4750th Air Defense Wing


The 4750th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 73d Air Division, Air Defense Command, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated in 1960.
The wing was first organized as the 4750th Training Wing at Yuma County Airport in 1953, when ADC's gunnery training program expanded from a squadron sized unit to a wing. The wing conducted interceptor aircraft training for ADC at Yuma until moving to MacDill in 1959. Shortly afterward, the wing was discontinued and the ADC training program transferred to another wing.

History

The wing was established at Yuma County Airport in September 1953 as the 4750th Training Wing when the Air Defense Command fighter gunnery training program there expanded. The gunnery program had been established at Yuma when the 4750th Air Base Squadron was organized in 1951. The squadron had expanded to group strength in 1952 and was assigned to the wing when the wing was organized The wing specialized in air-to-air weapons training and testing for Air Defense Command. The wing also acted as the USAF Host organization for Vincent Air Force Base.
After 1953, gunnery training at Yuma ended and the base concentrated on air-to-air rocketry, as it developed tactics to be employed in air-to-air rocket firing. The 4750th conducted a project on night rocket firing in 1955. The wing also participated in Exercise Checkpoint, a joint exercise with Strategic Air Command in which wing aircraft attempted to intercept and "destroy" SAC bombers simulating an attack on the southwestern United States. In February 1955, the wing was assigned a second group, the 4756th Air Defense Group, which was stationed across the country at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Rocketry training for Northrop F-89 Scorpions and Lockheed F-94 Starfires moved to Moody, while that for North American F-86D Sabres remained at Yuma.
Beginning in 1955, the wing hosted the interceptor phase of the worldwide fighter aircraft gunnery and weapons meet, which was designed to provide information to evaluate combat readiness, tactical capabilities of aircraft and weapons and effectiveness of interceptor techniques. The meet moved to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida in 1958.
In 1958, the wing conducted research testing for the use of special weapons by fighter aircraft. The wing moved from Arizona to Florida in 1959 and was discontinued a year later, with most of its functions being assumed by the 4756th Air Defense Wing.

Lineage

Groups

  • 4750th Air Defense Group
  • '''4756th Air Defense Group'''

    Squadrons

  • 17th Tow Target Squadron
  • 4750th Air Defense Squadron
  • 4750th Drone Squadron
  • 4750th Test Squadron
  • 4750th Tow Target Squadron
In addition to these operational squadrons, the 4750th Air Defense Wing had several maintenance and supply squadrons assigned.

Commanders

  • Col. , 1 September 1953 – 1956
  • Col. , 1956-after 30 June 1956
  • Col. Robert P. Baldwin, by 1 July 1958 – 27 October 1958
  • Col. , 27 October 1958-after 31 December 1958

    Awards