| 8th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the 8th Air Division | |
| Active | 1949-1957 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Command and Control |
| Part of | Air Defense Command |
A Lockheed EC-121D
The 8th Air Division (8th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957.
History[]
The 8th AD was established in 1949. Its initial assignment was the air defense of North and South Carolina under Fourteenth Air Force. It was inactivated in 1950 with its air defense mission taken over by Eastern Air Defense Force. In 1954 it was re-activated under Western Air Defense Force with a mission of being the command and control organization for Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) units of Air Defense Command. Its mission also included the training and equipping of Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star AEW&C units.
Division components flew early warning missions in "flying radar stations" off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States until its inactivation in July 1957, its mission being taken over directly by the Western Air Defense Force.
Lineage[]
- Established as 8th Air Division (Tactical) on 7 April 1949
- Activated on 1 May 1949.
- Inactivated on 1 August 1950
- Redesignated 8th Air Division (Airborne Early Warning and Control) on 19 April 1954
- Activated on 1 May 1954
- Inactivated on 1 July 1957
Assignments[]
- Fourteenth Air Force, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950
- Western Air Defense Force, 1 May 1954
- Air Defense Command, 1 May 1955 – 1 July 1957.
Stations[]
- Pope AFB, North Carolina, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950
- McClellan AFB, California, 1 May 1954 – 1 July 1957.
Components[]
Wings
- 551 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 18 December 1954 – 1 July 1957
- Otis AFB, Massachusetts
- 552 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 8 July 1955 – 1 July 1957.
- McClellan AFB, California
Squadrons
- 4701 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 1 May 1954 – 8 March 1955
- Redesignated 963 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 8 March-8 July 1955
- McClellan AFB, California
- 4712 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 25 May 1954 – 8 March 1955.
- Redesignated 964 Airborne Early Warning and Control: 8 March-8 July 1955
- McClellan AFB, California
See also[]
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
- Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons
- List of United States Air Force air divisions
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
External links[]
The original article can be found at 8th Air Division and the edit history here.