37th Training Wing
Encyclopedia
The 37th Training Wing is a wing
of the United States Air Force
stationed at Lackland Air Force Base
in San Antonio, Texas.
The 37th TRW provides basic military, professional and technical skills, and English language training for the Air Force, other military services, government agencies, and allies.
Its four primary training functions graduate more than 86,000 students annually.
As of 6 June 2011, the commander of the 37th Training Wing is Colonel Eric Axelbank.
In addition, the 37th Training Wing staff agencies provide a variety of support services for wing and tenant units at Lackland AFB.
on 1 February 1940. During the early years of World War II, the unit was part of the Panama Canal
defense force. It was inactivated on 1 November 1943.
. It was neither manned or equipped and was inactivated on 25 June 1953.
On 1 March 1967, the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing was activated in place at Phu Cat Air Base
, South Vietnam
to become the host unit. The 37th TFW received its manpower and equipment from various units transferred from the United States and elsewhere, and tactical operations did not commence until mid-April. The newly-formed wing was assigned to Seventh Air Force.
Its attached squadrons were:
The 416th TFS was deployed from the 3d TFW at Bien Hoa AB, Det 1, 612th TFS from the 35th TFW at Phan Rang AB. On 15 April, the 37TFW began combat operations with strikes by 416TFS (F-100D aircraft) en route from Bien Hoa Air Base
to their new home. On 8 June, Det 1., 612th TFS began operations, also after flying a mission en route from their former home at Phan Rang Air Base
. By 28 February 1968, the 37th TFW squadrons completed 18,000 combat hours and 13,000 combat sorties without a major aircraft accident.
In the spring of 1968, the two squadrons of the 37th TFW were augmented by two additional squadrons deployed from the United States:
The 174th TFS was federalized Air National Guard personnel and aircraft from the 185th Tactical Fighter Group of the Iowa ANG at Sioux City MAP; the 355th TFS was deployed from the 354th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB South Carolina
. The wing was then composed of four F-100 combat squadrons with approximately 90 aircraft being assigned.
As 355th TFS personnel completed their TDY that same month the personnel and aircraft returned to Myrtle Beach AFB. They were replaced by Air National Guardsmen from New Jersey
and Washington DC, who were manning Myrtle Beach at the time. These newly deployed personnel were sent to Tuy Hoa Air Base
along with their F-100 D/F aircraft.
In the spring of 1969, the 416th TFS and its F-100s were transferred to Tuy Hoa Air Base
, while Det 1., 612th TFS was returned to the 35th TFW, now at Phan Rang Air Base
. Two F-4D squadrons were transferred from Da Nang Air Base replaced them:
The US withdrawals from Vietnam continued during 1970, resulting in the inactivation of 37th TFW at Phu Cat AB on 31 March.
, California.
The wing's mission was pilot transition training to the F-4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel" radar suppression aircraft. As the only "Wild Weasel" training wing in the world, it provided instructor pilots and qualified aircrews for the other two "Wild Weasel" wings in the Philippines and West Germany. As part of the training mission, the wing participated in numerous tactical, maritime, and electronic warfare exercises locally and worldwide in hunter/killer tactics, suppression of enemy air defenses, force escort operations and dissimilar air combat training with US Armed Forces Air National Guard and Reserves, and various allies. Wing aircrews and ground personnel won the United States Air Force Worldwide Fighter gunnery meet in 1985 and 1987.
In 1988, George AFB was scheduled in the first round of base closures passed by Congress under the Base Realignment and Closure program. On 5 Oct 1989, the 37th TFW turned over F-4G aircraft to the host 35th TFW at George AFB.
at Tonopah Test Range Airport
, Nevada was re-designated the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in a name-only transfer. The 37th TFW absorbed the manpower, equipment, and the world's first Stealth
fighter, the F-117 Nighthawk
.
The 4450th's subordinate F-117 squadrons were re-designated as follows:
These had been the designations of the first Army Air Force night-fighter squadron designations during World War II. The wing trained to integrate stealth technology with more conventional methods of combat operations.
of Panama
on 20 December 1989.
In early 1988, Panama's military dictator, Gen. Manuel Noriega
, had been indicted by two Florida grand juries on charges of laundering drug money. He laughed off the charges and dismissed Panama's president in February. During the May 1989 presidential election campaign, Noriega's "Dignity Battalion" goon squad beat up opposition candidate Guillermo Endara. Endara won the election, but on October 1, Noriega prevented him fromtaking office. Two days later, a coup attempt was made but collapsed when loyalist Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) rescued Noriega. The coup leaders were executed the following day. On December 15, Noriega declared a state of war between the United States and Panama. The following evening, PDF soldiers killed a marine lieutenant and arrested a navy lieutenant and his wife who had witnessed the shooting. The officer was beaten and his wife was threatened with sexual abuse.
In response to these events, President George H. W. Bush
issued orders to invade Panama. One of the targets was the Battalian 2000 barracks at Rio Hato Airfield. United States Army Rangers
were to be dropped at the adjoining airfield. The PDF troops would have to be neutralized before the[airdrop. Army Lt. Gen. Carl W. Stiner, the XVIII Airborne Corps com-mander, requested F-117As be used. The F-117s would not bomb the two barracks, but rather the 2,000-pound LBGs with time-delay fuzes would be directed to aim points near the buildings. They would act as "a giant stungrenade," to confuse the PDF troops without killing them. The use of F-117As was based on their night-bombing accuracy, rather than stealth, as the PDF lacked heavy air defenses.
On the night of December 19, 1989, six F-117As from the 415th TFS took off from TTR Airport. The flight would require five in-flight refuelings. Two of the planes were targeted on Rio Hato Airfield, two more were to provide support for an attempt to capture Noriega, and the final pair were in-flight spares should any of the others suffer malfunctions. As the two F-117As approached the release point, a moment of confusion occurred that would mar their debut. The original plan was for the lead plane to drop its bomb in a field near the barracks on the left, while his wingman would drop his bomb in a field near a barracks on the right. Just before the drop, the wind direction changed. One bomb, intended to land about 100 yards from the 7th Company barracks, actually landed 260 yards away. This was only 18 yards from the 6th Company barracks, which was too close. The other bomb impacted near a basketball court, about 40 yards farther from the barracks than intended.
Despite these problems, the explosions caused the desired confusion. Initial reports spoke of PDF soldiers running around in their underwear,while others threw down their weapons. Several Rangers were killed in thesubsequent firefight, but the airfield was taken and U.S. aircraft were landing within two hours.
On 1 August 1990, was the 35th anniversary of the first test flight of the Lockheed U-2
at Groom Lake
, Nevada. At Tonopah TR Airport, the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, also tested at Groom Lake sat on the parking ramp. As the afternoon passed, the shadows from the mountains lengthened toward darkness. In the Mideast, it was now 2:00 A.M., August 2, 1990. Suddenly, three Iraqi armored divisions, backed up with MiGs and heli-copters, attacked Kuwait
. Within hours, resistance had collapsed and Kuwait became Iraq
's "19th province." It seemed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
's ambition would not end there. Soon after the invasion, seven more Iraqi divisions took uppositions along the Saudi Arabian border. This was followed by a series of border incursions.
On 6 August, Saudi King Fahdibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud invited U.S. troops into the country. Within two days, F-15s and the first Army elements had arrived to draw "a line in the sand." The third great conflict of the twentieth century had begun.
On 17 August, Colonel Alton Whitley, was named commander of the 37th Fighter Wing. Four hours later, he was ordered to deploy the 415th TFS to Saudi Arabia. On August 20, eighteen F-117As were on their way. They landed at King Khalid Air Base at noon the next day. The brand-new base was located at the southern tip of Saudi Arabia, outside the range of Iraqi Scud missiles. It had state-of-the-art hardened aircraft shelters and even hardened crew quarters. The base was soon dubbed "Tonopah East"
To keep up morale, a longtime tradition was revived: nose art. To remain stealthy, it was applied to the bomb bay doors. There were names such as "Unexpected Guest," "Dark Angel," "The Toxic Avenger," "Habu II," "The Overachiever," "Once Bitten," and "Christine." The Saudis nicknamed the F-117 Shaba, Arabic for "ghost" On 8 November 1990, President Bush ordered a major increase in U.S.forces in the Gulf. As part of this, another twenty F-117As from the 416th TFS flew to Tonopah East, arriving on December 4. The forward-deployed unit was re-designated the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional). 36 aircraft, both squadrons of combat F-117As had now been deployed.
On January 12, 1991, the United States Congress
approved the use of force to back up a United Nations
(UN) resolution calling on the Iraqi Army
to withdraw from Kuwait. It was, in every sense of the term, a declaration of war. The UN deadline expired on January 15, and President Bush ordered combat operations to begin. The pilots reported for duty at 3:00 P.M. and were told they would attack Iraq that night. Each pilot was then given his target data. This war would begin over Baghdad and would strike at the heart of Iraqi air defenses and communications facilities. The F-117As would strike the National Air Defense Operations Center in Baghdad
, the regional Sector Operation Centers (SOCs), and the local Intercept Operation Centers (lOCs). This air-defens network controlled some five hundred radars, the SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, SA-8,and Roland SAMs, and some eight thousand anti-aircraft guns. Baghdad alone was protected by about four thousand anti-aircraft guns and SAM launchers. The complete system provided a thicker air defense than any in Vietnam
or Eastern Europe
, while the defenses of Baghdad rivaled that of Moscow
or Vladivostok
. And the F-117 pilots would have to face it all alone.
On January 16, 1991, the F-117 pilots were told to get a good meal. They began to suspect something was afoot. The maintenance and weapons personnel were ordered to make one simple change in the bomb loading procedures the arming lanyards were attached to the bombs. The first wave was made up of 415th TFS pilots; they had been at Tonopah East since August, so Colonel Whitley felt they should have the honor of being first. Just after midnight, the first F-117A took off; by 12:22A.M., January 17, the last was gone.
At 6:35 P.M. EST (2:35 A.M. in Baghdad), CNN
's David French
was interviewing former defense secretary Casper Weinberger. He stopped and said, "We're going to Bernard Shaw
in Baghdad." Shaw began his report: "This is something is happening outside. . . . The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated. We're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky." The sky above Baghdad had erupted with anti-aircraft fire, but, as yet, there were no U.S. aircraft over Baghdad. At 2:39 A.M., only minutes after CNN began broadcasting from Baghdad, United States Army Apache helicopters blasted two Iraqi Army early warning radar sites. This opened a gap in the air defense radar coverage,and USAF F-15Es flew through it to strike Scud missile sites in western Iraq. Two F-117As had already crossed into Iraq. They were followed by six more. Unlike the F-15Es, they did not have support from EF-111A jamming aircraft. It was one of these follow-on F-117As that opened the Black Jet's war.
The target was the Nukhayb
IOC in the Al Anbar Governorate of western Iraq. Located in a hardened bunker, it could coordinate attacks on the incoming F-15Es and the follow-on strikes. The pilot located the target and released the bomb at 2:51 A.M. He saw the bomb penetrate the bunker's roof and blow off its doors. He turned toward hissecond target, an SOC at the H-2 Air Base
. When he looked back, he pilot saw the night sky was filled with antiaircraft fire, triggered by the bomb's explosion. When he looked toward the second target, he saw the whole sky wasalive with ground fire.
As the other F-117As closed on Baghdad, anti-aircraft fire seemed suspended above the city. The firing at the empty sky had been going on for a full twenty minutes, but at 2:56 A.M., a cease-fire order was issued. A stillness fell over the city. From their cockpits, the pilots could see the eerie glow suddenly disappear. Through the Infrared (IR) displays, individual buildings took shape. Baghdad was still brightly lit, and car headlights could be seen streaming out of the city. As the F-117s moved unseen and unheard above, CNN reporters Bernard Shaw and Peter Arnett
were discussing what had happened. As they spoke the pilot of an F-117 placed the cross hairs of the targeting system on the fourteen-story Al-Karak telephone and telegraph center. The plane's bomb door opened and a GBU-27 Paveway III
Laser-guided bomb
(LGB) fell free. At that instant, the GBU-27 punched through the Al-Karak's roof and destroyed the communications equipment, cutting off CNN. Within five minutes of the 3:00 A.M. H-hour, Another F-117 had destroyed the Al-Kark communications tower, another F-117 LGB dropped through a roof vent on the new Iraqi Air Force
headquarters, while another F-117 struck the National Air Defense Operations Center, and another F-117 bombed Saddam Hussein
's lakeside palace-command center. As the first bombs exploded, the F-117 pilots saw anti-aircraft fire rise above the city.
Another F-117, following one minute behind, dropped two GBU-10 Paveway II
LGBs through the hole blasted by the first bomb on the fourteen-story Al-Karak telephone and telegraph center. Unlike the GBU-27, which was designed for attacking hard targets, the GBU-10 had a thin casing and a greater blast effect. The two bombs gutted the building. As his plane cleared the area, the pilot looked back and beheld the wall of fire he and the other pilots had flown through. The F-117As sped away from Baghdad. Some, with both bombs expended, headed home. Others headed for their second target; one bombed the deep National Command alternate bunker at the North Taji military complex. Its thirty-feet-thick roof proved too much even for a GBU-27, and it remained intact. More successful were attacks on a communications facility at Ar-Ramadi, the SOCs at Taji
and Ali Air Base
, and an IOC at Salman Pak
.
At 4:00 A.M., a second F-117A wave restruck the air force headquarters and the National Air Defense Operations Center. Other targets hit were the lOCs at Al-Taqaddum Air Base
and Ar Rutba
as well as leadership andcommunications facilities from the Jordan
border to Kuwait. In all, the two waves had dropped thirty-three bombs and scored twenty-three hits. The third wave followed shortly before dawn. Their targets were chemical and biological weapons storage bunkers. The late hour was selected because sunlight would reduce the danger from Anthrax
spores. As they approached their targets, a weather front moved into central Iraq, with thin clouds at 5,000 feet. The F-117A's bombing system required a clear view of the target or the LGB would lose its lock. Of the sixteen bombs dropped, only five were hits. As the F-117 pilots turned for home, their mood was somber. They knew they had won a great victory, but they were sure the cost had been high. At Tonopah East, the ground crews awaited the planes' return. The first wave landed at night, while the second and third came back after sunrise. One by one, the returning planes were counted. Everyone returned.
As the tapes of the strikes were reviewed, it became clear that something remarkable had occurred. A handful of planes had faced an air-defense network that was one of the most capable in the world, struck at the heart of the enemy capital, and emerged without a scratch. The Iraqi air-defense system died that night; with the headquarters hit and the lOCs and SOCs damaged and out of action, the individual anti-aircraft guns and SAM sites were isolated. The operators were unable to operate their tracking and fire control radar, for fear a HARM missile would destroy them. Iraqui Army units in the field had limited communications with each otherand with higher command. Electrical power was out in Baghdad. The three F-117A waves, a wave of Tomahawk cruise missiles, and a decoy raid, tightly interrelated in time and space, had left the Iraqis unable to inflict significant losses on Coalition air operations.
The wing continued interdiction missions throughout the war. The Nighthawk conducted more than 1,250 sorties, dropped more than 2,000 tons of bombs and flew more than 6,900 hours. It Served as a member of Central Air Forces'
post-Desert Storm task force in Southwest Asia.
Just as the Gulf War had begun on live television, so too, did it end. One image was that of Iraqi prisoners. In small groups or huge columns, they willingly surrendered. They had expected the air war to last several days, ora week at most. Instead, it had continued for six weeks. They were helpless before it, without the means to survive or fight back. Another image was General Schwarzkopf's press conference, describing how the 100-hour ground war had been fought. Yet another was the crowds of Kuwaitis welcoming victorious U.S. and Coalition troops.
And there was that final image, which put to rest a ghost from the past. It was a photo of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, hovering on the roof of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City
. Special Forces troops were climbing from the Blackhawk onto the roof. Sixteen years before, it had been another roof-top, another helicopter, the last helicopter out of Saigon.
In a very real sense, two wars ended that day
, Nev. Some 150,000 people saw the aircraft that day, including families who hadn’t been allowed to know what their parents and spouses were doing between the time they flew away Monday morning and returned home Friday afternoon. To Col. Al Whitley, it was quite a contrast to his returns from two tours in South Vietnam
. In May, the town of Tonopah held a parade for the F-117 pilots and ground crews. A crowd of some three thousand turned out. A six-foot stone statue commemorating the plane and its crews was unveiled.
Even before the Gulf War, in January 1990, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
proposed that the stealth fighters be relocated from Tonopah, to Holloman Air Force Base
in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin. This would allow the pilots' families to join them
After years of operations at Tonopah, the F-117s were redeployed to Holloman AFB, New Mexico
in May/June 1992, where they became part of the 49th Fighter Wing
. With the transfer of all its assets to the 49th FW, the 37th Fighter Wing was inactivated on 8 July 1992.
On 4 November 2009, Colonel Joseph Romano, commander of the wing's 37th Training Group, was convicted by an Italian court of kidnapping Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
as part of the Imam rapito affair
and sentenced to five years in prison. Romano was also ordered to pay 1 million Euros to Nasr and 500,000 Euros to Nasr's wife.
Squadron
Detachment
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
stationed at Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
in San Antonio, Texas.
The 37th TRW provides basic military, professional and technical skills, and English language training for the Air Force, other military services, government agencies, and allies.
Its four primary training functions graduate more than 86,000 students annually.
As of 6 June 2011, the commander of the 37th Training Wing is Colonel Eric Axelbank.
Units
The 37th Training Group is made up of 1,600 personnel from all four military services. The group conducts professional and technical training to more than 36,000,000 military and civilians in the armed forces, international community, and other federal agencies.In addition, the 37th Training Wing staff agencies provide a variety of support services for wing and tenant units at Lackland AFB.
- 37th Training Group
- 37th Training Support Squadron
- 341st Training Squadron
- 342d Training Squadron
- 343d Training Squadron
- 344th Training Squadron
- 345th Training Squadron
- 37th Medical Group
- 37th Medical Operations Squadron
- 37th Aero-Medical Squadron
- 737th Training Group
- 737th Training Support Squadron
- 319th Training Squadron
- 320th Training Squadron
- 321st Training Squadron
- 322d Training Squadron
- 323d Training Squadron
- 324th Training Squadron
- 326th Training Squadron
- 331st Training Squadron
World War II
The 37th Pursuit Group was originally activated at Albrook Army Airfield, Panama Canal ZonePanama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
on 1 February 1940. During the early years of World War II, the unit was part of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
defense force. It was inactivated on 1 November 1943.
Cold War
The 37th Fighter-Bomber Wing was established on 3 March 1953 and activated on 8 April 1953 at Clovis AFB, New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It was neither manned or equipped and was inactivated on 25 June 1953.
Vietnam War
Phu Cat Air Base
Phu Cat Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Qui Nhon in Binh Dinh Province....
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
to become the host unit. The 37th TFW received its manpower and equipment from various units transferred from the United States and elsewhere, and tactical operations did not commence until mid-April. The newly-formed wing was assigned to Seventh Air Force.
Its attached squadrons were:
- 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 April 1967 – 27 May 1969 (F-100D/F Tail Code: HE)
- Det 1, 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 8 June 1967 – 13 April 1969 (F-100D/F Tail Code: HS)
The 416th TFS was deployed from the 3d TFW at Bien Hoa AB, Det 1, 612th TFS from the 35th TFW at Phan Rang AB. On 15 April, the 37TFW began combat operations with strikes by 416TFS (F-100D aircraft) en route from Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
to their new home. On 8 June, Det 1., 612th TFS began operations, also after flying a mission en route from their former home at Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
. By 28 February 1968, the 37th TFW squadrons completed 18,000 combat hours and 13,000 combat sorties without a major aircraft accident.
In the spring of 1968, the two squadrons of the 37th TFW were augmented by two additional squadrons deployed from the United States:
- 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 14 May 1968 – 11 May 1969 (Iowa ANG) (F-100C/F Tail Code: HA)
- 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 3 February 1968 – 15 May 1969 (F-100D/F Tail Code: HP)
The 174th TFS was federalized Air National Guard personnel and aircraft from the 185th Tactical Fighter Group of the Iowa ANG at Sioux City MAP; the 355th TFS was deployed from the 354th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The wing was then composed of four F-100 combat squadrons with approximately 90 aircraft being assigned.
As 355th TFS personnel completed their TDY that same month the personnel and aircraft returned to Myrtle Beach AFB. They were replaced by Air National Guardsmen from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Washington DC, who were manning Myrtle Beach at the time. These newly deployed personnel were sent to Tuy Hoa Air Base
Tuy Hoa Air Base
Tuy Hoa Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam, being closed in 1970. It was built by the United States between 1965-1966 and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army in April...
along with their F-100 D/F aircraft.
In the spring of 1969, the 416th TFS and its F-100s were transferred to Tuy Hoa Air Base
Tuy Hoa Air Base
Tuy Hoa Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam, being closed in 1970. It was built by the United States between 1965-1966 and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army in April...
, while Det 1., 612th TFS was returned to the 35th TFW, now at Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....
. Two F-4D squadrons were transferred from Da Nang Air Base replaced them:
- 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 April 1969 – 31 March 1970 (F-4D Tail Code: HK)
- 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron]]: 15 June 1969 – 31 March 1970 (F-4D Tail Code: HB)
The US withdrawals from Vietnam continued during 1970, resulting in the inactivation of 37th TFW at Phu Cat AB on 31 March.
George AFB
When reactivated in 1981 the 37th gained assets of 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at George Air Force BaseGeorge Air Force Base
George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...
, California.
The wing's mission was pilot transition training to the F-4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel" radar suppression aircraft. As the only "Wild Weasel" training wing in the world, it provided instructor pilots and qualified aircrews for the other two "Wild Weasel" wings in the Philippines and West Germany. As part of the training mission, the wing participated in numerous tactical, maritime, and electronic warfare exercises locally and worldwide in hunter/killer tactics, suppression of enemy air defenses, force escort operations and dissimilar air combat training with US Armed Forces Air National Guard and Reserves, and various allies. Wing aircrews and ground personnel won the United States Air Force Worldwide Fighter gunnery meet in 1985 and 1987.
In 1988, George AFB was scheduled in the first round of base closures passed by Congress under the Base Realignment and Closure program. On 5 Oct 1989, the 37th TFW turned over F-4G aircraft to the host 35th TFW at George AFB.
Tonopah Test Range Airport
On 5 October 1989 the 4450th Tactical Group4450th Tactical Group
The 4450th Tactical Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and operationally located at Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. It was inactivated on 5 October 1989.-History:...
at Tonopah Test Range Airport
Tonopah Test Range Airport
Tonopah Test Range Airport , also Senior Trend project site PS-66, is located near the center of the Tonopah Test Range, southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination...
, Nevada was re-designated the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in a name-only transfer. The 37th TFW absorbed the manpower, equipment, and the world's first Stealth
Stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to avoid detection by employing a combination of features to interfere with radar as well as reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency spectrum. Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during...
fighter, the F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
.
The 4450th's subordinate F-117 squadrons were re-designated as follows:
- 4450th Tactical Squadron (Nightstalkers-Atlantic) ---> 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Nightstalkers)
- 4451st Tactical Squadron (Grim Reapers-Pacific) ---> 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Ghostriders)
- 4453d Tactical Evaluation Squadron (Bandits) ---> 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron ("Bandits").
These had been the designations of the first Army Air Force night-fighter squadron designations during World War II. The wing trained to integrate stealth technology with more conventional methods of combat operations.
Operation Just Cause
The 37th dropped the first bombs in invasionInvasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
on 20 December 1989.
In early 1988, Panama's military dictator, Gen. Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...
, had been indicted by two Florida grand juries on charges of laundering drug money. He laughed off the charges and dismissed Panama's president in February. During the May 1989 presidential election campaign, Noriega's "Dignity Battalion" goon squad beat up opposition candidate Guillermo Endara. Endara won the election, but on October 1, Noriega prevented him fromtaking office. Two days later, a coup attempt was made but collapsed when loyalist Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) rescued Noriega. The coup leaders were executed the following day. On December 15, Noriega declared a state of war between the United States and Panama. The following evening, PDF soldiers killed a marine lieutenant and arrested a navy lieutenant and his wife who had witnessed the shooting. The officer was beaten and his wife was threatened with sexual abuse.
In response to these events, President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
issued orders to invade Panama. One of the targets was the Battalian 2000 barracks at Rio Hato Airfield. United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
were to be dropped at the adjoining airfield. The PDF troops would have to be neutralized before the[airdrop. Army Lt. Gen. Carl W. Stiner, the XVIII Airborne Corps com-mander, requested F-117As be used. The F-117s would not bomb the two barracks, but rather the 2,000-pound LBGs with time-delay fuzes would be directed to aim points near the buildings. They would act as "a giant stungrenade," to confuse the PDF troops without killing them. The use of F-117As was based on their night-bombing accuracy, rather than stealth, as the PDF lacked heavy air defenses.
On the night of December 19, 1989, six F-117As from the 415th TFS took off from TTR Airport. The flight would require five in-flight refuelings. Two of the planes were targeted on Rio Hato Airfield, two more were to provide support for an attempt to capture Noriega, and the final pair were in-flight spares should any of the others suffer malfunctions. As the two F-117As approached the release point, a moment of confusion occurred that would mar their debut. The original plan was for the lead plane to drop its bomb in a field near the barracks on the left, while his wingman would drop his bomb in a field near a barracks on the right. Just before the drop, the wind direction changed. One bomb, intended to land about 100 yards from the 7th Company barracks, actually landed 260 yards away. This was only 18 yards from the 6th Company barracks, which was too close. The other bomb impacted near a basketball court, about 40 yards farther from the barracks than intended.
Despite these problems, the explosions caused the desired confusion. Initial reports spoke of PDF soldiers running around in their underwear,while others threw down their weapons. Several Rangers were killed in thesubsequent firefight, but the airfield was taken and U.S. aircraft were landing within two hours.
1991 Gulf War
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
at Groom Lake
Area 51
Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield...
, Nevada. At Tonopah TR Airport, the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, also tested at Groom Lake sat on the parking ramp. As the afternoon passed, the shadows from the mountains lengthened toward darkness. In the Mideast, it was now 2:00 A.M., August 2, 1990. Suddenly, three Iraqi armored divisions, backed up with MiGs and heli-copters, attacked Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Within hours, resistance had collapsed and Kuwait became Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
's "19th province." It seemed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's ambition would not end there. Soon after the invasion, seven more Iraqi divisions took uppositions along the Saudi Arabian border. This was followed by a series of border incursions.
On 6 August, Saudi King Fahdibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud invited U.S. troops into the country. Within two days, F-15s and the first Army elements had arrived to draw "a line in the sand." The third great conflict of the twentieth century had begun.
On 17 August, Colonel Alton Whitley, was named commander of the 37th Fighter Wing. Four hours later, he was ordered to deploy the 415th TFS to Saudi Arabia. On August 20, eighteen F-117As were on their way. They landed at King Khalid Air Base at noon the next day. The brand-new base was located at the southern tip of Saudi Arabia, outside the range of Iraqi Scud missiles. It had state-of-the-art hardened aircraft shelters and even hardened crew quarters. The base was soon dubbed "Tonopah East"
To keep up morale, a longtime tradition was revived: nose art. To remain stealthy, it was applied to the bomb bay doors. There were names such as "Unexpected Guest," "Dark Angel," "The Toxic Avenger," "Habu II," "The Overachiever," "Once Bitten," and "Christine." The Saudis nicknamed the F-117 Shaba, Arabic for "ghost" On 8 November 1990, President Bush ordered a major increase in U.S.forces in the Gulf. As part of this, another twenty F-117As from the 416th TFS flew to Tonopah East, arriving on December 4. The forward-deployed unit was re-designated the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional). 36 aircraft, both squadrons of combat F-117As had now been deployed.
On January 12, 1991, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
approved the use of force to back up a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) resolution calling on the Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
to withdraw from Kuwait. It was, in every sense of the term, a declaration of war. The UN deadline expired on January 15, and President Bush ordered combat operations to begin. The pilots reported for duty at 3:00 P.M. and were told they would attack Iraq that night. Each pilot was then given his target data. This war would begin over Baghdad and would strike at the heart of Iraqi air defenses and communications facilities. The F-117As would strike the National Air Defense Operations Center in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, the regional Sector Operation Centers (SOCs), and the local Intercept Operation Centers (lOCs). This air-defens network controlled some five hundred radars, the SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, SA-8,and Roland SAMs, and some eight thousand anti-aircraft guns. Baghdad alone was protected by about four thousand anti-aircraft guns and SAM launchers. The complete system provided a thicker air defense than any in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
or Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, while the defenses of Baghdad rivaled that of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
or Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. And the F-117 pilots would have to face it all alone.
On January 16, 1991, the F-117 pilots were told to get a good meal. They began to suspect something was afoot. The maintenance and weapons personnel were ordered to make one simple change in the bomb loading procedures the arming lanyards were attached to the bombs. The first wave was made up of 415th TFS pilots; they had been at Tonopah East since August, so Colonel Whitley felt they should have the honor of being first. Just after midnight, the first F-117A took off; by 12:22A.M., January 17, the last was gone.
At 6:35 P.M. EST (2:35 A.M. in Baghdad), CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's David French
David French
David French, OC was a Canadian playwright.-Early life:French was born in the tiny Newfoundland outport of Coley’s Point, the middle child in a family of five boys. His father, Garfield French, was a carpenter, and during World War II worked for the Eastern Air Command in Canada...
was interviewing former defense secretary Casper Weinberger. He stopped and said, "We're going to Bernard Shaw
Bernard Shaw
Bernard Shaw may refer to:* George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright* Bernard Shaw , English footballer of the 1960-70s* Bernard Shaw , journalist and longtime CNN anchorman* Bernie Shaw, singer for the band Uriah Heep...
in Baghdad." Shaw began his report: "This is something is happening outside. . . . The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated. We're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky." The sky above Baghdad had erupted with anti-aircraft fire, but, as yet, there were no U.S. aircraft over Baghdad. At 2:39 A.M., only minutes after CNN began broadcasting from Baghdad, United States Army Apache helicopters blasted two Iraqi Army early warning radar sites. This opened a gap in the air defense radar coverage,and USAF F-15Es flew through it to strike Scud missile sites in western Iraq. Two F-117As had already crossed into Iraq. They were followed by six more. Unlike the F-15Es, they did not have support from EF-111A jamming aircraft. It was one of these follow-on F-117As that opened the Black Jet's war.
The target was the Nukhayb
Nukhayb
An Nukhayb is a city in Al-Anbar province in Iraq.Nukhayb is located at the largest road junction in the region, with roads going south to the Saudi Arabian border, north to the Ramadi–Jordan highway, and northeast to Karbala. Nukhayb is the last Iraqi town before pilgrims cross into Saudi Arabia...
IOC in the Al Anbar Governorate of western Iraq. Located in a hardened bunker, it could coordinate attacks on the incoming F-15Es and the follow-on strikes. The pilot located the target and released the bomb at 2:51 A.M. He saw the bomb penetrate the bunker's roof and blow off its doors. He turned toward hissecond target, an SOC at the H-2 Air Base
H-2 Air Base
H-2 Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Al-Anbar Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.-Overview:...
. When he looked back, he pilot saw the night sky was filled with antiaircraft fire, triggered by the bomb's explosion. When he looked toward the second target, he saw the whole sky wasalive with ground fire.
As the other F-117As closed on Baghdad, anti-aircraft fire seemed suspended above the city. The firing at the empty sky had been going on for a full twenty minutes, but at 2:56 A.M., a cease-fire order was issued. A stillness fell over the city. From their cockpits, the pilots could see the eerie glow suddenly disappear. Through the Infrared (IR) displays, individual buildings took shape. Baghdad was still brightly lit, and car headlights could be seen streaming out of the city. As the F-117s moved unseen and unheard above, CNN reporters Bernard Shaw and Peter Arnett
Peter Arnett
Peter Gregg Arnett, ONZM is a New Zealand-American journalist.Arnett worked for National Geographic magazine, and later for various television networks, most notably CNN. He is well known for his coverage of war, including the Vietnam War and the Gulf War...
were discussing what had happened. As they spoke the pilot of an F-117 placed the cross hairs of the targeting system on the fourteen-story Al-Karak telephone and telegraph center. The plane's bomb door opened and a GBU-27 Paveway III
GBU-27 Paveway III
The GBU-27 Paveway III is a laser-guided bomb with bunker buster capabilities. It is a GBU-24 Paveway III that has been redesigned to be used by the F-117A Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft.-Combat history:...
Laser-guided bomb
Laser-guided bomb
A laser-guided bomb is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.- Overview :Laser-guided munitions use a...
(LGB) fell free. At that instant, the GBU-27 punched through the Al-Karak's roof and destroyed the communications equipment, cutting off CNN. Within five minutes of the 3:00 A.M. H-hour, Another F-117 had destroyed the Al-Kark communications tower, another F-117 LGB dropped through a roof vent on the new Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
headquarters, while another F-117 struck the National Air Defense Operations Center, and another F-117 bombed Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's lakeside palace-command center. As the first bombs exploded, the F-117 pilots saw anti-aircraft fire rise above the city.
Another F-117, following one minute behind, dropped two GBU-10 Paveway II
GBU-10 Paveway II
American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. Introduced into service c. 1976. Used by USAF, US Navy, US Marine Corps, RAAF and various NATO air forces....
LGBs through the hole blasted by the first bomb on the fourteen-story Al-Karak telephone and telegraph center. Unlike the GBU-27, which was designed for attacking hard targets, the GBU-10 had a thin casing and a greater blast effect. The two bombs gutted the building. As his plane cleared the area, the pilot looked back and beheld the wall of fire he and the other pilots had flown through. The F-117As sped away from Baghdad. Some, with both bombs expended, headed home. Others headed for their second target; one bombed the deep National Command alternate bunker at the North Taji military complex. Its thirty-feet-thick roof proved too much even for a GBU-27, and it remained intact. More successful were attacks on a communications facility at Ar-Ramadi, the SOCs at Taji
Taji, Iraq
Taji, At Taji or Tajidiyah is a town approximately 20 miles north of the city of Baghdad, and is located in the Al-Faris district of the Salah ad Din Governorate. Taji is the location of a large U.S.-controlled military base.-History:...
and Ali Air Base
Ali Air Base
Ali Air Base is a military airbase located near Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base. At present, the base is being used by United States Armed Forces. It is called Camp Adder by the U.S. Army; the name "Ali Air Base" is used chiefly by the U.S...
, and an IOC at Salman Pak
Salman Pak
Salman Pak is a city approximately 15 miles south of Baghdad near a peninsula formed by a broad eastward bend of the Tigris River. It is named after Salman the Persian, a companion of Muhammad who is buried there....
.
At 4:00 A.M., a second F-117A wave restruck the air force headquarters and the National Air Defense Operations Center. Other targets hit were the lOCs at Al-Taqaddum Air Base
Al-Taqaddum Air Base
Al Taqaddum Airbase , or Al Taqaddum AB , , is an airbase that is located in central Iraq, approximately 74 kilometers west of Baghdad, at Habbaniyah. The airfield is served by two runways 13,000 and long. Since 2004, it has been known as Camp Taqaddum...
and Ar Rutba
Ar Rutba
Ar Rutbah is an Iraqi town in western Al Anbar province. The population is approximately 55,000. It occupies a strategic location on the Amman-Baghdad road, and the Mosul-Haifa pipeline...
as well as leadership andcommunications facilities from the Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
border to Kuwait. In all, the two waves had dropped thirty-three bombs and scored twenty-three hits. The third wave followed shortly before dawn. Their targets were chemical and biological weapons storage bunkers. The late hour was selected because sunlight would reduce the danger from Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
spores. As they approached their targets, a weather front moved into central Iraq, with thin clouds at 5,000 feet. The F-117A's bombing system required a clear view of the target or the LGB would lose its lock. Of the sixteen bombs dropped, only five were hits. As the F-117 pilots turned for home, their mood was somber. They knew they had won a great victory, but they were sure the cost had been high. At Tonopah East, the ground crews awaited the planes' return. The first wave landed at night, while the second and third came back after sunrise. One by one, the returning planes were counted. Everyone returned.
As the tapes of the strikes were reviewed, it became clear that something remarkable had occurred. A handful of planes had faced an air-defense network that was one of the most capable in the world, struck at the heart of the enemy capital, and emerged without a scratch. The Iraqi air-defense system died that night; with the headquarters hit and the lOCs and SOCs damaged and out of action, the individual anti-aircraft guns and SAM sites were isolated. The operators were unable to operate their tracking and fire control radar, for fear a HARM missile would destroy them. Iraqui Army units in the field had limited communications with each otherand with higher command. Electrical power was out in Baghdad. The three F-117A waves, a wave of Tomahawk cruise missiles, and a decoy raid, tightly interrelated in time and space, had left the Iraqis unable to inflict significant losses on Coalition air operations.
The wing continued interdiction missions throughout the war. The Nighthawk conducted more than 1,250 sorties, dropped more than 2,000 tons of bombs and flew more than 6,900 hours. It Served as a member of Central Air Forces'
United States Central Command Air Forces
United States Air Forces Central is a unit of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...
post-Desert Storm task force in Southwest Asia.
Just as the Gulf War had begun on live television, so too, did it end. One image was that of Iraqi prisoners. In small groups or huge columns, they willingly surrendered. They had expected the air war to last several days, ora week at most. Instead, it had continued for six weeks. They were helpless before it, without the means to survive or fight back. Another image was General Schwarzkopf's press conference, describing how the 100-hour ground war had been fought. Yet another was the crowds of Kuwaitis welcoming victorious U.S. and Coalition troops.
And there was that final image, which put to rest a ghost from the past. It was a photo of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, hovering on the roof of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City
Kuwait City
-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...
. Special Forces troops were climbing from the Blackhawk onto the roof. Sixteen years before, it had been another roof-top, another helicopter, the last helicopter out of Saigon.
In a very real sense, two wars ended that day
Holloman Air Force Base
In April 1990, the F-117 was placed on public display for the first time at Nellis Air Force BaseNellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
, Nev. Some 150,000 people saw the aircraft that day, including families who hadn’t been allowed to know what their parents and spouses were doing between the time they flew away Monday morning and returned home Friday afternoon. To Col. Al Whitley, it was quite a contrast to his returns from two tours in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. In May, the town of Tonopah held a parade for the F-117 pilots and ground crews. A crowd of some three thousand turned out. A six-foot stone statue commemorating the plane and its crews was unveiled.
Even before the Gulf War, in January 1990, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
proposed that the stealth fighters be relocated from Tonopah, to Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin. This would allow the pilots' families to join them
After years of operations at Tonopah, the F-117s were redeployed to Holloman AFB, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in May/June 1992, where they became part of the 49th Fighter Wing
49th Fighter Wing
The 49th Wing is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 49 WG is part of the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force....
. With the transfer of all its assets to the 49th FW, the 37th Fighter Wing was inactivated on 8 July 1992.
Lackland Training Center
A year later, the 37th Training Wing was activated at Lackland Training Center, Texas, on 1 July 1993 as a non-flying organization to conduct all Air Force basic military training.On 4 November 2009, Colonel Joseph Romano, commander of the wing's 37th Training Group, was convicted by an Italian court of kidnapping Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr , also known as Abu Omar, is an Egyptian cleric. In 2003 he was living in Milan, Italy, from where he was kidnapped and allegedly later tortured in Egypt. This "Imam rapito affair" prompted a series of investigations in Italy, culminating in the criminal convictions of...
as part of the Imam rapito affair
Imam Rapito affair
The Abu Omar Case refers to the abduction and transfer to Egypt of the Imam of Milan Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar...
and sentenced to five years in prison. Romano was also ordered to pay 1 million Euros to Nasr and 500,000 Euros to Nasr's wife.
Lineage
- Constituted as 37th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 22 December 1939.
- Inactivated 1 February 1940.
- Redesignated 37th Fighter Group in May 1942.
- Disbanded 1 November 1943.
- Established as 37th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 3 March 1953.
- Activated on 8 April 1953.
- Inactivated on 25 June 1953.
- Redesignated 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, and activated, on 26 October 1966.
- Organized on 1 March 1967
- Inactivated on 31 March 1970
- Activated on 30 March 1981
- Redesignated 37th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991
- Inactivated on 8 July 1992.
- Redesignated 37th Training Wing, and activated, on 1 July 1993.
Assignments
- 19th Wing, 1 February 1940
- Panama Canal Air Force, 19 November 1940
- Redesignated: Caribbean Air Force. 5 August 1941
- XXVI Fighter CommandXXVI Fighter CommandThe XXVI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Albrook Field, Canal Zone...
, 18 September 1942 – 1 November 1943 - Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 8 April – 25 June 1953 - Pacific Air Forces, 26 October 1966
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
, 1 March 1967 – 31 March 1970 - 831st Air Division831st Air DivisionThe 831st Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at George Air Force Base, California...
, 30 March 1981 - Twelfth Air Force, 5 October 1989 – 8 July 1992
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 1 July 1993–present
- XXVI Fighter Command
Components
Group- 37th Fighter-Bomber (later, 37th Operations): 8 April – 25 June 1953; 1 November 1991 – 8 July 1992
Squadron
- 28th Fighter Squadron28th Test SquadronThe 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 53d Wing, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.-Overview:...
: 1 February 1940 – 1 November 1943 - 30th Fighter Squadron30th Fighter-Bomber SquadronThe 30th Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 37th Fighter-Bomber Wing, based at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico...
: 1 February 1940 – 1 November 1943; 28 April – 25 June 1953 - 31st Fighter Squadron31st Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...
: 1 February 1940 – 1 November 1943 - 174th Fighter Squadron: 14 May 1968 – 11 May 1969
- 355th Fighter Squadron355th Fighter SquadronThe 355th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was that of a subordinate unit of the 354th Fighter Wing based at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, flying the Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft...
: attached 3 February – 4 July 1968, assigned 5 July 1968 – 15 May 1969 - 389th Fighter Squadron389th Fighter SquadronThe 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...
: 15 June 1969 – 31 March 1970 - 415th Fighter Squadron: 5 October 1989 – 1 November 1991
- 416th Fighter Squadron416th Fighter SquadronThe 416th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...
: 15 April 1967 – 27 May 1969; 5 October 1989-1 November 1991 - 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron417th Weapons SquadronThe 417th Weapons Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the USAF Weapons School based at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. It was inactivated on September 14, 2006....
(later, 417th Fighter): 5 October 1989 – 1 November 1991 - 480th Fighter Squadron480th Fighter SquadronThe 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
: 15 April 1969 – 31 March 1970 - 561st Fighter Squadron561st Fighter SquadronThe 561st Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron, being last assigned to the 57th Operations Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It was inactivated on 1 October 1996....
: 30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989 - 562d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron562d Flying Training SquadronThe 562d Flying Training Squadron was part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operated the T-43 conducting navigator training.-History:...
: 30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989 - 563d Fighter Squadron563d Flying Training SquadronThe 563d Flying Training Squadron is part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-43 Bobcat conducting navigator training.-History:...
30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989.
Detachment
- Det 1., 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 8 June 1967 – 13 April 1969.
Bases Assigned
- Albrook AAfld., Panama Canal ZonePanama Canal ZoneThe Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
(1940–1943) - Howard AAfld, Panama Canal ZonePanama Canal ZoneThe Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
(1943) - Clovis Air Force Base, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
(1953) (Inactive) - Phu Cat Air BasePhu Cat Air BasePhu Cat Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Qui Nhon in Binh Dinh Province....
, South VietnamSouth VietnamSouth Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
(1967–1970) - George Air Force BaseGeorge Air Force BaseGeorge Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...
, California (1981–1989) - Tonopah Test Range AirportTonopah Test Range AirportTonopah Test Range Airport , also Senior Trend project site PS-66, is located near the center of the Tonopah Test Range, southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
(1989–1992) - Lackland Air Force BaseLackland Air Force BaseLackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
, Texas (1993–present)
Aircraft Operated
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1940–1943)
- F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
(1967–1969) - F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
(1969–1970, 1981–1989) - F-117 NighthawkF-117 NighthawkThe Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
(1989–1992) - T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1989–1992)