17th Electronic Warfare Squadron | |
|---|---|
 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron Martin EB-57E[a] | |
| Active | 1943–1947; 1974–1979; 2024–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Electronic warfare |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Robins Air Force Base, GA |
| Nickname | Crebain[b] |
| Decorations | Meritorious Unit Commendation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 17th Electronic Warfare Squadron emblem[2] |  |
| 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron emblem[c] |  |
| 17th Tow Target Squadron emblem[d][3] |  |
The17th Electronic Warfare Squadron is an activeUnited States Air Force unit, assigned to the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group atRobins Air Force Base, Georgia, where it was activated on 1 August 2024.
Thesquadron was first activated as the17th Tow Target Squadron duringWorld War II atWheeler Field, Hawaii. It provided gunnery training tofighter aircraft ofSeventh Air Force until being inactivated in 1947 as the United States military reduced in size.
The squadron was again activated underAir Defense Command (ADC) atVincent Air Force Base, Arizona in 1955 as an element of the4750th Air Defense Wing, taking over the equipment and personnel of another unit. It moved with thewing toMacDill Air Force Base, Florida in 1959, where it was inactivated when ADC concentrated its fighter weapons training atTyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
The squadron was activated as the17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron atMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1974, again replacing an existing unit. It tested and calibrated air defenseradars until it was inactivated on 13 July 1979.
The squadron mission is to provide electromagnetic spectrum operations to support combat operations. It develops and applies electromagnetic spectrum operations based criteria to combatant commands through all phases of conflict, which include combat plans development, execution in near real-time, and post-mission analysis. It accomplishes this through the Electronic Warfare Assessment Center (EWAC) atRobins Air Force Base, Georgia. The EWAC is an operations floor that incorporates intelligence and operational mission data from multiple networks to provide electromagnetic spectrum situational awareness from which assessments can be made and passed to the warfighter in near real-time.[2]
Thesquadron was first activated as the17th Tow Target Squadron in December 1943, duringWorld War II atWheeler Field, Hawaii. For most of its time in Hawaii, it was assigned to7th Fighter Wing.[1] The squadron provided gunnery training tofighter aircraft ofSeventh Air Force. It also provided training foranti-aircraft artillery (AAA) units in Hawaii.[4] For its "resourcefulness and efficiency" during the period from September 1944 to March 1945, the squadron was awarded aMeritorious Unit Citation.[1][5]
The squadron operatedCulver PQ-8s andCulver PQ-14 Cadets, each of which could be flown as a crewed aircraft, or as adrone aircraft, controlled by aCessna UC-78 Bobcat mother ship.[e] Cadet missions were primarily flown to train AAA units. Pilots flying drones from the UC-78s were trained and qualified on the drone aircraft they would fly and on flights controlled by the mother ship, a safety pilot would be in the drone. Squadron pilots included members of theWomens Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs.[4]
Although the war against Japan continued, afterV-E Day support and service units at Wheeler, like the 17th, began to experience a continuous loss in personnel.[6] After April 1946, the squadron flew very few missions as it prepared for inactivation.[7] The squadron was inactivated in February 1947 in the post war reduction of the United States military.[1]
In September 1954,Air Defense Command (ADC) organized the 4750th Tow Target Squadron atVincent Air Force Base, Arizona to fly aerial targets for the4750th Air Defense Wing's mission of providing air-to-air gunnery training for pilots ofinterceptor aircraft assigned to ADC. In January 1955, this squadron was discontinued and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 17th, which was activated in its place and assigned to the4750th Air Defense Group.[1][8]
When the 4750th Group was discontinued in 1958, the 17th was reassigned directly to the 4750th Air Defense Wing. It moved with thewing toMacDill Air Force Base, Florida in 1959, where it was inactivated in June 1960,[8] when ADC concentrated its fighter weapons training atTyndall Air Force Base, Florida, where drone aircraft were used forair-to-air rocket training by ADC's more advanced aircraft.
The squadron was redesignated the17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron and activated atMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, where it assumed the radar evaluation mission, equipment andMartin EB-57E Canberra aircraft of the 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron.[1][9] Although the squadron was administratively assigned to the24th Air Division, which was also located at Malmstrom,[10] operational control of the squadron was exercised directly by Aerospace Defense Command.[1]
The 4677th had been organized atHill Air Force Base, Utah on 18 March 1954 as the 4677th Radar Evaluation Flight, when it replaced the 7th Radar Evaluation Squadron, which had been at Hill since January 1953.[9][11][12] It upgraded to a squadron on 8 July 1958 and was redesignated as a defense systems evaluation unit on 1 January 1960, then moved from Hill to Malmstrom on 31 August 1972[9][13] In 1974, ADC decided to replace the 4677th, which was a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) unit, with an Air Force controlled (AFCON) squadron, whose history could be continued if it were inactivated.[f]
The squadron's peacetime mission was to train and evaluate ADC's ground and airborne defense units by realistically simulating enemy attacks supplemented byelectronic countermeasures (ECM).[12] It provided "faker" target aircraft againstConvair F-102 Delta Dagger andConvair F-106 Delta Dart interceptors. The squadron also had a wartime mission to provide jamming support for attack aircraft.[citation needed] The squadron also flew operational tests for EXM systems.[2]
The squadron remained active until July 1979, and was the last active duty unit to fly the B-57. Its evaluation mission was assumed by the158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group of theVermont Air National Guard.[1][12]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Meritorious Unit Commendation | 22 September 1944 – 22 March 1945 | 17th Tow Target Squadron[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | [8 January 1955] – 1 November 1957 | 17th Tow Target Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1975 – 31 December 1975 | 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1977 – 30 June 1978 | 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pacific Theater | 1 December 1943–2 September 1945 | 17th Tow Target Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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