1st Airlift Squadron

1st Airlift Squadron
Active 13 March 1944-Present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Airlift
Part of Air Mobility Command
18th Air Force
89th Airlift Wing
89th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ Andrews Air Force Base
Motto Sam Fox
Decorations DCU
AFOUA
RVGC w/ Palm
Insignia
1st Airlift Squadron emblem

The 1st Airlift Squadron (1 AS) is part of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It conducts transport of various high-level U.S. military and government officials.

Mission

Provides global Special Air Mission (SAM) airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the President, Vice President, Combat Commanders, senior leaders and the global mobility system as tasked by the White House, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Air Mobility Command.

History

Established under Air Transport Command in 1944 to provide aerial transportation in China-Burma-India Theater from May 1944–May 1945 and in Western Pacific from c. September–December 1945. The unit was equipped first with the Curtiss C-46 Commando, and then converted to the Consolidated C-87 in 1944.

Re-established under Military Air Transport Service in November 1953, providing airlift of personnel and equipment initially flying Douglas C-47s until re-equipping with C-54 Skymasters. Converted to long range Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs and provided long range heavy strategic transport on a global scale. In 1960 converted to the C-133A Cargomaster and provided very heavy strategic airlift until the end of the C-133's service in 1971.

Reactivated in 1977 at Andrews AFB, Maryland and assigned to the Special Air Mission supporting transportation for the President and other high-ranking dignitaries of US and foreign governments, and C–12 training for personnel from all branches of the military in 1977. At Andrews, has operated a variety of aircraft including the Douglas VC-9, Beechcraft C-12, Boeing VC-135, Lockheed C-140, Boeing VC-137 and Gulfstream C-20. These aircraft were used to transport VIPs throughout the United States and around the world.

It also transported personnel to Southwest Asia from August 1990–April 1991 during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Lineage

MATS 1st Air Transport Squadron Patch
Activated on 23 Mar 1944
Inactivated on 25 Mar 1946
Disbanded on 8 Oct 1948
Activated on 18 Nov 1953
Re-designated as: 1st Air Transport Squadron, Heavy, on 8 Sept 1954
Re-designated as: 1st Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966
Inactivated on 30 Jun 1971
Re-designated as 1st Airlift Squadron on 12 Jul 1991

Assignments

Attached to XX Bomber Command, 17 May-20 Nov 1944
Attached to 22 Air Depot Group, Nov-Dec 1944

Stations

Air echelon operated from Kharagpur Airfield, India, 7 May-4 Aug 1945

Aircraft

Operations

References

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

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 14, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.