 April 1980 when Special Operations C-130 Hercules transport planes and Marine RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters deployed to Desert One, a small staging site inside Iran itself.
From the start it appeared that the operation was running into problems. An unforeseen low-level sandstorm caused two of eight helicopters to lose their way en route to Desert One, but only after men and equipment had been assembled there. A third helicopter suffered a mechanical failure and was incapable of continuing with the mission. Without enough helicopters to transport men and equipment to Desert Two, the mission was aborted. After the decision to abort the mission was made, one of the helicopters lost control while taking off and crashed into a C-130. In the ensuing explosion and fire, eight US servicemen were killed: five USAF aircrew in the C-130, and three USMC aircrew in the RH-53. During the evacuation, six RH-53 helicopters were left behind intact
The failure of the various services to work together with cohesion forced the establishment of a new multi-service organization. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was born and finally established as a joint-service force to coordinate the special operations forces for the Army, Navy and Air Force. In 1987 the USAF established a separate Air Force Special Operations Command for worldwide deployment of special operations forces and assignment within USSOCOM.
[edit] USAF Thunderbirds
In January 1982 a devastating accident during a training flight claimed the lives of four pilots front the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron (USAF ADS), better known as the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds have been part of TAC since they moved to Nellis AFB in the mid-1950s.
While flying T-38As and practicing the 4 plane diamond loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots. The cause of the crash was officially listed by the USAF as the result of a mechanical problem with the #1 aircraft's control stick actuator. The airshow season for that year was canceled. It was also decided to equip the group with the Block 15 F-16B Fighting Falcon and start over for 1983. In 1992 the squadron was upgraded to the Block 32 F-16D.
[edit] Fifth Generation Jet Aircraft
The early 1980s were a transition era for most TAC fighter wings, replacing their fourth generation (McDonnell Douglas F-4, General Dynamics F-111, LTV A-7D) Vietnam-Era aircraft for a new fifth generation (McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II). The F-15 was designed for the air superiority role, which was not really filled since the North American F-86 Sabre in the 1950s. The F-16 was designed for the fighter-bomber role, replacing the F-4D/Es, and the A-10 for the close air support mission of the A-7D.
Although developed and initially deployed in the late 1970s, budgetary constraints limited their deployment into the active-duty forces. The Reagan Administration embarked on a massive overhaul of the United States armed forces and large numbers of these aircraft were ordered and deployed to front line active duty Air Force wings beginning in 1983.
The upgrade was not limited to first line units, as beginning in 1985, Air National Guard units also began trading in their Vietnam Era aircraft for newer and more sophisticated weapons systems with F-16A/Bs being allocated to Guard units as active-duty Air Force units upgraded to the F-16C/Ds models. F-15A/B models of the 1970s were also provided to ANG squadrons when newer F-15C/D models reached front-line wings. As A-10s replaced A-7Ds, these close air support aircraft, along with newly-produced twin seat A-7Ks were flown many ANG squadrons, training with Army National Guard units in ground support operations. The last A-7D/Ks not being retired until 1993 being replaced in the ANG by F-16C/Ds.
In 1984 a new version of the 1960s General Dynamics F-111 began equipping TAC units. This version was known as the EF-111A Raven. Loaded with electronic jamming units, the sole purpose of this aircraft was to fly into enemy airspace and confuse enemy radar so that the strike package could follow and get the mission accomplished, replacing the venerable Douglas RB/EB-66 of the 1950s and 1960s that served in the Vietnam War.
A new version of the F-15, the F-15E Strike Eagle was developed to replace the F-111E/F tactical strike aircraft in TAC's arsenal. Developed from the twin-seat F-15B, the Strike Eagle was designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines. The first F-15Es were deployed to the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base North Carolina on 29 December 1988.
Across the Nevada desert skies there were reports of strange lights in the night skies. Most of these reports were explained as possible UFOs. Most of these reports seem to come from the area around Tonopah, and an area identified on maps as Area 51. The UFO story seemed to hold water, as the radars at Nellis and Las Vegas could not see any aircraft in the area of question.
The strange lights over the Nevada desert were officially recognized in November 1988 when the Department of Defense unveiled the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. It is interesting to note that this was a well-kept secret. The first prototype aircraft had first flown in 1981. One had crashed in June 1984 in the Nevada desert. It took another crash of this aircraft in California in 1988 to finally lift the veil of secrecy. On 9 May 1992, four Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters from the Tonopah Test Range Airport Nevada, arrived at Holloman AFB New Mexico, being assigned to the 49th Fighter Wing.
[edit] Collapse of the Warsaw Pact
One of the effects of this massive buildup of American military might during the 1980s was pressure inside of the Soviet Union to match the United States. However, internal pressures inside the Soviet Union for increased freedoms, along with economic pressures led to the loosening of their control in Eastern Europe. In 1989, one by one of these nations in Eastern Europe began to rebel against their Communist governments, leading to the opening of the Berlin Wall in November. The mighty Warsaw Pact as well as the Soviet Union was crumbling from within.
It was clear that the threat the western democracies faced in Europe was coming to an end as the Soviet Union imploded from within. As a result of the end of Cold War tensions the United States began a period of downsizing the military. The Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) process was developed in an attempt to achieve the government's goal of closing and realigning military installations.
Through the BRAC process, active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases were marked for closing and units were deactivated. Some units became what were called "Super Wings" comprising more than one unit and aircraft type, along with several different missions. With all of the cutbacks it seemed that any type of major armed conflict was a thing of the past.
[edit] Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
In 1980, Tactical Air Command units of Ninth Air Force were allocated to President Carter's Rapid Deployment Force, formally known as the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF). In 1983 the RDJTF became a separate unified command known as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), focusing on the Middle East. Ninth Air Force provided the aircraft, personnel and materiel to form United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF), the air power of CENTCOM, which is also headquartered at Shaw. Starting in 1981, Ninth Air Force aircraft and personnel were deployed to Egypt for BRIGHT STAR exercises.
Without warning, ground forces of Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990. President George H. W. Bush proclaimed that the situation was not tolerable. With that he drew a "line in the sand". The United States took their case to the United Nations. The United Nations in turn condemned the actions or Iraq and proclaimed that they must withdraw. Iraq refused to withdraw from the small country. The United States, now backed by United Nations mandates again told Iraq to withdraw or suffer the results of continued aggression.
In response to the invasion, the largest military buildup since the Vietnam War got underway. By 15 August the 1st TFW had deployed F-15s in a fifteen-hour non-stop flight from Langley AFB to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. They were standing alert within hours of their arrival. Operation Desert Shield was underway.
By January 1991 numerous of Tactical Air Command U.S. combat squadrons had been deployed as part of Desert Shield. Diplomacy had failed to resolve the situation. Iraq had been given the ultimatum, "get out of Kuwait or suffer the wrath of the United Nations Coalition". Leaders from Iraq proclaimed that if the UN forces crossed into Iraqi territory they would surfer the "Mother or all wars". As the deadline came and passed, there was no movement of Iraqi forces that indicated a pullback.
In the early morning hours of 17 January 1991 anti-aircraft batteries in Baghdad erupted as the first strikes by F-117A Nighthawks hit critical command and control targets in the Iraqi capital. Operation Desert Storm had begun.
During the next few hours, tactical air assets pounded command and control facilities bridges, and other lines of communication. Wild Weasel F-4Gs went after SAM sites like they had in Vietnam. A-10s hunted Iraqi tanks and troops. In the first three days of the air war, eleven Iraqi aircraft were shot down by F-15s.
During the six-week air war any and all Iraqi military assets were targeted by Coalition attack aircraft. The Iraqis responded by launching SCUD missies. With no accurate guidance system these missies were very similar to the German V-2 rocket when it came to hitting a specific target. The SCUD went up and returned to earth with a chance of hitting something in the general area that it was pointed at. Classified as a terror weapon, the SCUDs became a top priority for Tactical Air Command aircraft to find the mobile launching sites and destroy them.
The ground war began in late February 1991 and lasted about 100 hours. Tactical Air Command close air support A-10 aircraft supported the ground forces as they had trained in the United States for well over a decade. Military planter's and Washington Officials were correct when they proclaimed that the war in the desert would "not be another Viet Nam". Desert Storm would go into the history hooks as one of Tactical Air Command's most shining moments.
[edit] Known TAC Units and Aircraft Deployed in Operation Desert Shield/Storm (1990-1991)
- 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron/388th TFW (F-16C/D) Hill AFB UT
- 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron/363d TFW (F-16C/D) Shaw AFB SC
- 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron/1st TFW (F-15C/D) Langley AFB VA
- 33d Tactical Fighter Squadron/363d TFW (F-16C/D) Shaw AFB SC
- 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron/33d TFW (F-15C/D) Eglin AFB SC
- 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron/1st TFW (F-15C/D) Langley AFB VA
- 74th Tactical Fighter Squadron/23d TFW (A-10A) England AFB LA
- 76th Tactical Fighter Squadron/23d TFW (A-10A) England AFB LA
- 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron/4th TFW (F-15E) Seymour Johnson AFB NC
- 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron/4th TFW (F-15E) Seymour Johnson AFB NC
- 353d Tactical Fighter Squadron/354th TFW (A-10A) Myrtle Beach AFB SC
- 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron/354th TFW (A-10A) Myrtle Beach AFB SC
- 390th Electronic Combat Squadron/366th TFW (EF-111A) Mountain Home AFB ID
- 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron/37th TFW (F-117A) Tonopah AP NV
- 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron/37th TFW (F-117A) Tonopah AP NV
- 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron/388th TFW (F-16C/D) Hill AFB UT
- 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron/35th TFW (F-4G) Geroge AFB CA
- 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron/67th TRW (RF-4C) Bergstrom AFB TX
[edit] Air Combat Command
Desert Storm was also the Swan Song for Tactical Air Command. The performance of the men and women of TAC was nothing less than outstanding. The planning and execution of the mission was the result of 45 years of TAC being honed into one of the most effective military organizations in history.
Following the 1991 Gulf War and the end of the Cold War, U.S. military planners perceived a serious blurring between the responsibilities of TAC and SAC. The collapse of the former Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War led senior defense planners to conclude that the structure of the military establishment which had evolved during the Cold War years was not suited to the new world situation. As shown by Desert Shield/Storm US military forces would increasingly be called upon to participate in smaller-scale regional contingencies and humanitarian operations.
Gen Merrill A. McPeak, Air Force Chief of Staff, envisioned a streamlined Air Force, eliminating superfluous organizational layers. General John M. Loh, who served as USAF Vice Chief of Staff before becoming TAC commander on 26 March 1991, was heavily involved in the restructuring decisions.
As a result, in the spring of 1992 the decision was made to merge most SAC and TAC resources, while simultaneously reorganizing the Military Airlift Command (MAC). On 1 June 1992 Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command and Military Airlift command were inactivated, being replaced by two new major commands, Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC). A brief ceremony at Langley Air Force Base marked the inactivation of TAC and the activation of ACC. General Loh, who had commanded TAC until its inactivation, became the first commander of ACC.
From escorting C-54s into Templehof Air base during the Berlin Blockade; the cold of Korea; the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia, and to the heat of the desert, the legacy of Tactical Air Command was turned into history.
[edit] Aircraft of Tactical Air Command
Note: P-series (Pursuit) designation changed to F-series (Fighter) designation in 1947.
[edit] Major Bases and Units of Tactical Air Command
Major TAC bases and Units in the Continental United States 1946 - 1992
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Notes:
- Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) Air National Guard bases/units merged into ADTAC on 1 October 1979 not included.
- Howard AFB Canal Zone/Panama (24th Composite Wing) was assigned to TAC 1 January 1976 - 31 December 1999.
- Keflavik Airport Iceland (57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron) was transfered to TAC from ADC 1 October 1979. Transferred to Air Combat Command 1 June 1992.
[edit] See also
- Air Combat Command
- List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force
- First Air Force
- Ninth Air Force
- Twelfth Air Force
- Eighteenth Air Force
- Nineteenth Air Force
- United States Air Forces in Europe
- United States Air Force In Thailand
- United States Air Force In South Vietnam
[edit] References
- Baugher, Joe. USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present. USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
- Donald, David, "Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War".
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Hill, Mike and Campbell, John, Tactical Air Command - An Illustrated History 1946-1992, 2001
- Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Menard, David, Before Centuries USAFE Fighters 1948-1959, 1998
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- USAF Organizations in Korea 1950-1953 United States Air Force Office of Historical Research, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
