The 4706th Defense Wing was organized at the beginning of 1952 at O'Hare IAP[1] in a major reorganization of ADC responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage.[2] Thewing assumed the operationalsquadrons andair defense mission of the inactivating142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW), an OregonAir National Guard (ANG) wing, which had been federalized and moved to O'Hare in 1951 in the expansion of the USAF for theKorean War.[3] The wing also received the regular USAF62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS). flyingF-86 Sabre aircraft, at O'Hare from the inactivating56th Fighter-Interceptor Group atSelfridge AFB, Michigan and the97th FIS atWright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which had been attached to the 142nd FIW.[4][5] The wing also assumed command of ANG units stationed elsewhere in this reorganization, the113th FIS, flying F-51H Mustangs, atScott AFB, Illinois,[6] and the166th FIS, atLockbourne AFB, Ohio, flyingF-84 Thunderjet aircraft.[7] Thus, the wing'sfightersquadrons defended Illinois, Indiana, southern Wisconsin, western Michigan and western Ohio. Air Base Squadrons were also activated and assigned to the wing to provide support for USAF units stationed atbases where ADC was the host command.
In February 1953 another ADC reorganization activated Air Defense Groups at ADC bases with dispersed fighter squadrons. Thesegroups assumed direct command of the fighter squadrons at their stations, in addition to support squadrons to assist in their role as USAF host organizations at the bases. The501st Air Defense Group (Air Def Gp), activated at O'Hare IAP, the520th Air Defense Group, atTruax Field and the534th Air Defense Group at Kinross AFB (laterKincheloe AFB), Michigan.[10] Although the527th Air Defense Group, activated at Oscoda AFB, it was assigned to another wing.[10] Another result of the February 1953 reorganization was that the wing assumed the aircraft detection, control and warning mission, with six squadrons in four states being assigned to the wing.[11][12][13]
In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units that had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[14] As a result of Project Arrow, the 501st Air Def Gp was replaced by the56th Fighter Group (Air Defense), the 520th Air Def Gp was replaced by the327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and the 534th Air Def Gp was replaced by the507th Fighter Group (Air Defense).[5][15] Because Project Arrow called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters, the 97th FIS was moved to Delaware and its personnel and equipment reassigned to the56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.[16] In early October, the319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flyingF-94 Starfire aircraft[17] was assigned to the wing in anticipation of its return to the United States as the Korean war was ending.[11][18][19]
The 56th FIS and 319th FIS and three of the radar squadrons transferred from the wing to the58th Air Division in March 1956[13][18] The wing was discontinued a few months later and its units assigned to other ADC organizations.[1]
^Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956), p. 6
Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956)
Redmond, Kent C.; Smith, Thomas M. (2000).From Whirlwind to MITRE: The R&D Story of The SAGE Air Defense Computer. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.ISBN978-0-262-18201-0.
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency