Girish Mahajan (Editor)

966th Airborne Air Control Squadron

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Country
  
United States

Garrison/HQ
  
Tinker Air Force Base

966th Airborne Air Control Squadron

Active
  
15 July 1942 – 1 April 1944 3 September 1944 – 3 November 1945 18 December 1961 – 31 December 1969 1 July 1976 – present

Branch
  
United States Air Force

Type
  
Airborne Command and Control

Part of
  
Air Combat Command 12th Air Force 552d Air Control Wing 552d Operations Group

The 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron (966 AACS) is part of the 552d Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.

Contents

Mission

Provide the Combat Air Force with airborne systems and personnel for surveillance, warning and control of strategic, tactical, and special mission forces.

History

The squadron conducted replacement training from August 1942 – November 1943 and flew evacuation missions and light transport services for ground forces in Burma from 13 November 1944 – 10 May 1945. It provided airborne radar surveillance from 1962–1969 and rotated aircrews to Southeast Asia from c. 4 April 1965 – c. December 1969. The 966th has trained aircrews since 1977.

Lineage

  • 466th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)
  • Constituted on 9 July 1942
  • 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando)
  • Constituted on 9 August 1944
  • 966th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron
  • Constituted and Activated on 18 Dec 1961
  • 466th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) consolidated with 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando) and 966th Airborne Warning and Control Training Squadron as 966th Airborne Warning and Control Training Squadron on 19 Sep 1985
  • Redesignated 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron on 1 Jul 1994

    • Assignments

  • 333d Bombardment Group, 15 July 1942 – 1 April 1944
  • 1st Air Commando Group, 3 September 1944 – 3 November 1945
  • Air Defense Command, 18 December 1961
  • 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 February 1962
  • 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 May 1963
  • 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 July 1969
  • 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 15 November-31 December 1969
  • 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing (later, 552d Airborne Warning and Control Division; 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing; 552d Air Control Wing), 1 July 1976
  • 552d Operations Group, since 29 May 1992

    • Operations

  • World War II
  • Vietnam War

    • References

    966th Airborne Air Control Squadron Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA