| 461st Air Control Wing | |
|---|---|
 E-8C Joint STARS 96-42 | |
| Active | 1953–1958, 1963–1968, 2011–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Air Control |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Robins Air Force Base, Georgia |
| Decorations | Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 461st Air Control Wing emblem(approved 3 November 2011)[1] |  |
| 461st Bombardment Wing emblem(approved 5 August 1955)[2] |  |
The 461st Air Control Wing is an air battle managementwing of theUnited States Air Force. It is assigned toAir Combat Command'sFifteenth Air Force, and is stationed atRobins Air Force Base, Georgia. It was activated on 1 October 2011.
Until 2023, it was a jointAir Force/Army unit flying theE-8 J-STARS aircraft. Originally activated as a bomber wing byTactical Air Command (TAC) in the 1950s, it flewDouglas B-26 Invaders while waiting for delivery of itsMartin B-57 Canberras. It was inactivated in 1958, when TAC transferredBlytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas toStrategic Air Command (SAC). The wing was organized as a strategic wing by SAC atAmarillo Air Force Base, Texas in 1963. The wing flewBoeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy strategicbombers andBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker heavyair refueling aircraft. It deployed aircraft and crews toAndersen Air Force Base, Guam for combat operations in Southeast Asia. The wing was inactivated in March 1968 with the retirement of older model B-52s and the impending closure of Amarillo.
Prompted by experience in theKorean War, the Air Force decided to increase itsair support andair interdiction capabilities to support ground forces. As part of this increase, it organized the461st Bombardment Wing atHill Air Force Base, Utah, in December 1953. The wing was intended to be aMartin B-57 Canberra unit, but these aircraft were not available, so it was initially equipped withDouglas B-26 Invaders.[2] Officercadre for the squadron was drawn from4th Tow Target Squadron atGeorge Air Force Base, California. Facilities at Hill required development and combat readiness training did not begin until July 1954.[3]
The wing trained inlight bomber operations and participated in exercises, including simulated deployments. On 5 January 1955 the wing received its first B-57B,[4] and was fully equipped by the end of the year. However, Hill's parking and hangar space was inadequate for the B-57s and even as they began to arrive, the unit anticipated a move toBlytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas, which was being developed by theCorps of Engineers for reopening in 1955.[5][6] The wing's first operational squadron moved from Hill to Blytheville in October 1955. Its last squadron was in place on 1 March 1956, and it was joined by wingheadquarters and support units in April.[2][7]
The conversion to the Canberra brought a number of changes. The new aircraft was subject to several periods of grounding (the wing suffered four major accidents while converting to the Canberra), and faced shortfalls in the number of aircrew available. The wing's mission also underwent changes, with the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons taking priority over conventional weapons delivery, although conventional weapons remained as a secondary mission.[8] The wing's operational squadrons and group inactivated in January 1958 asTactical Air Command, under budget pressures, prepared to transfer Blytheville toStrategic Air Command (SAC). Wing headquarters and support elements inactivated on 1 April 1958, turning the base over to SAC's 4229th Air Base Squadron.[2][7]
On 5 January 1959, SAC established the 4128th Strategic Wing atAmarillo Air Force Base, Texas and assigned it to the47th Air Division[9] as part of SAC's plan to disperse itsBoeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for theSoviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing initially comprised three maintenance squadrons and a squadron to provide security for special weapons. On 1 July, the 58th Aviation Depot Squadron was activated to oversee the wing's special weapons and the wing was transferred to the810th Air Division.[10]
The wing became operational on 1 February 1960 when the718th Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15 B-52s moved to Amarillo fromEllsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota where it had been one of the three squadrons of the28th Bombardment Wing.[11][12] One third of the wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minutealert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat.[13] In 1962, this was increased to half the wing's aircraft.[14] The 4128th (and later the 461st) continued to maintain an alert commitment until inactivated, except for periods when the wing's aircraft were deployed. On 1 July 1962 the 4128th Wing was reassigned to the22d Air Division.[15]
Soon after detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, On 20 October 1962, the 4128th Wing was directed to put two additional bombers on alert.[16] Two days later 1/8 of SAC's B-52s were placed on airborne alert.[17] On 24 October SAC went toDEFCON 2, placing all its combat aircraft on alert.[18] On 21 November tensions from theCuban Missile Crisis had eased, and SAC returned to normal airborne alert posture.[19] Meanshile, because SAC Strategic Wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage[20] SAC looked for a way to make its Strategic Wings permanent.
In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustriousWorld War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue itsMajor Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time, but which could carry a lineage and history.[20] As a result, the 4128th was replaced by the reactivated461st Bombardment Wing, Heavy, which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment on 1 February 1963.[2][note 2]
In the same way the764th Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's World War II historical bomb squadrons, replaced the 718th Bombardment Squadron. Under the Dual Deputate organization,[note 3] all flying and maintenance squadrons were directly assigned to the wing, so no operational group element was activated. The 58th Munitions Maintenance Squadron was reassigned to the 461st, while The 4128th's other maintenance and security squadrons were replaced by ones with the 461st numerical designation of the new wing. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor.
In April 1963, the wing gained an air refueling capability for its bombers when the909th Air Refueling Squadron was activated with KC-135 tankers. The 909th remained with the wing until June 1966, when it moved toMarch Air Force Base, California and was reassigned.[21] The wing trained with B-52s, maintained heavy bombardment proficiency and participated in numerous operational readiness inspections andmilitary exercises.[2]
In January 1967, the wing deployed its aircraft and crews toAnderson Air Force Base, Guam, where they carried out missions in Southeast Asia as part of a provisional bombardment wing participating inOperation Arc Light. The wing's planes and personnel returned to Amarillo in July, where they returned to nuclear alert.[2] However, "[i]n December 1965, a few months after the first B-52Bs started leaving the operational inventory,Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense [announced] another phaseout program that would further reduce SAC's bomber force. Basically, this program called for the mid-1971 retirement of all B-52Cs and of several subsequent B-52 models."[22] In addition, in January 1968, announcement was made that Amarillo would close at the end of the year.[23] The wing's last operational B-52 was transferred to another unit on 21 January 1968, and the wing inactivated on 25 March.[2]
The116th Air Control Wing of theGeorgia Air National Guard operated as a compositeE-8 Joint STARS ground surveillance and battle management unit, with both Guardsmen and regulars assigned to the same unit. Joint STARS detected, located, classified, tracked and targeted ground movements on the battlefield, communicating real-time information through secure data links. But the composite Guard/regular arrangement proved to be problematic in areas such asmilitary justice jurisdiction, and in other areas. The Air Force separated the regular and guard units in 2011. The wing was redesignated as the461st Air Control Wing and activated in October 2011[1] when the regular Air Force assumed associate responsibility to the 116th Air Control Wing for the JSTARS mission.
Until the aircraft was retired in 2023, the 461st Air Control Wing was the only active duty Air Forcewing operating the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS).
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 October 2011–31 March 2012 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
| Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 April 2012–31 May 2013 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
| Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 June 2014–31 May 2015 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
| Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 June 2015–31 May 2016 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
| Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 June 2016–31 May 2017 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1966-30 June 1967 | 461st Bombardment Wing[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 2013–31 May 2014 | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Global War on Terror Service Medal | 1 October 2011– | 461st Air Control Wing[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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