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| 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing | |
| Active | 1951–1964; 1986–1989; 2005–2010 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Aeronautical Systems |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Wright-Patterson Air Force Base |
The303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing (303 ASW) was aUnited States Air Force unit assigned to theAir Force Materiel Command Aeronautical Systems Center, 2005–2010. It was stationed atWright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio as a tenant unit.
The wing was the successor organization to theWorld War IIEighth Air Force303rd Bombardment Group. The group was one of the firstVIII Bomber CommandB-17 Flying Fortress units in England. The "Hell's Angels" were the first B-17 group to complete 25 combat missions in June 1943, going on to fly more than 300 combat missions, more than any other group. The 359th BS B-17F 41-24605 "Knock-out Dropper" was the first aircraft in Eighth Air Force to complete 50, then 75 missions.
During theCold War, theStrategic Air Command303rd Bombardment Wing was aBoeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber wing in the 1950s, and in the 1980s became a Tactical Missile Wing assigned to theUnited States Air Forces in Europe.
Trained for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to meet Strategic Air Command's global commitments, equipped with B-29 Superfortresses. Deployed to Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, 5 Oct-6 Nov 1952.
Replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with newB-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1953, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of theSoviet Union. Flew numerous training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet, deploying to Greenham Common RAF Station, England, 17 Mar-28 Apr 1954; Fairford RAF Station, England, 28 Apr-5 Jun 1954; and Anderson AFB, Guam, 4 Jul-4 Oct 1956 and 5 Apr-5 Jul 1958.
In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Began sending its stratojets to AMARC in 1963, the last being retired in 1964. Wing was inactivated on 15 June 1964 after the last B-47 was retired.
Reactivated as aBGM-109G Gryphon Cruise Missile wing in August 1986. Maintained 64 operational missiles in a combat-ready state. Inactivated in January 1989 as a result of the INF treaty and the elimination of the BGM-109G missile from service.
As part of the Aeronautical Systems Center, the 303d designs, develops and delivers dominant aerospace weapon systems and capabilities for U.S. Air Force, other U.S. military, allied and coalition-partner warfighters, in support of Air Force leadership priorities.
Wing responsibilities also included identifying, coordinating, and implementing horizontal integration/capability planning across weapons systems in support of the Global Strike and Global Persistent Attack concept of operations.
The wing was reorganised as a directorate on 1 July 2010.
Group
Squadrons
Detachments: Det, 96th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 4 Jul-c. 4 October 1956.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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