26th Air Division (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 26th Air Division


caption= Emblem of the 26th Air Division
dates= 1948-1990
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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role= Command and Control
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command_structure= Tactical Air Command (ADTAC)
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battle_honours=The 26th Air Division (26th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, (ADTAC) assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 Sep 1990.

History

Lineage

* Established as 26 Air Defense Division on 21 Oct 1948: Activated on 16 Nov 1948: Redesignated 26 Air Division (Defense) on 20 Jun 1949: Inactivated on 1 Feb 1952
* Organized on 1 Feb 1952: Redesignated: 26 Air Division (SAGE) on 8 Aug 1958: Redesignated: 26 Air Division on 1 Apr 1966: Inactivated on 30 Sep 1969
* Activated on 19 Nov 1969: Inactivated on 30 Sep 1990

Assignments

* Continental Air Command: First Air Force, 16 Nov 1948
* Air Defense Command, 1 Apr 1949: Attached to Eastern Air Defense Force, 17 Nov 1949: First Air Force, 16 Nov 1949:: Remained attached to Eastern Air Defense Force to 31 Aug 1950: Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 Sep 1950-1 Aug 1959
* Air Defense Command, 1 Aug 1959: Fourth Air Force, 1 Apr 1966-30 Sep 1969: Tenth Air Force, 19 Nov 1969
* Aerospace Defense Command, 1 Dec 1969
* Tactical Air Command, 1 Oct 1979. (ADTAC): First Air Force, 6 Dec 1985-30 Sep 1990.

Stations

* Mitchel AFB, New York, 16 Nov 1948
* Mitchel AFB Sub Base #3, Roslyn, New York, 18 Apr 1949-1 Feb 1952
* Mitchel AFB Sub Base #3, Roslyn (later, Roslyn AFS), New York, 1 Feb 1952
* Syracuse AFS, New York, 15 Aug 1958: Redesigated Hancock Field, New York, 14 Feb 1959
* Stewart AFB, New York, 15 Jun 1964
* Adair AFS, Oregon, 1 Apr 1966-30 Sep 1969
* Luke AFB, Arizona, 19 Nov 1969
* March AFB, California, 31 Aug 1983-1 Jul 1987.

Components

Sectors
* Bangor Air Defense: 15 Aug 1958-1 Apr 1966
* Detroit Air Defense: 4 Sep 1963-1 Apr 1966
* Goose Air Defense (Manual): 1 Jul 1963-1 Apr 1966
* Montgomery Air Defense: 1 Jul 1963-1 Oct 1964
* Syracuse Air Defense: 15 Aug 1958-4 Sep 1963
* Washington Air Defense: 1 Sep 1958-1 Apr 1966
* 4621 Air Defense Wing (SAGE) (later, New York Air Defense): 1 Apr-8 Jul 1956; 1 Oct 1956-1 Apr 1966
* 4622 Air Defense Wing (SAGE) (later, Boston Air Defense): 1 Jun-8 Jul 1956; 18 Oct 1956-1 Apr 1966

Wings
* l Fighter: 31 Dec 1969-1 Oct 1970: Hamilton AFB, California
* 33 Fighter: 18 Oct 1956-8 Jan 1957: (under control of 4622 Air Defense Wing [SAGE] , 18 Oct 1956-8 Jan 1957): Otis AFB, Massachusetts
* 78 Fighter: 1 Apr 1966-15 Sep 1969; 19 Nov-31 Dec 1969: Hamilton AFB, California
* 551 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 1 Jul 1959-1 Apr 1966: Otis AFB, Massachusetts
* 4707 Air Defense: 1 Mar-18 Oct 1956: Niagara Falls MAP, New York
* 4709 Defense (later, 4709 Air Defense): 16 Feb 1953-1 Oct 1956: Suffolk County AFB, New York
* 4710 Defense (later, 4710 Air Defense): 16 Feb 1953-1 Mar 1956: New Castle Airport, Delaware

Air Force
* Air Forces, Iceland: 1 Jul-4 Sep 1963.

Division
* 26th Air Division (SAGE) Provisional: attached 15 May 1963-1 Jul 1964.

Groups
* 408 Fighter: 1 Apr 1966-15 Sep 1969: Kingsley Field, Oregon
* 414 Fighter: 19 Nov-31 Dec 1969: Oxnard AFB, California
* 503 Aircraft Control and Warning: Attached 1 Apr-15 Nov 1949: Assigned 16 Nov 1949-1 Feb 1952 (not operational, 25 Mar 1950-1 Feb 1952) (Inactivated Feb 1952): Roslyn AFS. New York
* 751 Air Defense: 1 Mar 1970-17 Jan 1974: Resesignated 751st Radar Squadron, 17 Jan 1974: Laguna AFS, California
* 858 Air Defense: 1 Mar 1970-17 Jan 1974: Resesignated 858th Radar Squadron, 17 Jan 1974: Las Vegas AFS, Nevada
* 4604th Support Group (Texas Towers): 762d Air Control and Warning (AC&W) Squadron (SAGE) (TT-2) (Apr 1958 - 15 Jan 1963):: Parent station was North Truro AFS, Massachusetts : 773d Air Control and Warning (AC&W) Squadron (SAGE) (TT-3) (Oct 1958 - 25 Mar 1963):: Parent station was Montauk AFS, LI, New York: 646th Air Control and Warning (AC&W) Squadron (SAGE) (TT-4) (Apr 1959 - 15 Jan 1961):: Parent station was Highlands AFS, New Jersey

Squadrons
* 82 Fighter Interceptor: 1 Apr-25 Jun 1966 (detached 1 Apr-25 Jun 1966): Travis AFB, California
* 84 Fighter Interceptor (later, 84 Fighter Interceptor Training): 1 Oct 1970-27 Feb 1987: Castle AFB, California
* 456 Fighter Interceptor: 1 Apr 1966-18 Jul 1968: Castle AFB, California
* 4758 Defense Systems Evaluation: 19 Nov 1969-31 Oct 1970: Holloman AFB, New Mexico

Operational History

Beginning in November 1948, the division performed air defense over an area that covered much of the industrial northeast, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.. It employed off shore naval picket ships, fixed "Texas Tower" radar sites, airborne early warning units, and a civilian ground observer corps program. The latter phased down when the SAGE program was implemented.

Improved radar and communications equipment and fighter interceptors, and better techniques and methods, eventually led to the 26th Air Division becoming the first operational SAGE air defense system (1 January 1959) within Air Defense Command.

The 26th's area of control expanded until by 1963 its boundaries extended from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and well toward the center of the United States. In 1961 the division assumed air defense training responsibility for Air National Guard (ANG) units within the area.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the division deployed fighter aircraft and part of its airborne early warning and control force to Florida. In April 1966, the division, replaced by the First Air Force, moved without personnel or equipment to Adair Air Force Station, Oregon, where it assumed responsibility for the defense of Oregon, part of California and Nevada, gradually phasing down until it replaced the 27th Air Division at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona in November 1969.

In October 1979, it transferred to Tactical Air Command and continued to supervise its assigned components until 1 July 1987.

References

* Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).

External links

* [http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/airdivision_pages/0026ad.asp Air Force Historical Research Agency: 26th Air Division]