535th Airlift Squadron

535th Airlift Squadron
535th Airlift Squadron Patch
Active	24 September 1943 - 10 April 1944 16 May 1949 - 25 June 1951 15 June 1952 - 1 February 1953 12 October 1966 - 24 January 1972 18 April 2005 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift
Part of	Pacific Air Forces 13th Air Force 15th Airlift Wing 15th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Hickam Air Force Base
Decorations	Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

The 535th Airlift Squadron (535 AS) is part of the 15th Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing airlfit in the Pacific theater.

Contents 1 Mission 2 History 2.1 Operations 2.2 Lineage 3 Assignments 4 Bases stationed 5 Aircraft operated 6 References 7 External links

Mission

History

The 535th provided replacement crew, advanced flying, and basic flying training, December 1943-April 1944. It conducted reserve flying training from June 1949-April 1951 and again from June 1952-February 1953.

On activation in 1967, the squadron took over C-7A aircraft of 57th Aviation Company (U.S. Army) and tactical airlift mission in South Vietnam. It operated from several locations in addition to its primary base. The 535th airlifted routine cargo and passengers, provided support for Army special forces and radio relay for ground units, airdropped troops and cargo, performed emergency resupply and medical evacuations, and flew other combat airlift missions. It earned a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, as well as a Presidential Unit Citation combat device for airlift support of Khe Sanh and other forward bases from January to May 1968. It earned a second Presidential Unit Citation for action between April and June 1970 for participation in aerial resupply of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp, evacuation of over 2000 refugees from Cambodia, and transportation of the Presidential Southeast Asia Investigation Team to various remote locations in South Vietnam.

It was reactivated in 2005 to provide theater airlift in the Pacific.

Operations

• Vietnam War
• Operation Tomodachi

Lineage

• 535th Fighter Squadron (1943–1944)
• 535th Fighter Squadron, Two-Engine (1949–1950)
• 535th Fighter-Escort Squadron (1950–1952)
• 535th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1966)
• 535th Troop Carrier Squadron (1966–1967)
• 535th Tactical Airlift Squadron (1967–2005)
• 535th Airlift Squadron (2005–Present)

Assignments

• 87th Fighter Group (1943–1944)
• 87th Fighter-Escort Group (1949–1951)
• 87th Troop Carrier Group (1951–1953)
• 403d Troop Carrier Group (1945–1946)
• Pacific Air Forces (1966–1967)
• 483d Tactical Airlift Wing (1967–1972)
• 15th Wing (2005–Present)

Bases stationed

• Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia (1943–1944)
• Camp Springs Army Air Base, Maryland (1944)
• Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas (1949–1951)
• Atterbury Air Force Base Indiana (1952–1953)
• Vung Tau Airfield, South Vietnam (1967–1970)
• Cam Ranh Air Base, South Vietnam (1970–1972)
• Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii (2005–Present)

Aircraft operated

• P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1944)
• A-24 Banshee (1943–1944)
• F-82 Twin Mustang (1949–1950)
• T-6 Texan (1950)
• T-33 Shooting Star (1950)
• F-84 Thunderjet (1950–1951)
• C-46 Commando (1952–1953)
• C-7 Caribou (1967–1972)
• C-17 Globemaster III (2005 – Present)

References

External links

• USAF 535th Airlift Squadron History
• 535th Airlift Squadron Fact Sheet

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