| 4721st Air Defense Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1956–1959 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Fighter interceptor |
| Role | Air defense |
The4721st Air Defense Group is a discontinuedgroup of theUnited States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the4700th Air Defense Wing atLarson Air Force Base, Washington, where it was last active in 1959.
The group was formed to provide a single command and support organization for the twofighter interceptor squadrons ofAir Defense Command that were tenants at Larson, aTactical Air Command base. It was discontinued after the322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron moved in 1959, leaving only a single fightersquadron at Larson.
The 4721st Air Defense Group was organized in December 1956 atLarson Air Force Base, Washington[1] to centralize supervision and support of the322d and538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons.[2] Bothsquadrons were already stationed at Larson, flyingradar equipped andFolding-Fin Aerial Rocket-armedNorth American F-86D Sabre interceptor aircraft,[3][4] and assigned directly to the9th Air Division.[5][6] The 4721st was a tenant ofTactical Air Command (TAC)'s 62d Air Base Group, the host organization at Larson.
In July 1957, the base transferred from TAC toMilitary Air Transport Service, although the 62d Group remained the host unit.[7] In the summer of 1957, both the 322d and 538th squadrons upgraded to later model Sabres equipped withdata link to tie them directly into theSemi-Automatic Ground Environment command and control system.[3][4] About June 1958, the 538th FIS converted toLockheed F-104 Starfighters, armed with theM61 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon andAIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.[4]
In April 1959, the 322nd moved toKingsley Field, Oregon and was reassigned out of the group as part of ADC's drawdown at Larson.[5] The following month, the 4721st was discontinued[1] and its remaining squadron, the 538th, was assigned directly to the 4700th Air Defense Wing.[6]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
