52nd Fighter Wing, US Air Force
52ND FIGHTER WING, US AIR FORCE
History: Established as 52 Fighter Wing, All Weather, on 10 May 1948. Activated on 9 June 1948. Redesignated as: 52 Fighter-All Weather Wing on 20 January 1950; 52 Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 May 1951. Inactivated on 6 February 1952. Redesignated as 52 Fighter Wing (Air Defense), and activated, on 11 April 1963. Organized on 1 July 1963. Inactivated on 30 September 1968. Redesignated as 52 Tactical Fighter Wing on 12 November 1971. Activated on 31 December 1971. Redesignated as 52 Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991. The 52 Fighter Wing performed air defense in the northeastern United States, June 1948-February 1952, and July 1963-September 1968. In December 1971, it became the host wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, and inherited tactical squadrons from the 36 Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at nearby Bitburg AB. The wing participated in numerous tactical exercises, operations, and tests of USAFE and NATO and provided close air support, interdiction, and base defense operations. It cooperated with other NATO forces in frequent "squadron exchange" programs and hosted US-based units on temporary duty in Europe. In January 1973, a Wild Weasel defense suppression mission was added. After October 1985, using the F-4 model aircraft, defense suppression became the wing's sole tactical mission. In 1987, the wing acquired F-16s and became the first wing to integrate F-16Cs with F-4Gs to form hunter/killer teams within individual fighter squadrons. It deployed aircraft and personnel to strategic locations in Saudi Arabia and Turkey in support of the liberation and defense of Kuwait, September 1990-March 1993. Near the end of 1992, it began receiving A/OA-10 aircraft. It received F-15s in 1994 but lost its F-4Gs. During the 1990s, the wing supported no-fly zone operations over Bosnia and northern Iraq and combat operations against Serbia during Operation Allied Force in 1999. After terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, the wing supported Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, deploying combat and support elements in support of US and NATO missions.
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Origin/meaning
Updated rendition approved on 3 December 1996; originally approved for 52 Group on 11 January 1951 and for 52 Wing on 10 May 1951.
Literature: Image from Wikimedia Commons. Information from https://www.afhra.af.mil/
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