2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron

2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron
Looking Glass command and control plane refueling
Active	1942-1944; 1949-1952; 1952-1954; 1970-1994
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command and control
Part of	Strategic Air Command
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron emblem
2d Ferrying Squadron emblem[note 1]

The United States Air Force's 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron^{[note 2]} was an airborne command and control unit located at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron was an integral part of the United States' Post Attack Command and Control System, performing the Operation Looking Glass mission with the Boeing EC-135 aircraft.

History

World War II

From its activation in April 1942 until it was disbanded in 1944, the 2d Ferrying Squadron received aircraft at their factory of origin and ferried them to the units to which they were assigned.^[1]

Liaison duties in the 1950s

The 2d Liaison Squadron provided emergency air evacuation, search and rescue, courier and messenger service, routine reconnaissance and transportation of personnel. It regularly operated between Langley Air Force Base, Virginia and Fort John Custis with one Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor and several Stinson L-13s.^[1]

In July 1952, the squadron closed at Langley and reopened at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, operating de Haviland Canada L-20 Beavers. It operated a regular courier service to Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina. In 1953, the squadron also began operating Sikorsky H-19 helicopters. The unit was inactivated in June 1954.^[1]

Airborne command post

The 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron was activated in 1950 to operate Strategic Air Command's (SAC) airborne command post, using Boeing EC-135 aircraft in Operation Looking Glass. The squadron flew three eight hour missions daily, keeping an aircraft with a general officer supporting the Post Attack Command and Control System. This system enabled SAC to control its forces through hostilities even if SAC headquarters had been destroyed. With the end of the Cold War, the squadron was inactivated in 1994.^[1]

Lineage

2d Ferrying Squadron

• Constituted as the 2d Air Corps Ferrying Squadron on 18 February 1942

Activated on 16 April 1942

• Redesignated 2d Ferrying Squadron on 12 May 1943
• Disbanded on 31 March 1944
• Reconstituted and consolidated with 2d Liaison Squadron and 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron as the 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985^[1]

2d Liaison Squadron

• Constituted as the 2d Liaison Flight on 27 September 1949

Activated on 25 October 1949

• Redesignated 2d Liaison Squadron on 15 July 1952

Inactivated on 22 July 1952

Activated on 22 July 1952

Inactivated on 18 June 1954

• Consolidated with 2d Ferrying Squadron and 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron as the 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985^[1]

2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron

• Constituted as the 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 12 March 1970

Activated on 1 April 1970

• Consolidated with 2d Ferrying Squadron and 2d Liaison Squadron on 19 September 1985
• Inactivated on 19 July 1994^[1]

Assignments

• Midwest Sector, Air Corps Ferrying Command (later 5th Ferrying Group, 16 April 1942 – 31 March 1944
• Ninth Air Force, 25 October 1949 (attached to 4th Fighter Wing (later 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing))
• Tactical Air Command, 1 August 1950 – 22 July 1952 (remained attached to 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing to 1 September 1950, attached to 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 1 September 1950, 47th Bombardment Wing 12 March 1951, 4430th Air Base Wing after 12 February 1952)
• Ninth Air Force, 22 July 1952 – 18 June 1954 (attached to 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing)^[1]
• 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 1 April 1970
• 55th Operations Group, 1 September 1992 – 19 July 1994^[1]

Stations

• Hensley Field, Texas (18 February 1942)
• Love Field, Texas, 8 September 1942
• Fairfax Airport, Kansas, 16 January 1943 – 31 March 1944
• Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, 25 October 1949 – 22 July 1952
• Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 22 July 1952 – 18 June 1954
• Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 1 April 1970 – 19 July 1994^[1]

Awards and Campaigns

• Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
  • 1 July 1970 - 30 June 1971
  • 1 July 1972 - 30 June 1974
  • 1 July 1974 - 30 June 1976
  • 1 July 1976 - 30 June 1978
  • 1 July 1978 - 30 June 1980^[1]

Aircraft & Missiles Operated

• Various aircraft (1942–1944)
• Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor (1949–1952)
• Stinson L-13 (1949–1952)
• de Haviland Canada L-20 Beaver (1952–1954)
• Sikorsky H-19 (1953–1954)^[1]
• Boeing EC-135 (1970–1994)^[2]

See also

• Airborne Launch Control System
• Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
• Ground Wave Emergency Network
• Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network
• Emergency Rocket Communications System
• The Cold War
• Game theory
• Continuity of government

References

Notes

1. Cargill indicates this emblem never received official approval. At the time he prepared the Lineage and Honors statement the emblem for the 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron had not yet been approved. At that time the only approved emblem was that of the 2d Liaison Squadron approved on 13 April 1954 depicting a hummingbird on a yellow background, but no image of this emblem is available.
2. From the abbreviation of its name (2 ACCS), the squadron was referred to as "Two Axe".

Citations

1. Hall, R. Cargill (16 October 1984). "USAF Lineage and Honors History (USAFHRC Form 5)" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Center. Retrieved August 24, 2016. (updated after 1994)
2. World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN 1-880588-01-3

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links

• 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron Website