310th Space Wing

310th Space Wing
310th Space Wing emblem
Active	1952-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Space Operations
Role	Combat Support
Part of	Tenth Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Schriever Air Force Base

The 310th Space Wing (310 SW) is a Reserve space wing of the United States Air Force. It's headquarters is at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado and reports to the Tenth Air Force.

Mission

Provide specialized expertise, continuity and combat ready personnel, projecting space power for U.S. interests worldwide

Subordinate units

• 6th Space Operations Squadron (DMSP backup for NOAA)
• 7th Space Operations Squadron (associate unit to 1 SOPS)
• 8th Space Warning Squadron (operates SBIRS at Buckley AFB)
• 9th Space Operations Squadron (supports the Fourteenth Air Force Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB)
• 14th Test Squadron (associate unit to 17th Test Squadron)
• 19th Space Operations Squadron (associate unit to 2 SOPS)
• 310th Security Forces Squadron
• 310th Communications Flight (augments INOSC West at Peterson AFB)
• Reserve National Security Space Institute (associate unit to the NSSI)
• 380th Space Control Squadron (augments 16th Space Control Squadron at Peterson AFB)

History

Lineage

• Established as 310th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 28 Jan 1942

Activated on 15 Mar 1942

Redesignated 310th Bombardment Group, Medium on 20 Aug 1943

Inactivated on 12 Sep 1945

• Redesignated 310th Bombardment Group, Light, and activated in the Reserve, on 27 Dec 1946.

Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949

Consolidated (31 Jan 1984) with the 310th Bombardment Wing, Medium,

which was established on 15 Mar 1952. Activated on 28 Mar 1952

• Redesignated 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing on 1 Mar 1962

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1965

• Redesignated 310th Training and Test Wing on 29 Aug 1991

Activated on 1 Sep 1991

Inactivated on 1 Jul 1993

• Redesignated 310th Space Group on 22 Aug 1997

Activated in the Reserve on 1 Sep 1997

Redesignated 310th Space Wing 7 March 2008

Assignments

• Strategic Air Command (1952-1965)
• Air Force Space Command (1992-1993)
• Air Force Reserve Command (1997-Present)

• Fifteenth Air Force (1952-1965)
• Twentieth Air Force (1991-1993)
• Tenth Air Force (1997-Present)

Stations

• RAF Upper Heyford, England (1955)
• RAF Greenham Common, England (1956-1965)
• Forbes AFB, Kansas (1952)
• Schilling AFB, Kansas (1952-1965)
• Vandenberg AFB, California (1991-1993)
• Schriever AFB, Colorado (1997-Present)

Components

• Components: 550 SMS (1 April 1961-25 June 1965)

Aircraft, Missiles, and Satellites Operated

• B-29 (1952-1954)
• KC-97 (1952-1963)
• B-47 (1954-1965)
• CGM-16 Atlas Missile (1962-1965)
• KC-135 (1964-1965)
• Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (1997-Present)
• Global Positioning Satellite (1997-Present)
• Space-Based Infrared System (2006-Present)

Operational History

World War II

The 310th has a long heritage dating back to World War II when it began as the 310th Bombardment Group on March 15 1942. The unit flew B-25 Mitchell bombers in support of operations in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Sardinia, France, Austria, and Yugoslavia during the war. The group perfected "skip bombing" techniques against bridge, airborne, rail yard, and marshaling yard targets. The group was inactivated Sept. 12, 1945.

Cold War

The 310th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1952 and trained on the B-29 Superfortress before converting to the B-47 Stratojet. The wing deployed to Royal Air Force station Upper Heyford, England, from March 10 to June 8 1955 and to RAF Greenham Common, England, from Oct. 3, 1956 to Jan. 19, 1965.

Air Force Space Command

Members of the 7th Space Operations Squadron check on the status of a satellite to ensure it is operating within normal parameters.

On 1 September 1991, the third wing to hold the "310" designation, the 310th Training and Test Wing (310 TTW), assumed the ICBM testing and training mission from the Strategic Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB, California under the Twentieth Air Force. After removal of ICBMs from alert status at the end of the Cold War, the 310 TTW continued to train Minuteman crews and to test accuracy and reliability of Minuteman and Peacekeeper missiles. The 310 TTW also assisted in testing the Global Positioning System (GPS) April 1992-May 1992. It was reassigned to Air Combat Command on 31 May 1992. It was inactivated on July 1 1993.

The 310th designator was again activated with the stand up of the 310th Space Group Sept. 4, 1997. The group was created around its original squadron, the 7th SOPS, and has grown rapidly with the realization of the critical role the Air Force Reserve can play in the future of space operations. The group has been tremendously successful in its initial missions and has been tasked with reviewing future active/Reserve partnerships in space to identify potential areas where the AF Reserve can add value in the space arena.

Air Force Reserve Command officials are expanding the role reservists play in space operations by establishing AFRC's first space wing at Schriever Air Force Base. Command officials activated the 310th Space Wing on March 7 2008. An activation ceremony is currently scheduled for April 4 at Peterson AFB.[1]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links

• 310th Space Wing official factsheet