4th Special Operations Squadron

Mission

The squadron plans, prepares and executes AC-130J gunship missions, providing precise delivery of munitions supporting joint conventional and special operations forces. It directly supports unified and theater special operations commands by conducting close air support, armed aerial reconnaissance, and interdiction missions worldwide in support of Secretary of Defense taskings.

History

World War II

The first predecessor of the squadron was organized in April 1942 at Logan Field, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, operating from New Castle Army Air Base, Delaware, the 4th ferried aircraft to locations in Alaska, Africa, and Europe under the 2nd Ferrying Group. It also airlifted cargo and evacuated wounded to US military hospitals. The squadron was disbanded in March 1944, and, along with the other elements of the 2d Ferrying Group and support units at New Castle, replaced by the 552d AAF Base Unit (2d Ferrying Group).

Light aircraft operations

The second predecessor of the squadron was activated at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina in October 1949 as the 4th Liaison Flight and initially equipped with Stinson L-13 light aircraft. It was expanded to become the 4th Liaison Squadron on 15 July 1952, but was inactivated a week later. However, it was activated the same day at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, where it was equipped with de Havilland Canada L-20 Beavers. At the beginning of 1953, the squadron moved overseas to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, where it operated the Beavers until inactivating on 8 March 1954.

Vietnam War

The third predecessor of the squadron was activated in August 1965 as the 4th Air Commando Squadron. Although nominally stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, the squadron was organized at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, where it trained as the first gunship unit in the Air Force for the next three months. It flew night combat missions in South Vietnam manning the Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship beginning in November 1965. By year's end, the 4th had flown 277 combat sorties, used 2,458 illumination flares, and expended 137,136 rounds of ammunition in support of friendly positions under attack. In February 1966, four of the squadron's gunships were moved to Thailand to operate against the Ho Chi Minh Trail. There they would serve several roles. They were equipped to assume Airborne Command and Control Center duties in lieu of Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. They both struck and directed forward air control in the Operation Barrel Roll area of Laos. They also hunted supply trucks along the Trail. Between December 1965 and July 1966, they were credited with destroying 243 trucks. However, they lost four AC-47s and 26 air crew members in the process, as enemy anti-aircraft fire became steadily more effective. The 4th was then assigned solely to defense of hamlets and troops under attack.

Airborne command and control

From 1 April 1970 to 30 September 1992, the 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, assigned to the 28th Bombardment Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, provided airborne command post responsibilities with specially modified Boeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft for Fifteenth Air Force and Strategic Air Command as part of the Post Attack Command and Control System

Special operations

In September 1996, the squadron deployed to Brindisi, Italy, supporting Operation Joint Endeavor in the skies over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The squadron saw its first combat operations since the Vietnam War in April 1999 over Kosovo while supporting Operation Allied Force. The 4th was called upon to strike Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001. In the spring of 2003 the 4th participated in the invasion of Iraq. During the initial 2 months of the conflict the 4th flew more than 1000 combat hours from 3 separate forward operating locations.

The squadron received its first AC-130J Ghostrider on March 6, 2019, which are replacing the unit's AC-130U Spooky gunships.

Lineage

; 4th Ferrying Squadron

• Constituted as the 4th Air Corps Ferrying Squadron on 18 February 1942 : Activated on 8 April 1942 : Redesignated 4th Ferrying Squadron on 12 May 1943
• Disbanded on 31 March 1944
• Reconstituted and consolidated with 4th Liaison Squadron, 4th Special Operations Squadron and as on 19 September 1985

; 4th Liaison Squadron

• Constituted as the 4th Liaison Flight on 27 September 1949 : Activated on 27 October 1949 : Redesignated 4th Liaison Squadron on 15 July 1952 : Inactivated on 22 July 1952
• Activated on 22 July 1952 : Inactivated on 8 March 1954
• Reconstituted and consolidated with 4th Ferrying Squadron, 4th Special Operations Squadron and 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron as 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985

; 4th Special Operations Squadron

• Constituted as the 4th Air Commando Squadron (Fire Support) and activated on 2 August 1965 (not organized) : Organized on 8 August 1965 : Redesignated 4th Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968 : Inactivated on 15 December 1969
• Consolidated with 4th Ferrying Squadron, 4th Liaison Squadron and 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron as 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985

; 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron

• Constituted as the 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 12 March 1970 : Activated on 1 April 1970
• Consolidated with 4th Ferrying Squadron, 4th Liaison Squadron and 4th Special Operations Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Inactivated on 30 September 1992

; Consolidated squadron

• Redesignated 4th Special Operations Squadron on 13 February 1995 : Activated on 1 May 1995

Assignments

• Northeast Sector, Air Corps Ferrying Command (later 2d Ferrying Group), 8 April 1942 – 31 March 1944
• Fourteenth Air Force, 27 October 1949
• Tactical Air Command, 1 August 1950
• Ninth Air Force, 14 August 1950 – 22 July 1952
• Eighteenth Air Force, 22 July 1952
• Twelfth Air Force, 13 February 1953 – 8 March 1954
• Pacific Air Forces, 2 August 1965 (not organized)
• 2d Air Division, 8 August 1965 (attached to 6250 Combat Support Group until 1 March 1966)
• 14th Air Commando Wing (later 14 Special Operations Wing), 8 March 1966 – 15 December 1969
• 28th Bombardment Wing, 1 April 1970
• 28th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – 30 September 1992
• 16th Operations Group (later 1st Special Operations Group), 1 May 1995 – present

Stations

• Logan Field, Maryland, 8 April 1942
• New Castle Army Air Base, Delaware, c. 25 May 1942 – 31 March 1944
• Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 27 October 1949 – 22 July 1952 (deployed to Camp Mackall, North Carolina (14 April – 4 May 1950, Fort Hood, Texas (14 March – 7 April 1952)
• Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, 22 July 1952 – 23 January 1953
• Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, 10 February 1953 – 8 March 1954
• Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, 8 August 1965 (deployed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas until c. 1 November 1965)
• Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam, 1 June 1966
• Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam, 1 October–15 December 1969
• Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, 1 April 1970 – 30 September 1992
• Hurlburt Field, Florida, 1 May 1995 – present

Aircraft

• Ferried a variety of aircraft, many assigned to other units (1942–1944)
• Stinson L-13 (1949–1951, 1951–1952)
• Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor (1951–1952)
• de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver (1952, 1952–1953)
• Douglas FC-47 (later AC-47) Spooky (1965–1969)
• Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1966–1967)
• Douglas HC-47 Skytrain (1969)
• Boeing EC-135 (1970–1992)
• Lockheed AC-130U Spooky II (1995 - 2019)
• Lockheed AC-130J Ghostrider (2019 – present)

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Anthony, Victor B. and Richard R. Sexton (1993). The War in Northern Laos. Command for Air Force History. .

References

1. (17 October 2016). "Factsheet 4 Special Operations Squadron (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency.
2. (23 May 2013). "Hurlburt Field Library: Fact Sheet 4th Special Operations Squadron". 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs.
3. However, the [[Army Air Forces]] found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible [[tables of organization]] not well adapted to training and support missions. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.Goss, p. 75
4. Anthony, Sexton, pp. 27–36.
5. (2000). "The 4th Airborne Command & Control Squadron". The ACCA Flyer.
6. "4th Special Operations Squadron receives first AC-130J Ghostrider".