403d Wing

403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.

403d Wing performs dual missions: tactical airlift support during peace- and war-time contingencies, and aerial weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce.

History

403d Wing's history dates to World War II, when it was activated as a troop carrier group. The wing was inactivated after the war and reactivated in the Air Force Reserve in 1949. The unit has been called to active duty twice: in support of the war effort in Korea and in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Its most memorable accomplishments, however, have been while flying reserve-status humanitarian airlift missions such as those flown during Operation Provide Relief, rescue missions supporting the space shuttle program, providing airlift support to U.S. Southern Command and U.S. embassies within Central and South America, and participating in real-world war contingencies such as Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Promise, Provide Comfort, Uphold Democracy, and Provide Relief.

Assignments

Previous designations

• 403d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium (1949–1967)
• 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1967–1969)
• 403d Composite Wing (1969–1971)
• 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1971–1976)
• 403d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing (1976–1977)
• 403d Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing (1977–1987)
• 403d Tactical Airlift Wing (1987–1992)
• 403d Airlift Wing (1992–1994)
• 403d Wing (1994–present)

Squadrons assigned

• 403d Operations Group
  • 403d Operations Support Flight
  • 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters"
  • 815th Airlift Squadron "Flying Jennies"
• 403d Maintenance Group
  • 403d Maintnenance Squadron
    • 403d Maintenance Operations Flight
  • 403d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
  • 403d Aeromedical Staging Squadron
• 403d Mission Support Group
  • 403d Mission Support Squadron
  • 403d Civil Engineer Squadron
  • 403d Logistics Readiness Squadron
  • 403d Security Forces Squadron
  • 403d Communications Flight
  • 403d Services Flight
• 41st Aerial Port Squadron
• 96th Aerial Port Squadron (Little Rock AFB)

Stations

• Bowman Field, Kentucky, 12 December 1942
• Alliance AAF, Nebraska, 18 December 1942
• Pope Field, North Carolina, 3 May 1943
• Baer Field, Indiana, 20 June-c. 15 July 1943
• Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 15 September 1943
• Momote Airfield, Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, 30 August 1944
• Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 4 October 1944
• Nielson Field, Luzon, Philippines, 25 June 1945
• Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, January 1946
• Manila, Philippines, c. June-15 October 1946
• Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 27 June 1949-29 March 1952
• Ashiya AB, Japan, 14 April 1952-1 January 1953
• Portland International Airport, Washington, 1 January 1953
• Selfridge AFB (later, AGB), Michigan, 16 November 1957
• Keesler AFB, Mississippi, 1 November 1983–present

Aircraft operated

See also

• Thirteenth Air Force
• United States Air Force In South Korea

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Official website
• Official fact sheet