303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing


The 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Aeronautical Systems Center, 2005–2010. It was stationed at Wright-Patterson [Air Force Base], Ohio as a tenant unit.
The wing was first activated during the Cold War. The wing was organized by Strategic Air Command as the 303rd Bombardment Wing, a Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber wing in the 1950s and in the 1980s, became a tactical missile wing assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe.

History

Trained for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to meet Strategic Air Command 's global commitments and equipped with B-29 Superfortresses, the wing was deployed to Sidi Slimane Air Base, French Morocco, 5 Oct-6 Nov 1952.
The wing replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with new Boeing B-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1953, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. It flew numerous training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet, deploying to RAF Greenham Common, England, 17 Mar-28 Apr 1954; RAF Fairford, England, 28 Apr-5 Jun 1954; and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, 4 Jul-4 Oct 1956 and 5 Apr-5 Jul 1958.
In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Began sending its Stratojets to AMARC in 1963, the last being retired in 1964. Wing was inactivated on 15 June 1964 after the last B-47 was retired.
The wing was reactivated as a BGM-109G Gryphon cruise missile wing in August 1986. It maintained 64 operational missiles in a combat-ready state. The wing was finally inactivated in January 1989 as a result of the INF treaty and the elimination of the BGM-109G missile from service.
As part of the Aeronautical Systems Center, the 303d designed, developed and delivered dominant aerospace weapon systems and capabilities for U.S. Air Force, other U.S. military, allied and coalition-partner warfighters, in support of Air Force leadership priorities.
Wing responsibilities also included identifying, coordinating, and implementing horizontal integration/capability planning across weapons systems in support of the Global Strike and Global Persistent Attack concept of operations.
The wing was reorganized as a directorate on 1 July 2010.

Lineage

; 303d Bombardment Wing
  • Established as the 303d Bombardment Wing, Medium on 27 August 1951
; 303d Aeronautical Systems Wing
  • Established as the Reconnaissance Systems Wing on 23 November 2004

Assignments

Components

Group
Squadrons
Detachments: Detachment, 96th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 4 July–c. 4 October 1956

Stations

Aircraft and missiles