41-692: The 53rd Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Command. The 53d Wing serves as the focal point for the combat air forces in electronic warfare , armament and avionics , chemical defense, reconnaissance , and aircrew training devices. The wing
82-471: A combat group , an air base group , a maintenance and supply group , and a medical group . Constituted combat wings are always numbered in a single series beginning with Arabic "1st". Examples: 1st Fighter Wing , 21st Space Wing , and the Strategic Air Command 's 509th Bomb Wing . All constituted wings have one, two, or three digits in their numerical designations. In many cases,
123-407: A division in size, its commander is usually a major general . Unlike their USAF counterparts, all USN and USMC air wings are tenant activities ashore and have no command responsibility for the installation at which they are normally based when not afloat or forward deployed. Naval air stations and Marine Corps air stations (and facilities) have separate commanding officers that are independent of
164-500: A wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons , with several wings forming a group (around 10 squadrons). Each squadron will contain around 20 planes. On its establishment in 1912, the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was intended to be an inter-service, combined force of
205-471: A wing commander (equivalent to a lieutenant colonel ). From World War II onwards, operational flying wings have usually been commanded by group captains (equivalent to colonels ), whereas ground-based wings have continued to be commanded by wing commanders. Air forces of NATO member countries which use the term 'wing' to denote their main formations include the Spanish Air Force ( Ala ),
246-705: A "Military Wing" (i.e. an army wing) and a "Naval Wing". Each wing consisted of a number of squadrons (the term "squadron" already being used by both the Army and the Navy). By 1914, the naval wing had become the Royal Naval Air Service , and gained its independence from the Royal Flying Corps. In 1915, the Royal Flying Corps had significantly expanded and it was felt necessary to create organizational units which would control two or more squadrons;
287-542: A legacy title from the former carrier air groups. In the United States Marine Corps , a Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) is an overall command, equivalent to a Marine Division , consisting of at least two Marine Aircraft Groups , a Marine Air Control Group (MACG), a Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron (MWHS), and a Marine Wing Headquarters (the Wing Commander and his staff). Being equivalent to
328-569: A maintenance group, a medical group and a mission support group. Such a wing is referred to as a Combat Wing Organization, which is comparable to a brigade in the US Army . Other wings, such as Air Expeditionary Wings , exist for various other purposes, and their scope may extend to one base, one theater or worldwide. In United States Air Force usage, a military organization above a squadron level ( group , wing , air division , numbered air force , air component command, Major Command (MAJCOM) )
369-512: Is also responsible for operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of new equipment and systems proposed for use by these air forces. Current wing initiatives include advanced self-protection systems for combat aircraft, aircrew life support systems, aerial reconnaissance improvements, new armament and weapons delivery systems, and improved maintenance equipment and logistics support. The 53d Wing, which consists of four groups , numbers almost 2,000 military and civilians at 17 locations throughout
410-629: Is an establishment , while that of a squadron and lower ( squadron , flight , center, complex), if designated as such, is a unit . The U.S. Army Air Service / U.S. Army Air Corps / U.S. Army Air Forces wings that existed before 1947 are not comparable with the wings of the USAF. World War II wings, for example, were expansive administrative and operational organizations that usually controlled several combat groups and numerous service organizations, often located at widely scattered locations. Many World War II wings were redesignated as air divisions after
451-430: Is based on an aircraft carrier . The squadrons of a CVW are also assigned to administrative type wings (such as Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic ). Naval Air Forces are commanded by either a rear admiral (upper half) or a vice admiral and wings are commanded by captains , with the title of commodore . Carrier air wings are commanded by either a Navy captain or a USMC colonel with the title of "CAG" (Commander, Air Group),
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#1732780628619492-552: The British Air Training Corps , a wing consists of a number of squadrons within a designated geographical area, usually named after the county in which it is based. In this context, a wing is inferior to a " region " which is made up of six wings. In all, there are 36 Air Training Corps wings in six regions within the United Kingdom , each of which is commanded by a RAFVR(T) wing commander. While
533-472: The British Army and Royal Navy . Given the rivalry that existed between the army and navy, new terminology was used, in order to avoid marking the corps out as having an army or navy ethos. While the term "wing" had been used in the cavalry , its more general use predominated. Accordingly, the word "wing", with its allusion of flight, was chosen as the term of subdivision and the corps was split into
574-490: The Civil Air Patrol , there are 52 wings (each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. , and Puerto Rico ). Each wing supervises the individual groups and squadrons in that state, district or commonwealth, which are the basic operational units of the organization. Some wings, for example Delaware Wing , have only one group due to the small geographical and manpower size of the wing. The United States Navy follows
615-606: The Croatian Air Force ( zrakoplovna baza , Croatian for aviation base ) use the term air base for regiment -equivalents commanded by colonels in a direct parallel to the wings of other member states. Non-English equivalents of the British wing include the German Gruppe , Italian Gruppo , and French groupe . The World War II German Luftwaffe Geschwader and Gruppe were similar to the wing and group of
656-648: The Department of Defense , and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . From 1983 to present, responsible for the operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of all Air Force aircraft/weapons systems, and providing range control for live-firing missile programs on the Gulf range and aerial targets, using full scale and subscale drones . In September 1995, the 53d Tactical Fighter Group and USAF Air Warfare Center were consolidated and
697-801: The Hellenic Air Force ( πτέρυγα [ pteryga ]), Royal Norwegian Air Force ( luftving , Norwegian for air wing), Royal Danish Air Force (which adopted the English term wing directly, although the Danish word is vinge ), the Belgian Air Component (also adopted the English term wing directly), the Polish Air Force ( skrzydło ) and the Slovak Air Force ( krídlo ). Additionally countries influenced by
738-590: The Panama Canal . In conjunction with the move, the group converted to Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft. There it was redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group . The group returned to Florida in November 1942, where it became a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) training replacement fighter pilots. RTUs were oversized units whose mission was to train individual pilots or aircrews . It used P-39s until June 1943 and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts thereafter. In early 1943,
779-540: The RAF Regiment , (in which a wing equates to a battalion ). Additionally, RAF stations are administratively divided into wings. In 2006, expeditionary air wings were established at the RAF's main operating bases. These expeditionary air wings consist of the deployable elements of the main operating base and other supplementary forces. Expeditionary air wings may be subordinated to an expeditionary air group . In
820-779: The 1990s, the Canadian Forces Air Command (the post-1968 RCAF until 2011) altered the structure of those bases under its control, declaring them to be wings under the overall control of 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg . For instance, CFB Trenton in Ontario was redesignated 8 Wing Trenton. The base commander of these bases (as well as other wings whose headquarters were stood up on bases not controlled by Air Command, such as 16 Wing at CFB Borden and 1 Wing at CFB Kingston ) were re-designated Wing Commanders (or Wg Comd). As well as continuing their functions as
861-474: The 338th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter). The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated to replace the 521st Air Defense Group at Sioux City Municipal Airport as part of Air Defense Command 's Project Arrow to bring back on the active list fighter units that had achieved memorable records in the two World Wars. The 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), already at Sioux City transferred from
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#1732780628619902-547: The 521st, while the 13th FIS moved to Sioux City to replace the 519th FIS . Both squadrons flew rocket armed and radar equipped F-86D Sabres. Between August 1955 and April 1960 the 53d served as an air defense unit, participating in North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) exercises and testing automated air defense systems. It also was the host organization for the USAF and was assigned several support units to carry out this function. In
943-418: The British structure in that a wing is an administrative formation commanding two or more squadrons of aircraft that are based on land. Several wings are combined into a Naval Air Force. The several wings assigned to each Fleet Naval Air Force control the wing's type squadrons. A carrier air wing (CVW, formerly known as a carrier air group ) consists of several squadrons and is an operational formation that
984-816: The German Geschwader originate from the naval term squadron . A similar formation in the Swedish Air Force is the Flygflottilj, which translates in English as air wing (literal meaning is air flotilla or flight flotilla). Among the NATO member countries the Turkish Air Force ( Ana Üssü , Turkish for main base ) and the Bulgarian Air Force ( авиобаза [ aviobaza ], Bulgarian for air base or aviation base ) use
1025-1028: The US in the building of their modern air forces also use the term wing . Several such examples are the Republic of Korea Air Force , the Japan Air Self-Defense Force , the Royal Thai Air Force , the Philippine Air Force , the Peruvian Air Force , the Venezuelan Air Force , the Ecuadorian Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force . A wing may also be used for non-flying units, such as the infantry forces of
1066-531: The United States. The group was activated in 1941 as the 53d Pursuit Group with the 13th , 14th , and 15th Pursuit Squadrons assigned. The 53d trained fighter pilots with Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft from its activation until December 1941. After the United States entered World War II the group moved to the Panama Canal Zone to fly patrols in defense of
1107-572: The commanding officers of the bases they were assigned to, they also serve as formation commanders to all squadrons and units duly assigned to them by 1 Canadian Air Division or 2 Canadian Air Division (regardless if they are physically located on the base in question or elsewhere; as witness 12 Wing in Nova Scotia, which has one unit, 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron , based at Patricia Bay near CFB Esquimalt in British Columbia, on
1148-512: The consolidated unit was redesignated as the 53d Wing the following month. In 2021 on the activation of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing , the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group was inactivated, broken up, and its units transferred to the new wing. Group Center Consolidated Wing F-86 Sabre (1955–1959) [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Wing (air force unit) In military aviation ,
1189-494: The fall of 1957 both of the group's squadrons upgraded their Sabres to F-86L models with data link for interception control through the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system. In July 1959 the 13th FIS moved to Glasgow AFB , Montana and was reassigned. The group and its remaining components were inactivated in 1960. In 1985, the group was redesignated as the 53d Tactical Fighter Group , but it
1230-462: The group added a fourth squadron, the 438th Fighter Squadron . The AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. The group was disbanded in as a result of this reorganization in 1944 and its personnel, equipment and mission were assumed by
1271-402: The numerical designation of the wing came from the combat group that preceded it and became an integral part of the post-World War II wing. In other words, when the 14th Fighter Wing (later, 14th Flying Training Wing ) came into existence, it received the 14th numerical designation from the 14th Fighter Group, which had already existed for several years and became the wing's combat component. At
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1312-411: The operational wing structure. Many mission support functions on these installations, such as personnel support and medical/dental facilities, are also independent of both the air wing and air station command structures and are independent tenant commands with their own commanding officers or officers-in-charge. The United States Space Force has a single command echelon known as a delta which combines
1353-403: The original pre-unification Royal Canadian Air Force followed the British pattern and used squadrons, which belonged to wings, which in turn belonged to groups, the modern Royal Canadian Air Force has eliminated groups. Squadrons still report to wings which now report to one of two air divisions. Wings vary greatly in size and may comprise personnel numbering in the hundreds or thousands. In
1394-403: The other side of the country from Shearwater). By comparison, in the United States Air Force , a wing is normally the organizational tier below a Numbered Air Force . Most USAF wings are commanded by a colonel , but some are commanded by brigadier generals . USAF wings are structured to fulfill a mission from a specific base, and contain a headquarters and four groups: an operations group,
1435-447: The same time, the other component establishments, and units of these establishments, also received the 14th numerical designations, aligning each of them directly to the 14th Wing. However, the tactical squadrons of the combat group retained their separate and distinct numerical designations. The Air Force has three basic types of wings: operational, air base, and specialized mission. According to Air Force Instruction 38-101 (1994): In
1476-586: The term air base for their main formations. These air bases are brigade -equivalents commanded by brigadier generals unlike the air wings of other NATO members, which are regiment -equivalents commanded by colonels . The Royal Netherlands Air Force ( vliegbasis , Dutch for aviation base or air base ), the Portuguese Air Force ( base aérea ), the Czech Air Force ( základna letectva , Czech for air base or aviation base ) and
1517-592: The term "wing" was re-used for these new organizational units. The Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service in 1918, creating the Royal Air Force . The RFC usage of wing was maintained in the new service. In most Commonwealth air forces, as well as some others, a wing is usually made up of three or four squadrons . In these air forces a wing is inferior to a group. Originally all wings were usually commanded by
1558-404: The war it continued operational testing of new tactical aviation weapon systems. In 1977 the center began an annual series of Air Force-wide exercises to improve command, control , communications, and intelligence (C3I) techniques. Around the same time it embarked on the electronic warfare evaluation program, and continued OT&E of aviation weapon systems for TAC and later Air Combat Command ,
1599-625: The war. Modern wings began with a service test of combat wings in 1947-1948. These wings were temporary Table of Distribution (T/D) organizations, each having a combat group (the only Table of Organization establishment of the wings), an airdrome group, a maintenance and supply group, and a station medical group. At the end of the service test, the Air Force implemented the Hobson Plan and replaced these T/D wings with permanent Table of Organization and Equipment ( constituted ) combat wings having
1640-726: The wing and group echelons found in air forces. In other languages, equivalent air force units equivalent to a US wing include: Geschwader in the German Luftwaffe ; Aviatsionniy Polk ( Aviation Regiment ) in Russia; Stormo in Italy; and escadre or régiment in the French Air Force . ( Escadre is also the official Canadian French translation of wing in the Canadian Forces .) The French Escadre and
1681-599: Was never active under that designation. The USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center was activated in 1963 to improve use of USAF tactical aviation in support of ground forces by operationally testing weapon systems and tactics for the joint U.S. Strike Command. It employed a cross-section of tactical aircraft from Tactical Air Command (TAC) bases across the country. During the Vietnam War it tested tactical weapons systems and tactics for use in Southeast Asia. After