| 28th Air Division | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1949–1969; 1985–1992 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command ofair defense forces |
| Part of | Tactical Air Command |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 28th Air Division Emblem(Approved 14 May 1966)[2] |  |
The28th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was withAir Defense Tactical Air Command atTinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 29 May 1992.
Established in December 1949, theAir Defense Command 28th Air Division "assumed responsibility for conducting the air defense of an area that embraced California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. It became part of theWestern Air Defense Force in 1950. With no fighter interceptor squadrons directly assigned, the division used interceptors of the78th Fighter Wing, based atHamilton Air Force Base, California, as well asAir National Guard interceptors based within its geographical area."[2]
"By November 1954 its geographical boundaries included northern California, southern Oregon, and parts of Nevada and Utah. The division participated frequently in air defense exercises with U.S. Army artillery, U.S. Navy interceptors, andStrategic Air Command bombers."[2]
"On 15 February 1959, it added theSan Francisco Air Defense Sector to its components, and the geographical area expanded to include California and Arizona, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico."[2]
"The division gained theLos Angeles,Phoenix, andReno Air Defense Sectors and also the552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, whoseLockheed C-121 Constellation AWACS aircraft augmented naval picket ships in providing radar coverage seaward from the west coast of the United States. During 1961, it transitioned to aSemi Automatic Ground Environment system in all four of its sectors. Reorganization in 1963 altered the 28th's boundaries to include the states of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and parts of California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico."[2]
"On 1 April 1966, the 28th was reassigned, in name only, toMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, and replaced theGreat Falls Air Defense Sector. The division's area included Montana and part of North Dakota, and later, parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Assumed additional designation of28th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at theCheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado and reporting was transferred toNORAD from ADC atEnt Air Force Base in April 1966."[2]
The division in the 1960s and 1970s deployed aircraft and personnel from subordinate units in support of theVietnam War.[2] Became part of ADTAC on 1 October 1979 with the inactivation of ADC and the incorporation of the CONUS air defense mission intoTactical Air Command. Beginning in April 1985, the 28th provided theater and Air Force commands with airborne forces for surveillance, warning, command and control, communications, and electronic combat operations. It was the Tactical Air Command single manager for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS),EC-130H Compass Call,EC-130E Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC), andEC-135K Tactical Deployment Control Squadron (TDCS) in support of unified and specified commands.
Inactivated on 29 May 1992 as part of the inactivation ofAir Defense Tactical Air Command, its mission being incorporated into theAir Combat CommandWestern Air Defense Sector.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
