55th Special Operations Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 55th Special Operations Squadron


caption=
dates= 14 November 1952 - 18 June 1960
10 May 1961 - 2007
country= United States
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branch=United States Air Force
type= Special Operations
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nickname= Night Hawks
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The 55th Special Operations Squadron (55 SOS) most recently was part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operated MH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft in support of special operations.

History

The 55th trained and performed rescue and recovery missions from, 1952–1960. The squadron supported manned spacecraft recovery operations from, June 1961–January 1966. It supported special operations missions from, March 1988-2007 including combat in Panama, 20 December 1989–14 January 1990, and Southwest Asia, 1 January–12 March 1991. [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

Operations [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

*Operation Just Cause
*Operation Desert Storm

Lineage [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

*55th Air Rescue Squadron (1952 - 1966)
*55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (1966 - 1988)
*55th Special Operations Squadron (1988 - 2007)

Assignments [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

*6th Air Rescue Group (1952 - 1958)
*Air Rescue Service (1958 - 1960)
*Military Air Transport Service (1961)
*Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (1961 - 1970)
*39th Special Operations Wing (1970 - 1989)
*1st Special Operations Wing (1989 - 2007)

Bases stationed [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

*Thule Air Base, Greenland (1952 - 1960)
*Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda (1960, 1961 - 1970)
*McCoy Air Force Base, Florida (1970 - 1971)
*Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (1971 - 1993)
*Hurlburt Field, Florida (1993 - 2007)

Aircraft Operated [ [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html AFHRA 55 SOS Page] ]

*SB-17 (1952 - 1955)
*SC-47 (1952 - 1954)
*H-19 Chickasaw (1953 - 1957)
*SA-16 (1953 - 1959)
*YH-21 Work Horse (1953 - 1955)
*SC-54 (1956 - 1957)
*SH-21B Work Horse (1956 - 1960)
*HC-54 (1961 - 1964)
*HH-19 (1961 - 1963)
*HH-43 Huskie (1963 - 1964)
*HC-97 (1964 - 1966)
*HC-130 (1966 - 1968)
* HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant (1973 - 1980)
*H-3 (1980 - 1982)
*MH-60G Pave Hawk (1982 - 2007)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0055sos.html USAF 55th Special Operations Squadron History]

ee also