The wing was first organized as the4750th Training Wing atYuma County Airport in 1953, when ADC's gunnery training program expanded from asquadron sized unit to awing. The wing conductedinterceptor aircraft training for ADC at Yuma (later Vincent Air Force Base) until moving to MacDill in 1959. Shortly afterward, the wing was discontinued and the ADC training program transferred to another wing.
Thewing was established at Yuma County Airport in September 1953 as the4750th Training Wing (Air Defense) when the Air Defense Commandfighter gunnery training program there expanded.[1] The gunnery program had been established at Yuma when the4750th Air Base Squadron (Gunnery Training) was organized in 1951.[2] Thesquadron had expanded togroup strength in 1952 and was assigned to the wing when the wing was organized[2] The wing specialized in air-to-air weapons training and testing for Air Defense Command. The wing also acted as the USAF Host organization for Vincent Air Force Base.[3]
After 1953, gunnery training at Yuma ended and the base concentrated onair-to-air rocketry, as it developed tactics to be employed in air-to-air rocket firing.[4] The 4750th conducted a project on night rocket firing in 1955.[5] The wing also participated in Exercise Checkpoint, a joint exercise withStrategic Air Command (SAC) in which wing aircraft attempted to intercept and "destroy" SAC bombers simulating an attack on the southwestern United States.[6] In February 1955, the wing was assigned a second group, the4756th Air Defense Group, which was stationed across the country atMoody Air Force Base, Georgia.[2] Rocketry training forNorthrop F-89 Scorpions andLockheed F-94 Starfires moved to Moody, while that forNorth American F-86D Sabres remained at Yuma.[6]
Winners of the 1956 ADC gunnery meet
Beginning in 1955, the wing hosted the interceptor phase of the worldwide fighter aircraft gunnery and weapons meet (later called William Tell), which was designed to provide information to evaluatecombat readiness, tactical capabilities of aircraft and weapons and effectiveness ofinterceptor techniques.[7] The meet moved toTyndall Air Force Base, Florida in 1958.[6]
In 1958, the wing conducted research testing for the use of special weapons by fighter aircraft.[8] The wing moved from Arizona to Florida in 1959[1] and was discontinued a year later, with most of its functions being assumed by the4756th Air Defense Wing.
Designated as the4750th Air Base Squadron (Gunnery Training), organized at Yuma County Airport, and assigned to the1st Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 7 June 1951
Redesignated as the4750th Air Base Group (Weapons Training) on 2 June 1952 and reassigned to Western Air Defense Force
Redesignated as the4750th Training Group (Air Defense) on 16 February 1953
Redesignated as the4750th Air Base Group and reassigned to the 4750th Training Wing on 1 September 1953
Redesignated as the4750th Air Defense Group (Weapons) on 1 September 1954
^abcDavis, Larry; Isham, Martin (Fall 1999)."Yuma". F-86 Sabre Pilots Association. Archived from the original on 13 July 2004. Retrieved2 January 2014.
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency