27th Air Division
| 27th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the 27th Air Division |
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| Active | 1950–1959, 1966-1969 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command and Control |
| Part of | Air Defense Command |
The 27th Air Division (27th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command (ADC)'s Tenth Air Force, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 19 November 1969.
Contents |
History [edit]
1950s at Norton AFB [edit]
Assigned to ADC for most of its existence,[1] the division's mission was the air defense of southern California in September 1950 and later southern Nevada as well.[2] By 1953, its area of control included a small portion of Arizona. [2] It was inactivated in October 1959 at Norton AFB, and replaced by the Los Angeles Air Defense Sector (LA ADS).
4705th Defense Wing [edit]
The 4705th Defense Wing was a placeholder wing that absorbed the remaining personnel and equipment of 1st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW), which was inactivated five days after the 4705th Defense Wing was organized at Norton AFB.[3] It assumed command of the 1st FIW's 94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), located at George AFB, California. The remaining operational components of the 1st FIW had deployed to the east coast and were detached to other commands.[4] The wing was discontinued and 94th FIS reassigned directly to 27th Air Division, which had reorganized at Norton AFB in February,[2] one month later.[5]
1960s at Luke AFB [edit]
The division was reactivated in January 1966 at Luke AFB, it gained responsibility for the air defense of southern California, southern Nevada, and all of Arizona[2] by consolidation of the Los Angeles and Phoenix Air Defense Sectors. The 27th administered and trained subordinate units, and participated in numerous air defense training exercises.[2] In addition, during the 1960s it supervised training of Air National Guard units with a pertinent mobilization assignment.[2]
The division assumed the additional designation of 27th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado and reporting was transferred to NORAD from ADC at Ent AFB, CO in April 1966.
It was inactivated in November 1969[2] as ADC phased down its interceptor mission as the chances of a Soviet bomber on the United States seemed remote. ADC consolidated its components with the 26th Air Division at March Air Force Base, California.
Lineage [edit]
- Constituted as the 27 Air Division (Defense) on 7 September 1950.
- Activated on 20 September 1950
- Inactivated on 1 February 1952[6]
- Organized on 1 February 1952
- Inactivated on 1 October 1959
- Redesignated as the 27th Air Division and activated on 20 January 1966
- Organized on 1 April 1966
- Inactivated on 19 November 1969.
Assignments[2]
- Western Air Defense Force (WADF), 20 September 1950 – 1 October 1959
- Air Defense Command, 20 January 1966
- Fourth Air Force, 1 April 1966
- Tenth Air Force, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969.
Stations[2]
- Norton AFB, CA, 20 September 1950 – 1 October 1959
- Luke AFB, AZ, 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969.
Components [edit]
Sector[2]
- Los Angeles Air Defense Sector
- Norton AFB, CA, 15 February 1959 – 1 October 1959
Wings
- 1st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (attached)[2]
- March AFB, CA 20 September 1950 – 1 February 1952
- 78th Fighter Wing (Air Defense)[2]
- Hamilton AFB, CA, 15 September 1969 – 19 November 1969
- 4705th Defense Wing[5]
- Norton AFB, CA, 1 February 1952 – 1 March 1952
Groups
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Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron
- Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 15 November 1969 – 19 November 1959
Interceptor Squadron
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Radar squadrons
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See also [edit]
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
- Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons
- List of United States Air Force air divisions
- List of United States Air Force aircraft control and warning squadrons
Notes [edit]
- ^ until 1 December 1950, its parent WADF was part of Continental Air Command
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Factsheet, 27th Air Division. Retrieved 18 February 2012
- ^ Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings', Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 6. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 138, 262. ISBN 0-405-12194-6.
- ^ a b Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946 - 1980. Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. p. 66.
- ^ The simultaneous inactivation and organization in February 1952 represents only a change in the type of organization of the division between Table of Distribution and Table of Organization and had no practical effect on the unit
- ^ Factsheet, 94th Fighter Squadron. Retrieved 11 March 2012
References [edit]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Grant, C.L., The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, (1961), USAF Historical Study No. 126
- Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense. Vol I. 1945-1955. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-4379-2131-1.
Vol II
- Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense. , Vol II, 1955-1972. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-4379-2131-1.
- Redmond, Kent C.; Smith, Thomas M. (2000). From Whirlwind to MITRE: The R&D Story of The SAGE Air Defense Computer. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-18201-0.
- Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies: The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. LCCN 9720912.
