482nd Fighter Wing

482nd Fighter Wing

F-16C Fighting Falcon of the 482nd Fighter Wing[note 1]
Active 1952; 1952–1957; 1981–present
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Type Wing
Role Fighter
Size 1,600 personnel
Part of   Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida
Decorations Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
482nd Fighter52 Wing emblem (approved 1989)[1]
Tail code FM
Aircraft flown
Fighter F-16C Fighting Falcon

The 482nd Fighter Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. If mobilized, the Wing is gained by the Air Combat Command.

The wing maintains and operates Homestead Air Reserve Base, located near the southern end of the Florida peninsula, about 25 miles south of Miami. It is a combat unit which provides General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft, along with mission ready pilots and support personnel, for short-notice worldwide deployment. The wing has approximately 1,600 members, including more than 1,200 reservists, of which 260 are full-time reservists, in addition to 325 full-time civilians.[2]

In addition to its flying mission, the 482d also provides the United States Department of Defense with an air base, with ready access to a strategic staging location on the rim of the Caribbean Basin. Contingency and training operations for both the United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command can be mounted from Homestead.

Units

All the wing's units are stationed at Homestead ARB, except for the 414th Fighter Group and its subordinate units.

307th Fighter Squadron (F-15E Strike Eagle)
414th Maintenance Squadron
93rd Fighter Squadron
482nd Operations Support Squadron
482nd Civil Engineering Squadron
482nd Communications Squadron
482nd Contracting Squadron
482nd Logistics Readiness Squadron
482nd Mission Support Squadron
482nd Security Forces Squadron
482nd Services Squadron
482nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
482nd Maintenance Operations Squadron
482nd Maintenance Squadron

History

For related history and lineage, see 482nd Operations Group

Troop carrier operations

The wing was first activated in the reserves with Curtiss C-46 Commandos in June 1952 at Miami International Airport, Florida. The wing replaced the 906th Reserve Training Wing when reserve flying operations resumed under the supervision of the 2585th Air Force Reserve Training Center following the mobilization of the 435th Troop Carrier Wing for the Korean War. In December, the 435th was released from active duty and assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 482d, which was inactivated.[3]

Fighter operations in the 1950s

In the early 1950s, the Air Force determined that all reserve units be designed to augment the regular forces in the event of a national emergency. Six reserve pilot training wings had no mobilization mission. On 18 May 1955, they were discontinued and replaced by three troop carrier wings and two fighter-bomber wings.[4] In this reorganization, the 94th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia moved on paper to Scott Air Force Base to replace the 8711th Pilot Training Wing.[5][6] The 482d, now designated the 482d Fighter-Bomber Wing took over the 94th's personnel and equipment at Dobbins as one of the new reserve fighter units.[7]

The wing began training for the fighter mission, initially using Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star fighters, plus North American T-28 Trojan and Lockheed T-33 T-Bird trainers that it inherited from the 94th Wing.[5] Later that year, it began to equip with the Republic F-84 Thunderjet.[7] Despite its fighter bomber designation, the wing was gained by Air Defense Command (ADC) upon mobilization. ADC required the wing's squadrons to be designed to augment active duty squadrons capable of performing air defense missions for an indefinite period after mobilization independently of their parent wing.[8]

In 1957, the wing began to replace its Thunderjets with North American F-86 Sabres. However, The Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift. At the same time, about 150 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in November 1956 the Air Force directed Continental Air Command to convert three reserve fighter bomber wings to troop carrier units in 1957.[9] Sabre training ended, and instead C-119s arrived in October 1957. In November the wing was inactivated and its troop carrier assets were transferred to the 445th Troop Carrier Wing.[1][10]

Fighter operations resume

The wing was reactivated in Florida and replaced the 915th Tactical Fighter Group in April 1981. The new base was Homestead Air Force Base, located near the southern end of the Florida peninsula, about 25 miles south of Miami. The wing controlled two McDonnell F-4 Phantom II-equipped tactical fighter groups at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas (1981–1982) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (1982–1994). Following massive damage caused to Homestead Air Force Base by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, the wing's flying operations were conducted from Wright-Patterson from September to December 1992 and from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, from February 1993 until March 1994.[1]

The 482d became host wing at the now renamed Homestead Air Reserve Base on 1 April 1994 and provided weapons training support for Air Force units beginning in October 1994. From 1997, the 482d periodically deployed personnel and aircraft to Turkey to help enforce Operation Northern Watch, the no-fly zone over Northern Iraq.[1]

Lineage

Activated in the reserve on 14 June 1952
Inactivated on 1 December 1952
Activated in the reserve on 18 May 1955
Inactivated on 16 November 1957
Activated in the reserve on 1 April 1981
Redesignated 482nd Fighter Wing on 1 February 1992[1]

Assignments

Components

Groups

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas

Squadrons

Stations

Aircraft

  • Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1952
  • Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, 1955
  • Republic F-84 Thunderjet, 1955–1957
  • North American T-28 Trojan, 1955–1957
  • Lockheed T-33 T-Bird, 1955–1957
  • North American F-86 Sabre, 1957
  • Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957
  • McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, 1981–1989
  • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1989–present[1]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Aircraft is General Dynamics F-16C Block 30H Fighting Falcon serial 87-290.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Endicott, Judy G. (December 28, 2007). "Factsheet 482 Fighter Wing (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Homestead Air Reserve Base Units: 482nd Fighter Wing". 482d Fighter Wing Public Affairs. October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ Ravenstein, pp. 230-231, 267-268
  4. ↑ Cantwell, p. 146
  5. 1 2 Robertson, Patsy (August 9, 2010). "Factsheet 94 Airlift Wing (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ Mueller, p. 518
  7. 1 2 Ravenstein, pp. 267-268
  8. ↑ Cantwell, p. 148
  9. ↑ Cantwell, p. 168
  10. ↑ Ravenstein, pp. 241-242
  11. ↑ Robertson, Patsy (9 May 2013). "Factsheet 414 Fighter Group (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2013.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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