10th Aerospace Defense Group | |
|---|---|
 WS 437Thor missile atVandenberg AFB | |
| Active | Squadron: 1962–1967; 1970–1979; 1992–1997 Group: 1967–1970 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Air Defense |
| Part of | Aerospace Defense Command 1962–1979 Pacific Air Forces 1992–1997 |
| Motto | Caveat AggressorLatin Aggressor Beware (1963–1967) Island Defender (1992–1997) |
| Equipment | PGM-17 Thor |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 10 Air Defense Squadron emblem |  |
| 10th Aerospace Defense Group emblem |  |
| 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron emblem[note 1] |  |
The10th Aerospace Defense Group was inactivated on 31 December 1970 by theUnited States Air Force (USAF). Its last assignment was withFourteenth Aerospace Force atVandenberg Air Force Base, California. The 10th Aerospace Defense Group and Squadron were the sole operators of the United States' secondnuclear-tippedanti-satellite weapon,Weapons System 437 (WS-437). For this reason the squadron continues the group history through temporary bestowal.
TheUnited States Air Force's 10th Air Defense Squadron is also an inactive USAF organization, that preceded and followed the 10th group at Vandenberg as the10th Aerospace Defense Squadron. Once WS-437 became non-operational in the 1970s, the squadron assumed the mission of launchingDefense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites into orbit until its mission was transferred. It was later activated an air defense unit and from 1992 to 1997 was located atWheeler AFS, Hawaii.
The 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron was activated in late 1963[1] to operateWeapons System 437, using nuclear equippedThor missiles. The squadron was located atVandenberg Air Force Base, California, but launch facilities were atJohnston Island Air Force Base. Two missiles were stationed at each location.
In 1961,Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) had formed the 6595th Test Squadron to perform operational testing on the system. As the program approached operational status, AFSC transferred the 6595th toAir Defense Command (ADC)[note 2] in November 1962. ADC discontinued the testsquadron and used its personnel and equipment to activate the 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron[2] Thegroup replaced the squadron in 1967.[3] The Johnston Island location was upgraded to a subordinate squadron at the same time.[4]
At the end of 1970, the 10th Squadron replaced thegroup and the 24th Aerospace Defense Squadron. WS 437 was put into standby status with the squadron maintaining system components. The squadron then changed its mission to support of theDefense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).[5][6] The DMSP mission was performed byStrategic Air Command until it was transferred to ADC in 1970.[7]
The DMSP generates terrestrial and space weather data for United States operational forces worldwide. Data from this program is also furnished to the civilian community through the Department of Commerce. DMSP satellites circle the Earth at an altitude of about 500 miles in a near-polar,Sun-synchronous orbit.[8] The Block 5 DMSP satellites launched during the time the squadron was active used Thor launchers (similar to those used by WS 437) to boost them into orbit.[9] In 1979, the squadron was inactivated when responsibility for management of the DMSP program was transferred toSpace Division of AFSC.[7] Unfortunately, the squadron remained responsible for operational DMSP launches, "the [AFSC] program office authorized launch of the last Block 5C satellite on 19 February 1976 with incorrect weight-to-propellant-loading calculations. Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Thor/Burner II booster rose majestically through the atmosphere, reached the edge of space, exhausted its propellant, and the DMSP satellite whistled back to Earth—a total loss."[10]
In 1992, the 10th squadron was again activated as the 10th Air Defense Squadron, replacing the 6010th Aerospace Defense Group atWheeler Air Force Base when the USAF eliminated or redesignated all existing MAJCON (major command controlled) four digit units. The 6010th had been formed by upgrading the 6010th Aerospace Defense Flight in 1989 when the327th Air Division was inactivated.[11][12]
The squadron coordinatedair defense activities in Hawaii with theHawaii Air National Guard and maintained operational control ofAir National Guard alert aircraft. The squadron supervised aircraft control and warning units within the Pacific Islands Defense Region, directing aircraft operations and defense activities from its Air Defense Control Center.[13] The squadron continued these activities until it was inactivated in 1997.
10th Aerospace Defense Group
10th Air Defense Squadron
10th Aerospace Defense Group
10th Air Defense Squadron
10th Aerospace Defense Group
10th Aerospace Group
10th Air Defense Squadron
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 15 November 1963 – 15 April 1966 | 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron[15] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1966 – 1 January 1967 | 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron[15] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 2 January 1967 – 1 July 1968 | 10th Aerospace Defense Group[15] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 13 April 1992 – 30 June 1993 | 10th Air Defense Squadron[16] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1996 – 30 September 1997 | 10th Air Defense Squadron[16] |
Explanatory notes
Footnotes
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
 Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) | ||
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