327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing
B-1 Sustainment Squadron personnel in March 2007
Active	1942–1944, 1955–1966, 2005–2010
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Aircraft Maintenance
Part of	Air Force Materiel Command Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
Mottos	Ne Defecit Animus (Latin for 'Courage Does Not Fail Me') (1942–1958) Intercipere Recognoscere Destuere (Latin for 'Intercept, Identify, Destroy') (1958–1966)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Nelson P. Jackson
Insignia
327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing emblem
Patch with 327th Fighter Group (Air Defense) emblem[a][1]
327th Fighter Group emblem[b][1]

The327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing is an inactivewing of theUnited States Air Force last based atTinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It was last assigned toAir Force Materiel Command'sOklahoma City Air Logistics Center.

Thewing was first activated in 1942 as the327th Fighter Group. It initially flew theCurtiss P-40 Warhawk in theair defense role, but later acted as anoperational and replacement training unit onRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts until it was disbanded in a major 1944 reorganization of theArmy Air Forces.

In 1955, as part ofAir Defense Command's Project Arrow, which was aimed at reviving fighter units that had served duringWorld War II, the group was reactivated atPaine Field, where it replaced the520th Air Defense Group. It provided air defense for the Pacific northwest withNorth American F-86 Sabres andConvair F-102 Delta Daggers until it was inactivated in 1966.

The group was upgraded to wing size in 2005 and activated atTinker Air Force Base whenAir Force Materiel Command (AFMC) replaced its traditional directorate organizations with wings, groups and squadrons. It controlled logistic support systems for various large aircraft until 2010, when it was inactivated as AFMC returned to its previous organizational structure.

The327th Fighter Group was activated atMitchel Field, New York flyingCurtiss P-40 Warhawks and assigned toI Fighter Command in late August 1942 with the323d,^[2]324th,^[3] and325th Fighter Squadrons^[4] assigned. Within a few days of activation, the group moved toPhiladelphia Airport, and the following month toRichmond Army Air Base, Virginia. The group was part of theair defense force in the Mid-Atlantic region, and also served as anOperational Training Unit (OTU).^[1] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to providecadres to "satellite groups."^[5]

In February 1943, the 327th replaced its Warhawks withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts and added a fourth squadron, the443d Fighter Squadron, to the group.^[1][6] In 1944 the group became aReplacement Training Unit (RTU) training replacement Thunderbolt pilots for combat duty.^[1] As an RTU, the group split, with group headquarters and the 323d and 324th Squadrons remaining at Richmond, while the 325th and 443d Squadrons moved toNorfolk Army Air Field, Virginia.^[4][6][c] However, theArmy Air Forces was finding that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each of its bases was organized into a separate numbered unit. In the general reorganization, the group was disbanded on 10 April 1944^[1] and replaced by Army Air Forces Base Units at Richmond and Norfolk as part of a major reorganization of theArmy Air Forces.^[7]

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and activated in 1955 to replace the520th Air Defense Group^[8] as part ofAir Defense Command's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.^[9] It assumed the personnel and equipment of the 520th, while the 520th's operational squadrons, the432d^[10] and456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons^[11] transferred their personnel and rocket armed and radar equippedNorth American F-86D Sabres^[12] to the 323d and 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, which moved on paper to Truax fromLarson Air Force Base, Washington^[2] andHamilton Air Force Base, California^[4] respectively. These moves were made because another purpose of Project Arrow was to reunite fighter squadrons with their traditional groups.^[9] The group was assigned air defense ofGreat Lakes area and also was the host organization for USAF units at Truax. It was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfill its host responsibilities.^[13][14][15]

The group's 323d Squadron converted toConvair F-102A Delta Daggers in November 1956, while the 325th Squadron followed in February 1957.^[12] In October 1957, the61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was assigned to the group and moved to Truax Field fromErnest Harmon Air Force Base, Canada, where it had been part of the4731st Air Defense Group,^[16] in a swap with the 323d, which replaced the 61st at Ernest Harmon.^[2] The group was reduced to a single operational squadron in 1960, when the 61st inactivated.^[16]

On 22 October 1962, at the beginning of theCuban Missile Crisis, whenPresident Kennedy announced the presence of Sovietintermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba.Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) directed the dispersal ofinterceptors within the United States. The group sent one third of its aircraft toGrand Island Airport, Nebraska. All group aircraft, including those at home and those at Grand Island were armed and placed on fifteen-minutealert status. The increased alert posture was maintained through mid-November, when CONAD returned units to their normal alert status, except for those under the control of its 32d Region, which controlled air defense in the Southeastern United States.^[17][18]

Although the number of ADC interceptor squadrons remained almost constant in the early 1960s, attrition (and the fact that production lines closed in 1961) caused a gradual drop in the number of planes assigned to a squadron, from 24 to typically 18 by 1964. The force reduction continued, finally resulting in a reduction in the number of interceptor units, and the group was inactivated in the spring of 1966.^[19][20]

The group was redesignated the327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing and activated in 2005 as part of theAir Force Materiel Command Transformation initiative that replaced traditional staff offices in the command's centers with wings, groups, and squadrons. The wing organized, directed and controlled total life-cycle management of 94Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 585Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and C-135s, 69Rockwell B-1 Lancers and 416 contractor logistics (including tanker, trainer, telemetry, airlift, command & control and US Presidential aircraft) aircraft.^[21] Other supported systems included theNorthrop Grumman B-2 Spirit,Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (TRACALS), and the worldwideHigh Frequency Global Communications System.^[21] The wing was also responsible for modification and upgrades to these systems.^[21] It was inactivated in 2010 and replaced by the Aerospace Sustainment Directorate ofOklahoma City Air Logistics Center when Materiel Command returned to its traditional organizational structure.^[22]

• Constituted as the327th Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 24 June 1942

Activated on 19 August 1942

Disbanded on 10 April 1944

• Reconstituted and redesignated327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), on 20 June 1955

Activated on 18 August 1955^[23]

Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1966^[19]

• Redesignated327th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985^[24]
• Redesignated327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing on 31 January 2005^[25]

Activated on 18 February 2005^[25]

Inactivated on 30 June 2010^[26]

• I Fighter Command, 18 August 1942 – 1943 (attached toPhiladelphia Air Defense Wing, 27 August 1942 – 22 September 1942)^[1]
• Philadelphia Air Defense Wing, 1943^[27]
• I Fighter Command, 1943 – 10 April 1944^[1]
• 4706th Air Defense Wing, 18 August 1955^[19]
• 37th Air Division, 8 July 1956^[19]
• 30th Air Division, 1 April 1959^[19]
• Chicago Air Defense Sector, 1 June 1959^[19]
• 20th Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 25 June 1966^[19]
• Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, 18 February 2005 – 30 June 2010^[25][26]

• Mitchel Field, New York, 25 August 1942
• Philadelphia Airport, Pennsylvania, 27 August 1942
• Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia,ca. 22 September 1942 – 10 April 1944^[28]
• Truax Field, Wisconsin, 18 August 1955 – 25 June 1966^[19]
• Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 18 February 2005 – 30 June 2010^[25][26]

Service Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	American Theater without inscription	25 August 1942 – 10 April 1944	327th Fighter Group[1]

• List of inactive AFCON wings of the United States Air Force
• List of Sabre and Fury units in the US military

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air
• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980).A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980(PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved15 June 2012. Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956
• Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955).The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.LCCN 48003657.OCLC 704158.

Goss, William A (1955). "The Organization & its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.).The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.LCCN 48-3657.

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961].Air Force Combat Units of World War II(PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN 0-912799-02-1.LCCN 61060979. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 20 December 2016.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969].Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II(PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN 0-405-12194-6.LCCN 70605402.OCLC 72556. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 20 December 2016.
• McMullen, Richard F. (1964)The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962–1964, ADC Historical Study No. 27 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000)
• NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996)

• Tinker AFB Home Page
• Tinker Take Off July 23 – July 27, 2010: Article, 327th ASW holds inactivation ceremony. Retrieved 15 June 2012

• Sustainment wings of the United States Air Force
• 1942 establishments in the United States

• Use dmy dates from November 2019
• Articles containing Latin-language text
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
• CS1: long volume value