7440th Composite Wing
| 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional) | ||
|---|---|---|
Electronic warfare EF-111A Raven; EC-130H Compass Call; F-4G Phantom II; E-3B Sentry | | |
| Fighter | F-4E Phantom II; F-15C Eagle; F-16C Fighting Falcon | |
| Reconnaissance | RF-4C Phantom | |
| Transport | C-130E Hercules | |
The 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional) was a
Formation
By late December 1990, there was already a formidable arsenal of USAFE airpower deployed to Turkey: 20 F-111Es, 24 F-16Cs, 10 F-15Cs, and 4 SAC KC-135s.[1] These aircraft were in Turkey for various reasons including rotational training, a NATO exercise, and NATO alert duty, but remained under control of their respective home units. Eventually more than 100 USAFE aircraft and 2,600 personnel deployed to Incirlik.[2] However, if Turkey approved the task force's activation, Joint Task Force Proven Force could absorb all of these assets and the others it required.
Operations
The Turkish government finally approved the JTF on 15 January 1991. The following day, USAFE activated the Wing and began the command's largest Desert Shield deployment, bringing the total number of aircraft at Incirlik to 110. However, it was not until 17 January, the first day of Desert Storm, that Turkey approved operations from Incirlik. Therefore, JTF Proven Force entered the war on Day Two.
The
Following Desert Storm, the 7440th Wing conducted all initial planning, logistics, and air operations for Operation Provide Comfort, airlift missions to supply over 1 million Kurdish refugees in the mountains of Northern Iraq. In the 31 days of airlift operations without benefit of friendly ground forces at the drop zones, the 6-nation airlift dropped more tonnage and flew more miles than the entire Berlin Airlift. As Provide Comfort continued after the introduction of 10th Special Forces into the refugee camps, the 7440th transitioned into Joint Task Force Provide Comfort. The initial airlift was under the command of Colonel
Composition
| Unit | Tail Code | Aircraft Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
3d Tactical Fighter Squadron
|
PN | F-4E Phantom II | Deployed from 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Clark Air Base , The Philippines (6 Aircraft)
|
| 7th Special Operations Squadron | MC/HC-130H | Deployed from Rhein-Main AB , Germany (7 Aircraft)
| |
20th Tactical Fighter Wing *
|
UH | F-111E | * Composed of flights from the 55th, 77th, 79th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, RAF Upper Heyford, England (22 Aircraft) |
37th Tactical Airlift Squadron
|
C-130H | Deployed from Rhein-Main AB , Germany (11 Aircraft)
| |
| 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron | ZR | RF-4C Phantom II | Deployed from Zweibrücken AB , Germany (6 Aircraft)
|
42d Electronic Combat Squadron
|
UH | EF-111A | Deployed from 66th Electronic Combat Wing, RAF Upper Heyford , England (6 Aircraft)
|
43d Electronic Combat Squadron
|
SB | EC-130H Compass Call | Deployed from Sembach AB , Germany (3 Aircraft)
|
52d Tactical Fighter Wing *
|
SP | F-4G Phantom II | * Composed of flights from the 23d Tactical Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB , Germany (12 x F-16C and 12 x F-4G Aircraft)flying mixed Hunter Killer Wild Weasel pairs.
|
61st Tactical Airlift Squadron
|
C-130H | Deployed from Rhein-Main AB , Germany (8 Aircraft)
| |
525th Tactical Fighter Squadron
|
BT | F-15C Eagle | Deployed from Bitburg AB , Germany (24 Aircraft)
|
| 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron | CR | F-15C Eagle | Deployed from Soesterberg AB , Netherlands, (6 Aircraft)
|
| 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron | TJ | F-16C Fighting Falcon | Deployed from Torrejon AB , Spain (37 Aircraft)
|
552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing
|
E-3B Sentry | Deployed from Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (Tactical Air Command ) (3 Aircraft)
|
See also
References
- ^ "Joint Task Force Proven Force".
- ^ See Gordon W. Rudd, 'Humanitarian Intervention: Assisting the Iraqi Kurds in Operation Provide Comfort Archived 20 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Center for Military History, 1991, 22-29.
- ^ 3d Wing official history[permanent dead link]