17th Training Wing - History - Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The 17th was assigned to Strategic Air Command and redesignated as the 17th Bombardment Wing, Heavy and activated on 15 November 1962 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The 17th's origins under SAC come from the establishment of the 4043d Strategic Wing at Wright-Patterson on 1 April 1959. A Strategic Air Command, Second Air Force unit, it was activated as part of SAC's plan to disburse its B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing consisted of the 42d Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15 B-52Es, and the KC-135-equipped 922d Air Refueling Squadron. Half of the aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. SAC Strategic Wings were considered a provisional unit by HQ, USAF and could not carry a permanent history or lineage.

In 1962, in order to retain the lineage of its MAJCOM 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCOM strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.

The 4043d SW was redesignated as the 17th Bombardment Wing (17th BW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesigation and was assigned to SAC's Second Air Force, 40th Air Division. The 42d BS was also redesignated as the 34th Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's World War II historical bomb squadrons. The 922d ARS designation was unchanged, and component support units were also redesignated to the 410th numerical designation of the newly-established wing. As under the Tri-Deputate organization, all flying components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational group element was activated. Therefore the history, lineage and honors of the 17th Bombardment Group were bestowed upon the newly established wing upon activation.

The 17th Bomb Wing trained to maintain proficiency in strategic bombing and aerial refueling on a global basis. It furnished B-52s and KC-135 aircraft and crews to deployed SAC wings in the western Pacific and Thailand that were engaged in combat operations over Southeast Asia as part of the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1975.

The 17th BW was taken off alert at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, on 30 June 1975 and phased down, transferring aircraft by 7 July as part of SAC's inactivation at Wright-Patterson. It was reassigned without personnel or equipment to Beale AFB, California, on 30 September 1975 and absorbed resources of the 456th Bombardment Wing, including B-52G and KC-135Q aircraft. At Beale, the 17thth continued global strategic bombardment alert to 30 June 1976 and used tanker aircraft primarily to refuel SR-71s of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. The wing was inactivated on 30 September 1976 and replaced by the 100th Air Refueling Wing as part of a realignment of SAC assets.

The wing was reactivated at RAF Alconbury England as the 17th Reconnaissance Wing on 1 October 1982. The operational squadron of the 17th RW was the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron. The wing flew tactical and strategic surveillance missions in Western Europe using the TR-1 (U-2R).

At Alconbury, the 17th RW received the P. T. Cullen Trophy for providing “the greatest contribution to the intelligence gathering efforts of SAC” in 1989 and 1990. During 1990–91, many of the wing's assets and personnel supported operations in Southwest Asia by ferrying aircraft and equipment to Taif, Saudi Arabia.

The 17th RW inactivated on 30 June 1991, but its subordinate unit, the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, remained at Alconbury as a non-flying organization. It subsequently inactivated at Alconbury on 15 September 1993, then reactivated on 1 July 1994 as the 95th RS at RAF Mildenhall, assigned to the 55th Operations Group. The U-2Rs were consolidated at Beale AFB California in the 9th Wing.