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| 43rd Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
 A 43rd Operations Group C-130 flies over theCape Hatteras lighthouse along the North Carolina coast | |
| Active |
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| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Mottos | Willing, Able, Ready |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withV Device Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | David A. Burchinal Jack J. Catton |
| Insignia | |
| 43rd Airlift Wing emblem[a] |  |
| 43rd Bombardment Wing emblem[b][1] |  |
The43rd Airlift Wing is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit last stationed atPope Army Airfield, part ofFort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope to include mission command & control, aircrew management, aircraft maintenance, aircraft loading, aircraft fueling and supply. Since the wing's inactivation, the43rd Air Mobility Operations Group has carried out airlift, maintenance, and base support at Pope.
The wing provided strategic, enrouteairlift support andLockheed C-130 Hercules tactical airlift support to the Army'sXVIII Airborne Corps and82nd Airborne Division.
Active for over 60 years, the wing was a component wing ofStrategic Air Command's deterrent force throughout theCold War.
On 17 November 1947, the43rd Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy was organized atDavis-Monthan Field, Arizona[1] as part of theUnited States Air Force'swing base reorganization, in which combat groups and all supporting units on a base were assigned to a singlewing.[2] The43rd Bombardment Group, flyingBoeing B-29 Superfortresses became its operational component. When the wing base organization was made permanent in 1948, the wing was redesignated as the43rd Bombardment Wing, Medium on 1 August.[1]
On 20 February 1948, a wingcrew picked up aBoeing B-50 Superfortress at the factory, and the wing became the first in SAC to fly the B-50, with regular deliveries beginning in June. However, due to maintenance and supply problems, the wing did not achieve operational capability until 1949, despite the fact that it was one of the few units in theAir Force that was authorized manning at wartime levels due to its nuclear-bombing mission. These deficiencies were demonstrated in November when the wing deployed four B-50s to Alaska. One of the planes crashed, and, the others were grounded pending the results of the aircraft investigation.[3]
On 2 March 1949, a wing B-50A, theLucky Lady II,[c] commanded by Capt. James Gallagher, completed the first nonstop, around-the-world flight. The flight departed from and ended atCarswell Air Force Base, Texas.Boeing KB-29s of the wing's43rd Air Refueling Squadron refueled theLucky Lady II four times on this mission. The mission received both theMackay Trophy from theNational Aeronautical Association and theVandenberg Trophy from theAir Force Association for this mission.[4][d]
The wing conducted strategic-bombardment training from 1946 to 1960, andair refueling from 1949 to 1960, to meetStrategic Air Command's (SAC) global commitments.
Replaced the propeller-driven B-29s and B-50s with newBoeing B-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1954, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds, primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. The 43rd set a new, jet endurance record in 1954 by keeping a B-47 airborne for 47:35 hours. Flew numerous training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet during the 1950s. In the late 1950s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. The 43rd began reassigning its Stratojets to other wings as replacement aircraft beginning in 1959.
The 43rd Bombardment Wing moved to Carswell Air Force Base without personnel or equipment on 15 April 1960. At Carswell, it was manned and equipped from the 3958th Operational Test and Evaluation Group and the 6592nd Test Squadron ofAir Research and Development Command, which were discontinued.[5]
The wing immediately began training crews on theConvair B-58 Hustler, the world's first supersonic bomber, and, it began participating in Category III testing (operational testing) of the Hustler in August.[5] The 43rd was the first USAF B-58 wing.
Aircraft number 59-2436, the first fully operational Hustler equipped with all tactical systems, was delivered to the 43rd on 15 March. On 23 March a test-unit B-58A (55-0671), remained airborne for 18 hours 10 minutes while averaging an airspeed of 620 mph over 11,000 miles. This was apparently the longest-lasting single flight ever by a B-58 and crewed by Lt Col. Leonard M. Legge, Pilot, Capt. R.R. Wagner, defensive systems operator and Capt. Andrew Rose, navigator[6]. The 43rd received deliveries of new aircraft from Convair throughout the year, the last being in December 1960.
From March 1960 to July 1961, the 43rd operated a combat-crew training school for B-58 aircrews, and, from July 1962 until late 1969 it served as one of two SAC B-58 wings with a strategic-bombardment mission. During the 1960s the wing established world-flight speed records in the B-58, beginning on 12 January 1961, when it set six international speed and payload records on a single flight, five of which were held by the Soviet Union. Three of these records lasted only two days, when they were broken by another 43rd Hustler, which flew over a 1,000 km closed course with a payload of 2,000 kg at an average speed of 1284.73 mph, simultaneously breaking the 1,000 kg and no payload records.[f] The crew on the second flight was awarded theThompson Trophy.[7]
On 29 May 1961, a wing B-58 flew fromNew York toParis in 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 45 seconds, establishing a newtransatlantic speed record of 1,089.36 mph, earning the crew the MacKay Trophy. On 5 March 1962, a wing B-58 flew fromLos Angeles to New York at an average speed of 1,214.65 mph. It flew from Los Angeles to New York and back in 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 15 seconds. This earned the crew another MacKay Trophy and theBendix Trophy.[7]
The wing, which had been prevented from being declared combat-ready by the B-58's teething problems, was finally declared as such in August 1962. In response to theCuban Missile Crisis, the wing was placed on alert in October 1962.
By the mid-1960s, the B-58 had become a fairly effective weapons system. By the end of 1962, USAF crews had made over 10,500 flights and logged 53,000 hours (1150 of them supersonic, including 375 at Mach 2). Initially, all B-58 training was conducted by the 43rd's combat-crew training school. From 1960 through 1964, this unit fulfilled the requirements of both its parent 43rd Bomb Wing and the second B-58 wing, the 305th Bomb Wing. In August 1964, the 305th activated its own CCTS. The wing also controlled an air-refueling squadron from August 1964.
In September 1964, the 43rd Bomb Wing relocated toLittle Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.
The active service life of the B-58 was destined to be rather short. Phaseout of the B-58 fleet was ordered by Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara in December 1965, since it was felt that the high-altitude performance of the B-58 could no longer guarantee success against increasingly sophisticated Soviet air defenses. Although SAC had never been happy with the relatively limited range of the B-58 and felt that the Air Force, through congressional pressure, had forced the B-58 on them, the aircraft had gone through a long gestation period during which many bugs had been wrung out of the system, and it was now thought to be a valuable and effective weapons system. Consequently, SAC pressed the Defense Department for the retention of the B-58, at least until 1974. However, the decision of 1965 was to stand.
Another factor was the B-58's relatively high cost as compared to the B-52 and B-47. The unit cost of the B-58 was 33.5-million dollars as compared to nine-million for the B-52 and three-million for the B-47. In addition, the B-58 was quite costly to maintain. The cost of maintaining and operating two B-58 wings equaled the cost of maintaining six B-52 wings.
The first B-58 to go to the "boneyard" was 59-2446 which flew to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on 5 November 1969. Once underway, the B-58 retirement program moved relatively rapidly. The retirement was completed on 16 January 1970.
Once their B-58s were in storage, the 43rd was temporarily inactivated, but was immediately reactivated with the assets of the3960th Strategic Wing (SW) atAndersen Air Force Base onGuam. The 3960th had been established at Andersen as the3960th Air Base Wing when the base transferred fromPacific Air Forces to SAC on 1 April 1955.[8]
The 3960th supported SACBoeing B-47 Stratojetdeployments to Andersen over the years the wing designation[g] and its mission changed to supporting deployedBoeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft forming the Andersen Task Force, Provisional.[8]
On 1 April 1965 the wing once again was redesignated the 3960th Strategic Wing and its mission changed to support B-52 elements from SAC CONUS-based units engaged in combat operations over Southeast Asia on a daily basis during theVietnam War as the320th Bombardment Wing fromMather Air Force Base California[9] and the454th Bombardment Wing atColumbus Air Force Base, Mississippi[9][10][11]
In 1970, in order to retain the lineage of the 43rd Bomb Wing, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCON 3960th SW and activate a regular AFCON wing which was inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history of the mission at Anderson.
On 1 April 1970, the 3960th was discontinued and replaced by the 43rd Bomb Wing, which became the43rd Strategic Wing. In July, it also assumed resources and mission of the Bombardment Wing, Provisional, 4133rd,[12] which had operational control over B-52s striking targets in Southeast Asia. The 43rd employed attached aircraft and aircrews of other SAC units that were deployed from bases in the United States to participate inOperation Arc Light combat missions inSoutheast Asia from 1 July to mid-August 1970, and again from February 1972 to August 1973.
Following the end of combat operations, the 43rd provided routing training and ground alert with B-52 and KC-135 aircraft, the latter provided by other SAC units on loan. During 1975 the wing provided logistical and medical support to thousands of Vietnameserefugees evacuated from their homeland and located temporarily at Guam awaiting resettlement in the United States.
The wing trained to remain proficient in long-range nuclear bombing andconventional warfare capabilities. Beginning in 1974 it controlledtemporary duty tankers and crews participating in the Pacific (formerly Andersen) Tanker Task Force that supported SAC operations in the westernPacific Ocean. The60th Bombardment Squadron was the wing's primary flying unit during the 1980s. However in July 1986 the65th Strategic Squadron was activated to control the Temporary Duty air refueling aircraft.
Since 1990 the 43rd has been inactivated, redesignated and activated on several occasions. In 1989 Andersen was transferred from Strategic Air Command toPacific Air Forces. The633rd Air Base Wing was activated on 1 October 1989, assuming the personnel and equipment of the 43rd Bombardment Wing, which was inactivated.
The wing was redesignated as the43rd Air Refueling Wing, and activated, on 1 June 1992 atMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana where it conducted refueling operations underAir Combat Command (ACC) before moving toMacDill Air Force Base, Florida when flight operations ended at Malmstrom.
At MacDill it was redesignated as the43rd Air Refueling Group and operated until 1 October 1996 when it was inactivated and replaced by the6th Air Refueling Wing whenAir Mobility Command (AMC) assumed the airrefueling mission from ACC.
It was brought back into active service in 1997 when the unit was redesignated the43rd Airlift Wing on 31 March and activated on 1 April 1997 atPope Air Force Base, North Carolina under AMC.
Crews and aircraft deployed to Europe andSouthwest Asia for expeditionary rotations and contingency operations such as the enforcement ofno-fly zones over Iraq. It also took part inhumanitarian airlift operations and trainingexercises, often withU.S. Armyairborne organizations stationed at nearbyFort Bragg, North Carolina. After terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, elements deployed in support of theGlobal War on Terror.
The2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission mandated the distribution of the assigned 43rd Airlift Wing C-130s and the 23rd Fighter Group A-10s to meet Air Force requirements at other locations; established a Reserve/Active Duty 16 C-130H organization; established a Medical Squadron; established an Air Force Group to provide mission execution, planning, and management of efficient load-out of Fort Bragg assets; and transferred Real Property accountability to the Army at Fort Bragg. The 2005 BRAC Law directed that the mandates be completed no later than 15 September 2011.
The440th Airlift Wing stood up at Pope Air Force Base in June 2007, and the active-duty squadrons (the 2nd Airlift Squadron and the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron) were associated in June 2008. The transfer of the Pope-assigned23rd Fighter Group A-10s was completed in December 2007, and, the 43rd Airlift Wing C-130s was completed in June 2008.
The wing was inactivated on 1 March 2011, and, its 43rd Operations Group redesignated as the43rd Airlift Group.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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