 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "509th Bomb Wing" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 509th Bomb Wing | |
|---|---|
.png) 509th Bombardment Wing emblem, approved 10 July 1952.[1] | |
| Active | 1947–1948; 1948–present (78 years) |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of |  Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Whiteman Air Force Base |
| Motto | Defensor Vindex (Latin for: Defender Avenger) |
| Tail code | WM |
| Engagements |  Kosovo War[2] |
| Decorations |  Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Josh Wiitala[5] |
| Vice Commander | Colonel Timothy Griffith[3] |
| Command Chief | Chief Master Sergeant Olatokunbo O. Olopade[4] |
| Notable commanders | Paul Tibbets John A. Dramesi John Dale Ryan Gregory A. Biscone |
| Insignia | |
| 509th Bomb Wing emblem[2] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | KB-29MB-47EB-52DFB-111AKC-135RB-2A |
| Trainer | T-38C |
The509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) is aUnited States Air Force unit assigned to theAir Force Global Strike Command,Eighth Air Force. It is stationed atWhiteman Air Force Base,Missouri.[6]
The 509 BW is the host unit at Whiteman, and operates theB-2 Spiritstealthbomber. The wing can launch combat sorties directly from Missouri to any spot on the globe, engaging adversaries with large payloads of traditional or precision-guided munitions.[6]
The wing's509th Operations Group can trace its heritage back to the509th Composite Group, when duringWW2, two of itsB-29 Superfortress bombers dropped the two atomic bombs that helped end thewar in the Pacific theatre.[6]
The 509th BW led the way North America's first military response following theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001. Its B-2 bombers were the first U.S. aircraft to enterAfghan airspace in October 2001, paving the way for other coalition aircraft to engageTaliban andAl Qaeda forces. During this operation, the aircraft flew roundtrip from Missouri, logging combat missions in excess of 40 hours—the longest on record.[7]
The wing's509th Operations Group is a direct descendant organization of theWorld War II509th Composite Group (509th CG). The 509th CG had a single mission: to drop theatomic bomb. The group made history on 6 August 1945, when theBoeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay," piloted by Col.Paul W. Tibbets Jr., droppedthe first atomic bomb onHiroshima,Japan. The B-29 "Bockscar," piloted by Maj.Charles Sweeney, flew over the Japanese mainland on 9 August 1945 and droppedthe second atomic bomb onNagasaki.[6]
The wing was established as509th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 3 November 1947 and organized on 17 November 1947.[6] The initial mission of the 509th Bomb Wing was to carry out strategic bombing missions using Atomic Bombs at the discretion of thePresident of the United States.
The wing's mission expanded in July 1948 when it received the509th Air Refueling Squadron and its KB-29M hose-type tankers and later with B/KB–29P boom–type tankers. Although aerial refueling had been accomplished as far back as the 1920s, the Air Force decided to make it a permanent part of its operations. In fact, the 509th AREFS was one of the first two AREFSs ever activated. In the first week of December 1948, the squadron began receiving the KB-29M, modified B-29 bombers capable of providing air-to-air refueling for bombers using a refueling hose [vs. today's USAF standard flying boom]. With the addition of tankers, the 509th's bombers could reach nearly any point on earth. In June 1950, the wing received theB-50D Superfortress and in January 1954, theKC-97 Stratofreighter replaced the aging KB-29Ms.[6]
The 509th BW entered the jet age in June 1955 when it received theB-47E Stratojet, the first all-jet bomber. Deployed as a wing several times in the early 1950s, three times to England onOperation Reflex deployments and once toGuam, the wing also deployed individual squadrons at other times. Temporarily had no refueling unit during 1958. The 509th BW moved its personnel and equipment toPease Air Force Base, New Hampshire in August 1958.[6] By 1961, it was believed that the B-47 was becoming obsolete, and President John F. Kennedy directed that the phaseout of the B-47 be accelerated. However this was delayed in July by the onset of theBerlin Crisis of 1961. At Pease, the wing continued to function as an integral part ofStrategic Air Command (SAC). By 1965, its B-47s were scheduled for retirement. Unfortunately, this retirement also included the 509th. Fate intervened, however, as SAC decided to keep the 509th alive and re-equip it.[6]
The 509th was initially phased down for inactivation in late 1965 as a part of the retirement of the B-47, but instead was converted to useB-52D Stratofortresses andKC-135 Stratotankers in March 1966. The 509th was taken off nuclear alert as its B-52Ds were designed to carry a large number of conventional bombs (84500-lb Mk 82 or 42750 lb M-117s) for service in theVietnam War as part ofOperation Arc Light. The wing deployed KC-135 aircraft and crews, November 1966– December 1975; with B–52 aircraft and crews, November 1966– September 1969, and with B–52 crews, 1970. From 1 April to 1 October 1968 and 26 March to c. 21 March 1968, more than one-half of the wing was deployed toAndersen AFB,Guam to support SAC operations inSoutheast Asia.[2]
On 1 December 1969 was wing redesignated as the 509th Bombardment Wing, Medium and began receiving theFB-111A strategic bomber in December 1970.[6] The FB-111A was the all-weather strategic bombing version of theTactical Air Command F-111 which was equipped to carry theAGM-69 SRAM that carried a nuclear warhead with an explosive yield of 200 kilotons. The 509th would operate the aircraft for two decades. Won the SAC Bombing and Navigation competition and the Fairchild trophy in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1983. Awarded the Sanders trophy for best air refueling unit in 1982.[2]
Over the next two decades, little changed for the 509th BW as it became SAC's fighter-bomber experts. However, a1988 decision by theDepartment of Defense to close Pease created major changes for the famous 509th. Headquarters SAC decreed that the 509th would not inactivate but would transfer toWhiteman Air Force Base to become the first B-2 stealth bomber unit. As such, the wing moved to Whiteman on 30 September 1990, without people or equipment.[6]
As the Rockwell B-1B Lancer came into service, the FB-111 became redundant to SAC needs. In 1988, Pease was identified as one of several Air Force installations to be closed by 1991 as part of aBase Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommendation. The 509th's FB-111s were transferred from SAC to TAC between June and December 1990, being re-designated as the F-111G and converted into a tactical bomber.
In 1988, CongressmanIke Skelton (D-MO) announced the B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber would be based atWhiteman AFB,Missouri. It was also announced that the 509th Bombardment Wing would become the USAF's first B-2 Spirit active-duty wing. Military personnel began leaving Pease in June 1990, and on 30 September 1990, the 509th was inactivated at Pease and activated atWhiteman Air Force Base as a non-operational unit the same day without aircraft, personnel or equipment. With the reassignment the unit was redesignated as the509th Bombardment Wing, Heavy. On 1 June 1992, the Air Force disestablished theStrategic Air Command (SAC), transferring all bomber aircraft to the newly establishedAir Combat Command (ACC). The 509th was redesignated the509th Bomb Wing on 1 September 1991, and became part of the newAir Combat Command on 1 June 1992.[2]
In 1993, after two years of non-operational status, the 509th became operational again. On 1 March 1993, the wing activated the509th Operations Group as part of the 509th Bomb Wing's reorganization under the USAF Objective Wing plan. All flying squadrons, as well as an Operational Support Squadron (OSS) were assigned to the 509th OG. The wing grew larger on 1 July 1993, when it accepted host responsibilities for Whiteman from the 351st Missile Wing. Its 509th OG received the first operationalB-2 Spiritstealth bomber on 17 December 1993 (the date was the 49th anniversary of the activation of the 509th Composite Group and the 90th of the Wright brothers' flight).[6]
Since its arrival at Whiteman, the 509th underwent inspections, tests, and other challenges to insure it was ready to return as an integral part of the nation's defensive coalition. With the B-2, the wing can bring massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses. The wing has deployed elements into combat over the skies ofSerbia as part ofOperation Allied Force in 1999;Afghanistan in 2001 as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom, in 2003 overIraq duringOperation Iraqi Freedom, and in 2011 overLibya duringOperation Odyssey Dawn.[8]
The wing began to continuously deploy to Andersen AFB, Guam, in February 2005. This deployment provides a continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific region and augmented Pacific Command's establishment of a deterrent force.[9]
On 1 February 2010, the 509th Bomb Wing became part of the Air Force's newest command, Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).[6]
On June 5, 2015,Paul W. Tibbets IV, grandson of the World War II nuclear pilot, assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing.[10]
On 16 March 2006, the Air Force announced that elements of the131st Fighter Wing,Missouri Air National Guard (MOANG), would become an associate unit assigned to the 509th BW.[11] The 131st Fighter Wing transitioned from flying and maintaining the F-15C Eagle fighter to the B-2 Spirit bomber. The final flight of the F-15C Eagle by the 131st occurred in June 2009 from St. Louis's Lambert International Airport. The unit was redesignated as the 131st Bomb Wing on 1 October 2008.
The 509th and the 131st joined forces according to what is known as a "classic associate wing" structure. The active-duty wing, the 509th retains full "ownership" of the operational assets; aircraft, maintenance facilities, etc. Each wing has its own chain-of-command and organizational structure, but the members of each unit perform their duties in a fully integrated manner. Translation, active-duty and ANG pilots and maintainers fly B-2 missions and sustain the aircraft as though it were one unit.[12]
Or, in base a label Gules of three, surmounted by an atomic cloud Proper, between a pair of wings Azure; all with a diminished bordure of the first. Attached below the shield a White scroll edged with a narrow Yellow border and inscribed "DEFENSOR VINDEX" (Latin for "Champion Defender") in Blue letters.
The 509th Bombardment Wing's emblem is rich in tradition. Each symbol on the shield represents some part of the past. The Air Force wings represent the branch of service but are not in the familiar outstretched position. When the ancient Greeks approached a stranger, they raised their arms with palms outward to show they were carrying no weapons – a sign of peace. The 509th obtained special permission to display the wings in this configuration to show that it, too, comes in peace. The atomic cloud burst represents two things: that the 509th is the only unit to ever drop atomic bombs in wartime and that it still uses atomic power as a deterrent to war and defender of peace. Finally, the'eldest son' symbol (the red 'tripod') shows that the wing is the oldest atomic trained military unit in the world.
|
|
Wing
Groups
Squadrons
|
|
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
 Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bases | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Units |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weapon systems |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leadership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
